FoodPoint

6.02 Crispy-Skin Salmon w/ Warm Potato Salad - Seafood - Low-Fuss

Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's a quick and simple-to-prepare meal for 2! I would recommend it more as a lunch (because of the carbs again) but it's probably fine as a dinner as well. All up, it takes approx. 20-25 minutes from beginning to end.

This recipe was actually based on fish & chips with tartare sauce - a guilty pleasure of mine. I've attempted to hit similar textural and flavour marks while keeping things as light as possible.

Recipe makes 2 serves
498 calories (2084 kilojoules) per serve
28.9 grams of fat per serve

While the calories and fat in this dish may seem excessive, it's important to remember that 1) the general recommended caloric intake is 2000 per day on average; 2) the general recommended fat intake is 65 grams per day on average; and 3) so long as you structure your meals appropriately for the rest of the day this is perfectly acceptable.

Besides, most of the calories and fat come from the salmon, and fish oil has several health benefits. There's more to eating better than cutting out fat altogether.

Ingredients:
2x salmon fillets (approx. 175g each), skin on
350g potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup green beans, sliced
1/3 cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 tbsp capers
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Dill (to taste)
Lemon wedges (to serve)
Salt & pepper

Obviously if you don't get salmon with the skin on you can't have crispy skin. If you choose to go the skinless route this recipe should still give you a decent result regardless. If you can't get salmon, I'm sure trout is also sold as fillets with the skin on and shouldn't be very different as an alternative.

I'm not going to specify a particular type of potato, just use something that's good for boiling. To get the right amount you'll need 2-3 decent sized potatoes.

As an alternative to green beans, you could also use sugar-snap peas, snow peas, or even just regular peas if you can find them fresh and out of the pod. I encourage you to adapt my recipes however you see fit.

On the topic of alternatives, you can use full-fat greek yogurt if you're not overly concerned by what you're eating. Plain/natural yogurt should also be fine.

As for the dill... well I'm not really a fan of it myself, with the exception of a few dishes (including this one). You don't need much anyway, just a few sprigs. Or feel free to swap it for something like tarragon or basil.

Method:

1. Place the potatoes into a pot, then cover with water from a recently boiled kettle (to save time). Place on a medium-high heat and boil for 15-20 minutes or until cooked (but not too soft)

2. Dran the potatoes and place into a bowl with the beans. Stir together and place aside to cool for 5-10 minutes while you continue with the recipe. (The heat from the potatoes should soften the beans a bit, but they'll basically still be raw and have some nice texture to them).

3. In a bowl, mix the oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then, brush the skin side of each salmon fillet with a generous amount of seasoned oil.

4. Place the fillets skin-side-down into a frypan over medium-high heat and allow to fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then brush the other side of the fillets with any leftover oil, flip them over and fry for a further 60-90 seconds.

6. Flip the fillets onto one side and fry for 30-60 seconds before flipping onto the other side and cooking for another 30-60 seconds.

7. Flip the fillets back on to the skin side for a final 30-60 seconds before removing from the heat and allowing to rest or a couple of minutes while you continue with the recipe. (Total cooking time for the salmon is 5-6 minutes, it will still be slightly pink in the centre which is the way salmon is usually served.)

8. Into a food processor, place the yogurt, some dill (or whatever you decide to use), the capers, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Blend to your desired consistency (a.k.a. chunky or smooth). (TIP: If you don't have a food processor, just chop the capers and herbs by hand and mix with the yogurt, salt and pepper.)

9. Pour the dressing over the slightly-cooled potatoes and beans and mix until everything is coated.

10. Serve half of the potato salad with each salmon fillet and a wedge of lemon (for those that want it).

Serves 2.

A video of these recipes is also available at https://youtu.be/Y3PptSEeB5Y.