Salty, spicy, sweet salmon on a bed of tasty tomatoes
I went off travelling for a month, leaving the Chief Taster to fend for himself. He’s a dab hand at pasta… rice… gravy…I felt confident.
On my return I found our daughter had been there for a few days and, much to his relief, had taken on the mantle of chef. She’d cooked some salmon which had been a great success, and he was keen to try it again.
It was, indeed, splendid. I made only one tweak – I added some black olives. The dish needs lemon. A really good accompaniment is crushed, lemony, potatoes which add the lemon and also soak up the juices. A crisp green salad would complete the meal.
Here’s what to do:
Salty, spicy, sweet salmon on a bed of tasty tomatoes
Serves – 2
Ingredients
- 300g/10 oz baby plum tomatoes
- 400g/14 oz skinned salmon fillets
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbs thick, rich, soy sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee premium)
- 1 tbsp thick, rich, balsamic vinegar (I use Belazu)
- 2 teaspoons chilli oil – you can very easily make your own; but it’s available in supermarkets too
- 1 tbsp honey
- Salt and pepper
- 12, approximately, pitted black olives
- Small handful of parsley
- Half a lemon (cut into wedges), if you are not serving with crushed, lemony potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°
- Use a little of the sesame oil to oil a roasting tin lined with foil.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and put into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix (I use a cappuccino whisk) the remaining sesame oil, the soy sauce, the balsamic vinegar, the chilli oil, the honey and the salt and pepper in a large glass. Add to the tomatoes and mix well. Place the fillets on top, collect a little sauce with a spoon and drizzle over the fillets. If you have time, leave for half an hour or so.
- Transfer the whole lot to the roasting tin, keeping the fillets carefully in their pieces and on top. Drizzle over a bit more of the sauce.
- Roast for 25 minutes. Remove, add the olives to the tomatoes, snip in some parsley, muddle in. Ensure everything is still covered in sauce. Return to the oven for another five minutes.
- Serve with the lemon wedges.
