4 Ideal Recipes If You’re In The Mood For Salmon

In the mood for salmon? We’ve got some delicious recipes courtesy of Waitrose.com to help satisfy your salmon cravings. Versatile and flavoursome, salmon is the ideal option for any fish supper.

SPICY COCONUT SALMON 

Served with rice and greens, this spicy coconut salmon is not only delicious but healthy too. Also, the spice rub has many other uses: blend with butter to melt on lamb chops or mix with yogurt as a barbecue marinade for chicken. 

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 5 minutes
• Total time: 10 minutes
• Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 10-12 saffron threads, crumbled
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 x 180g salmon fillets, skinned, from the fish counter
• 60ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

METHOD

1. For the spice rub, mix together all the ingredients except the fish, coconut milk and oil.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the coconut milk and 1½ tbsp spice rub. Brush the fish with the mixture, reserving the remainder.
3. Preheat a griddle pan or frying pan, brush lightly with oil and add the fillets. Cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium, or until done to your liking. Once the fillets are cooked, brush a little more coconut milk onto the freshly grilled surfaces. Serve at once with rice and a squeeze of lemon or lime if you like.
   

Cook’s tip: Leftover coconut milk can be frozen in ice cube trays, then sealed in plastic bags, ready to use in other recipes. 

TEA-SOAKED SALMON WITH PAK CHOI

It may seem unusual but adding tea to this Chinese-style marinade gives it fragrance and flavour. The recipe is simple and quick as it is all cooked in the same pan, yet it produces an impressive crispy skinned salmon – ideal for relaxed entertaining.

• Preparation time: 10 minutes + cooling and at least 4 hours marinating
• Cooking time: 15 minutes to 20 minutes
• Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes + cooling
• Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tea bags
• 5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 4 fresh Scottish salmon fillets from the fish counter (each weighing around 150g)
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 235g pak choi, halved lengthways

METHOD

1. Place the tea bags in a heatproof jug and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Leave the tea to infuse for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the bags. Stir in the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and honey until well blended. Leave to cool.
2. Place the salmon fillets in a shallow, non-metallic dish, and pour the tea mixture over them. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, turning the salmon occasionally.
3. Remove the salmon from the marinade and pat dry on kitchen paper. Reserve the marinade. Heat the sesame oil with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then add the salmon, skin side down. Leave for 2-3 minutes, then turn over and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the salmon and cover with a plate or foil – it will continue cooking in its own steam while you cook the pak choi.
4. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the pak choi. Stir-fry over a high heat until just beginning to wilt, then pour in half of the reserved marinade. Bring to the boil, and leave to bubble for 3-4 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pak choi is tender. Serve immediately with the salmon.

Cooks tip: If you like spicy food, add a few drops of chilli sauce to the marinade, which also works well with chicken breast fillets, sirloin steaks and raw prawns. Try stir-frying other vegetables in place of the pak choi.

TERIYAKI SALMON WITH NOODLES

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 12 minutes
• Total time: 22 minutes
• Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 4 salmon fillets, skin on
• 120g dried medium egg noodles
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 5 essential Waitrose Salad Onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 120g trimmed sugar snap peas
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• ½ x 28g pack fresh coriander, leaves only
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
  

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. Combine the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes until thickened.
2. Brush the teriyaki marinade over the salmon fillets. Put the fish in a foil-lined roasting tin and leave to marinate for 5 minutes. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque, then brush with a little more of the dressing.
3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions and drain. Warm the sesame oil in a frying pan then add the salad onions, sugar snap peas and sesame seeds and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the cooked noodles and coriander leaves.
4. Spoon the noodles and vegetables onto a plate, top with the salmon fillet and serve with lime wedges. 

OVEN-POACHED SALMON WITH FENNEL & BEETROOT

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 70 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Serves: 8 with leftovers

INGREDIENTS

• 100g butter, softened
• 1 whole salmon, about 3kg
• 2 limes
• 20g pack fresh tarragon
• 25g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to garnish
• 300ml dry white wine
• 700g raw beetroot, thinly sliced
• 2 fennel bulb (about 700g)
• 1½ tbsp capers
• 170ml double cream

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Smear half the butter over the base of a large, shallow roasting tin (a large turkey roasting tin with sloping sides is ideal).
2. Place the salmon in the tin. You might need to cut the head and tail off the salmon to make it fit. Make sure you’ve spread butter under the whole fish, particularly at the tail end, otherwise it will stick.
3. Thinly slice one of the limes. Tuck into the cavity with half the tarragon, half the parsley sprigs and plenty of seasoning.
4. Pour the wine into the tin and cover with buttered foil, sealing the edges well.
5. Scatter the beetroot into a large, shallow ovenproof dish. Cut the fennel into thin wedges, discarding any tough outer layers. Squeeze the juice from the second lime into a bowl. Dip the fennel in the juice and scatter over the beetroot. Dot with a further 25g of butter and season. Place on the top shelf of the oven, cook for 20 minutes, then remove.
6. Dot the fennel with the remaining butter and return to the oven. Place the salmon on the lower shelf. Cook both for 40-45 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. To test, gently pull the dorsal fin – it will come away easily once the salmon is cooked. Peel off the skin and discard it.
7. Transfer the salmon to a platter, cover and keep warm. Check the fennel and beetroot are cooked through. Cook for a little longer if necessary. Strain the salmon cooking juices through a sieve into a small pan and boil until reduced by about half.
8. Finely chop the remaining tarragon and parsley and mix with the capers. Add half of this herby mixture to the pan with the cream. Cook until heated through. Check the seasoning and serve with the salmon, sprinkled with the remainder of the herb and caper mix, and the vegetables.