Katie’s Salmon Parcels
Serves 2
Ingredients:
25g pine nuts
50g fresh basil
half small clove garlic
2 lemons
15g Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
150g green beans
1 120g salmon fillets, skin on, scaled & pin-boned, from sustainable sources
olive oil
serve with new potatoes and green vegetables
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Fill and boil the kettle.
- Place a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the pine nuts for 2 to 3 minutes, or until very lightly golden – keep them moving so they don’t burn. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
- Pick the basil leaves, discarding the stalks, and pound in a pestle and mortar. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, very finely chop.
- Peel the garlic and add to the mortar with a pinch of sea salt and the toasted pine nuts – keep pounding until you have a green paste. Alternatively, very finely chop it all together on a large board, then place into a bowl.
- Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon and finely grate in the Parmesan.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and muddle together – you need just enough oil to bind the pesto and get it to an oozy consistency.
- Trim the stalk-ends from the beans and cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain.
- Fold just over half a metre of tin foil in half so you have a double layer.
- Place half the hot green beans in the middle of the foil.
- Lay a salmon fillet on top, skin-side down, and spoon over 1 tablespoon of the basil pesto.
- Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Pull the foil edges together and scrunch them up to seal the parcel.
- Repeat steps 8 to 12 to make the remaining parcel, then place them onto a baking tray.
- Bake in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and the beans are tender.
- While the salmon is cooking, refill and boil the kettle. Cut any larger potatoes in half, place in a small pan, just cover with boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return to the pan to keep warm until ready to serve up.
- When the time’s up on the salmon, remove the tray from the oven and leave to stand for 1 minute.
- Carefully open each parcel (mind out for the steam!) and cut into each salmon fillet to check they’re cooked, then slide onto the plate and serve with the cooked potatoes.
- Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and serve on the side for squeezing over.