This delicious summer dish is quick enough for a mid-week supper, whilst being impressive enough for a weekend dinner party.  

Recipe serves 4: 

Ingredients: 

For the salmon 

4 salmon fillets 

1 onion, peeled and halved 

A couple of celery stalks, roughly chopped 

Fennel bulb, roughly chopped 

A lemon – zested and cut in half 

3 tsp fennel seeds 

Pinch of salt 

For the potatoes 

600g new potatoes, halved 

A knob of butter 

A handful of basil leaves, finely chopped 

Salt and pepper to season 

Tomato salad 

600g mixed tomatoes, chopped – I would recommend buying the best quality tomatoes that you can afford. 

A handful of basil leaves, finely chopped 

Half a red onion, finely diced. 

A glug of good quality olive oil. 

A pinch of sugar 

1 tsp good quality sherry or balsamic vinegar 

Salt and pepper to season 

Method: 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°c 

Add enough water to a wide pan to cover the salmon fillets and add the onion, lemon, chopped fennel, fennel seeds, celery and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach the salmon for 6 minutes – do not let it boil.  

Whilst the salmon is poaching make the tomato salad by mixing all of the ingredients together. 

Remove the salmon from the poaching liquid – keep the liquid as you will need this to reheat the salmon just before serving. Remove the skin, season and lightly oil before placing between two pieces of baking parchment pressed between two baking trays. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until crisp 

Meanwhile, cook the new potatoes for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain, add a knob of butter, season and lightly crush with a fork. Finish with the chopped basil. 

Just before serving, reheat the salmon in the poaching liquid for 1 minute, pat dry and serve on top of the potatoes, with a side of tomato salad, topped with the salmon skin and a drizzle of olive oil.