Salmon, Asparagus and Pea Salad with Watercress Dressing

Salmon, Asparagus and Pea Salad with Watercress Dressing

This quintessentially English dish of pink poached salmon salad against a verdant selection of leaves is as vibrant as a sunny spring day. It is easy to put together and the fish and dressing can be prepared in advance so it makes it ideal for entertaining. Use a mixture of herbs in the salad and the dressing but go easy on tarragon as it is very strong. Use some in the dressing and the rest in the salad. Use silken tofu in place of dairy if you prefer.

Serves 6

750g fillet of salmon or 1 side of a small salmon, skin on and pin-boned

2 tablespoons white wine

a small handful of pea shoots

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

100g watercress

200ml crème fraîche or full-fat 10% fat thick Kefir or Greek style yogurt or silken tofu

10g fresh mixed herbs (such as mint, coriander dill, chives, parsley, chervil and celery leaves)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, peeled

pinch of salt

plenty of pepper

For the salad

12 asparagus spears, woody ends removed

300g fresh peas

50g of a mixture of the following: dill, mint, parsley, tarragon, stems removed and roughly torn

100g watercress, roughly chopped

½ English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Put the salmon on a large piece of baking parchment, spoon over the wine, season and secure the edges to form a parcel, cook for 20–25 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients. When cool enough to touch remove the skin and flake the fish into large pieces.

Boil or steam the asparagus for 5–8 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by whizzing the watercress and herbs, oil, lemon juice, chilli, garlic and seasoning with 50ml (2fl oz) of the crème fraiche or alternative together in a small food-processor. Don’t add all of the dairy at the beginning or it will become too liquid.  Alternatively, finely chop the herbs, chilli and garlic by hand. Stir in the rest of the dairy, season to taste and pour into a serving jug. Store in the refrigerator until serving; it will keep for up to 4 days.

Put all the salad vegetables in a large bowl, toss in the lemon and olive oil and arrange around the edge of a platter. Lay the salmon on top, in the centre, and splash on the crème fraîche dressing or serve on the side. Add the pea shoots on top of the salmon.