Pesto Salmon

Pesto Salmon

As much as I love salmon, the healthiest (and tastiest) version is wild caught salmon, not the farmed stuff which tends to be fed grains. Of course then there’s the problem of the sustainability of wild fish. Eek! The good news is that this dish tastes brilliant with any fish so feel free to use whatever best suits your situation.

enough for: 2
takes: 15 minutes
2 salmon or other fish fillets
1/2 small cauliflower
6-8 tablespoons pesto
1 lemon

1. Heat a frying pan on a medium high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and rub with a little oil and pan fry non skin side down first 3-4 mins each side.

2. Grate cauliflower using your food processor or a grater.

3. Divide raw cauli between two plates. Top with salmon, pesto and lemon halves.

Variations

no food processor – just chop the cauli as finely as you can with your knife.

carnivore – replace salmon with lamb cutlets or other lamb chops, pork cutlets or steak.

vegetarian – replace salmon with pan fried mushrooms or sliced eggplant. You’ll need to cook each until tender and it will take longer than the salmon but not too much longer.

dairy-free – use a dairy-free pesto.

home made pesto – just whizz together a bunch of basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, handful pinenuts and handful grated parmesan. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to make a chunky paste and season well with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a splash of lemon juice if my basil wasn’t super fragrant.

vegan – combine vegetarian and dairy-free options.

no cauliflower – serve with salad leaves or baby spinach instead.Raw cauli is much tastier than you’d think. I really encourage you to try it some time although a better place to start would be with a hot strongly flavoured curry.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with crusty bread and butter, couscous or quinoa.

more substantial (low carb) – add some roast macadamias.

more veg – serve with a green salad on the side.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

salmon or other fish fillets – I try and use fish on the same day or next day that I buy it. Can be frozen in plastic bags. Or you can poach the fish using the recipe here and then just gently reheat in the poaching liquid to serve.

cauliflower – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks. To keep for longer, chop into florettes and pop in the freezer. If you have time, grating the cauli before freezing will make life easier so you can just defrost and serve.

pesto – keeps unopened in the pantry and opened in the fridge.

lemons – will keep for a few weeks at room temp or for much longer in the fridge.