I’m going for salmon because the star of my Easter desk. Maybe that’s due to how late Easter is that this yr – a complete month into spring! – so in my thoughts one thing a bit lighter than lamb simply is smart. Regardless of the motive, I really like serving a complete aspect of fish when feeding a crowd: sure, it’s obtained the “wow” issue, however it’s additionally so fast and straightforward to organize, bake and serve, providing you with extra time to spend on the edges and, extra importantly, with these you’re elevating an Easter glass with.
Puttanesca-esque baked salmon with olive and caper salsa
The brilliant pink, puttanesca-style oil makes this a spectacular centrepiece for the Easter desk, whereas the briny, lemony salsa is the perfect sidekick for all that richness; the quick cooking time is an added bonus. Crusty bread or crisp roast potatoes make beautiful accompaniments. If you wish to get forward, make the aromatic oil the day earlier than.
Prep 20 min
Prepare dinner 30 min
Serves 6-8
70ml olive oil
8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped
2½ tbsp tomato paste
1½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp coriander seeds, evenly bashed in a mortar
8 garlic cloves, peeled and really thinly sliced
2 preserved lemons, flesh scooped out and discarded, rind finely chopped (60g internet)
2 tsp maple syrup
1 massive lemon, minimize into 5mm-thin rounds (130g)
1 salmon fillet (about 1.2kg), pin-boned, pores and skin left on
Salt and black pepper
200g datterini (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
For the salsa
60g pitted kalamata olives
60g child capers (or common capers, roughly chopped)
1 preserved lemon, flesh scooped out and discarded, rind thinly sliced (30g)
20g basil leaves, roughly chopped
10g flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
First make the oil. Put the oil, anchovies and tomato paste in a small saute pan on a medium warmth and prepare dinner, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the chilli flakes and coriander seeds, prepare dinner for one more minute, till aromatic, then take off the warmth and add the garlic, preserved lemon and maple syrup. Stir to mix, then depart to chill for about Quarter-hour.
In the meantime, warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6 and line a 40cm x 30cm roasting tin with greaseproof paper. Prepare the sliced lemon everywhere in the tray. Sprinkle the salmon with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and loads of black pepper on both sides, lay it pores and skin aspect down on prime of the lemon slices, then scatter the tomato halves throughout the sides.
Pour the cooled oil and its solids over the salmon, and press the garlic slices flat in opposition to the fish’s flesh. Bake for 17 minutes (or as much as 20, when you want it extra cooked), then take away and depart to relaxation for 5 minutes.
Whereas the salmon is baking, make the salsa. Combine the olives, capers, preserved lemon, basil and parsley leaves, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and blend once more. Scatter half the salsa over the salmon and serve the fish heat or at room temperature with the remainder of the salsa in a bowl on the aspect.
Roast broccolini with almond tarator dip and caraway oil
Broccolini is certainly one of my favorite aspect dishes, particularly when it’s roasted so the leaves go crisp and it will get simply the correct amount of char. All that’s wanted to make it full is a dip – on this case, the tarator. If you want to get forward, make this the day earlier than and chill it, although when you accomplish that, you might must skinny it out with a little bit of water earlier than serving.
Prep 15 min
Prepare dinner 20 min
Serves 4-6
50ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
600g broccolini, robust stalk ends trimmed
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the tarator dip
1 slice stale bread (a gluten-free one will work equally effectively), crust minimize off and discarded, and the crumb roughly torn (25g)
50g blanched entire almonds, roasted
2 tsp tbsp sherry vinegar
¾ tsp white miso
⅛ tsp cracked black pepper
Salt and black pepper
For the caraway oil
1½ tsp caraway seeds, evenly bashed in a mortar
Warmth the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gasoline 9. Put the oil and garlic in a small saucepan, ensuring the cloves are absolutely submerged, then set on a medium warmth and prepare dinner gently for 10 minutes, till the garlic has softened however not colored. Take off the warmth and depart to chill for Quarter-hour.
To make the tarator, put the bread in a medium bowl, add 125ml chilly water, then depart to soak for 10 minutes, till the bread could be very mushy. Tip into the bowl of a meals processor, and add the confit garlic cloves and a tablespoon of their oil. Add the almonds, sherry vinegar, miso, cracked black pepper and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, blitz for 10-Quarter-hour, scraping down the edges of the bowl as you go, till clean and the consistency of skinny aïoli, then pour right into a bowl and canopy with a plate.
Put the broccolini on a big oven tray, drizzle over a tablespoon of the confit garlic oil, half a teaspoon of salt and grind of pepper, toss to coat, then roast for eight to 10 minutes, till the florets are evenly charred and the stems have softened. Take away and depart to chill.
In the meantime, make the caraway oil. Put the saucepan with the remaining 30ml confit oil on a medium warmth, add the crushed caraway seeds and fry gently for a minute or two, till aromatic. Take off the warmth and put aside.
To assemble, drizzle the lemon juice over the broccolini, toss to coat, then pile on to a platter. Spoon the caraway seed oil on prime and serve with the tarator on the aspect for dipping.
Crisp roast potatoes with rosemary and za’atar
These will sit notably effectively on the Easter desk, however bookmark them for any future roasts, too. The rice flour provides the potatoes an additional degree of crispness (positive semolina would work simply as effectively).
Prep 10 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 35 min
Serves 6-8
2½ kg maris piper potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp desk salt
3 massive rosemary sprigs
150ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp rice flour (not the glutinous variety)
1 tsp flaked sea salt
2 tbsp za’atar
Minimize the potatoes into irregular shapes roughly the dimensions of half a lime (ie, 4cm-5cm chunks) – the extra edges they’ve, the extra crisp they are going to be. Put them in a big saucepan, add chilly water to cowl, then add the desk salt and one of many rosemary sprigs. Convey to a boil, then flip down the warmth to medium-high and prepare dinner for 10-Quarter-hour, till the potatoes are simply pierced with a knife. Drain, discard the rosemary, then return the potatoes to the dry pan and depart to steam and funky barely for Quarter-hour.
In the meantime, warmth the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gasoline 9. Put the oil in a big 30cm x 40cm roasting tray (or divide it between two medium trays), then put within the oven for about 10 minutes, to warmth up. Put the rice flour within the potato pan, and gently toss to coat and evenly fluff the sides. Tip the potatoes into the tray of scorching oil, taking care it doesn’t splash, then use a spatula to unfold them out in order that they aren’t stacked on prime of one another. Roast for 25 minutes, then gently flip them over and roast for one more 25 minutes, till deeply golden and crisp.
Whereas the potatoes are roasting, decide the leaves off the remaining two rosemary sprigs and finely chop them. When the potatoes are prepared, scatter over the chopped rosemary, toss gently with a spatula and roast for 3 minutes extra, till aromatic. Scatter the flaked salt and half the za’atar over the potatoes, toss to coat evenly, then switch to a platter. Sprinkle over the remaining za’atar and serve scorching.
