Herb-crusted Salmon and sliced baked potatoes

We moved house recently, and house moves always spell a week or two of diet disaster, where take-away and convenience food rule and comfort food fast is the priority. Now we've started to emerge from the confusion of boxes, and thanks to a perfectly timed two weeks off work, I'm starting to take control of the kitchen and our plates. I found myself this afternoon with a basket containing salmon steaks, parmesan, fresh herbs and garden peas, and knew that this would satisfy our craving for light, healthy and tasty food. Did I also mention that this recipe is an absolute cinch?

Ingredients

The basics:

• 1 salmon steak or fillet per person
• 1 medium-sized baking potato per person
• Bag of frozen garden peas
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

For the herb crust (makes enough to coat 4 portions):

• large handful of fresh basil leaves
• large handful of fresh parsley
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 tsp capers
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large handful of good-quality freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 slice of white bread, still fresh
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees C. 

Start by prepping some potatoes, one medium-sized baking potato per person. Give them a good scrub, and  then slice as thinly as possible, as close to the bottom as possible without actually cutting all the way through:

Place on tin foil in a baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Bung them in the oven for 40 minutes, or a little longer if your slices are quite thick. It's very difficult to over- or under-cook these guys, you will know when they are done!

In the mean time, whiz up your herby breadcrumb crust in a food processor. It's as simple as placing all the ingredients in at once and blasting it until you get fine crumbs. It will be a moist looking mixture, don't worry, it crisps up nicely in the oven! 

I love using fresh herbs, but because I don't have a garden or much window-sill space, I often find myself buying large bags from the supermarket. I simply freeze the excess if I don't think I'm going to use them within a couple of days. You could even make your own fresh herb mix and freeze them with a drop of water in ice-cube trays to drop into meals for a super-easy burst of flavour!

Prepare your salmon steaks or fillets (skin side down if using fillets) by placing on another lightly oiled foil-lined baking tray and simply spreading a few heaped teaspoons over each portion:

Check on your potatoes. About ten minutes before the end of their cooking time, put your fish into the oven. The temperature will be perfect for quickly cooking the crust without overcooking that beautiful fish. When the fish can easily be flaked and the crust is starting to brown a little, it's done!

Serve with fresh or frozen garden peas, a little drizzle of melted butter, and a slice of lemon:

Voila! Eating habits successfully back on track :)