Baked Salmon with Pinenut and Herb Salad

From issue #8.
Photography by Nick Tresidder.
Baked Salmon with Pinenut and Herb Salad

Leave the skin on the salmon for this dish. It will help to keep the fish intact when it is transferred from baking tray to serving platter. This salmon can happily be cooked ahead and assembled just before serving.

Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1 side salmon, approx 1 kilo
Herb Salad
1 cup packed coriander leaves
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
1 long red chilli – optional
50 grams pinenuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac – optional

Tahini Sauce
250 grams thick, plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150oC. Remove the pin bones from the salmon.

Place a piece of tinfoil, large enough to wrap the salmon in, on a flat baking tray. Lay the salmon on top and season. Bring the edges together and seal well. Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until just cooked through. Open the tin-foil and allow the salmon to cool.

Slide the salmon onto a serving platter and mop up any juices with paper towels.
Herb Salad: Finely chop the coriander and mint. Seed and finely chop the chilli if using and toast and finely chop the pinenuts. Mix with the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Tahini Sauce: Whisk the yoghurt, tahini, garlic and zest in a bowl and season.

To serve: Cover the salmon with a good layer of tahini sauce then sprinkle on the herb salad. Serve any remaining tahini sauce separately and sprinkle with a little sumac. Serves 8-10

Sumac: The dried, crushed red berry of the sumac bush, this ‘spice’ has a sour, lemony flavour