I’m going for salmon as the star of my Easter table. Perhaps that’s because of how late Easter is this year – a whole month into spring! – so in my mind something a bit lighter than lamb just makes sense. Whatever the reason, I love serving a whole side of fish when feeding a crowd: yes, it’s got the “wow” factor, but it’s also so quick and easy to prepare, bake and serve, giving you more time to spend on the sides and, more importantly, with those you’re raising an Easter glass with.
Puttanesca-esque baked salmon with olive and caper salsa
The bright red, puttanesca-style oil makes this a spectacular centrepiece for the Easter table, while the briny, lemony salsa is the ideal sidekick for all that richness; the short cooking time is an added bonus. Crusty bread or crisp roast potatoes make lovely accompaniments. If you want to get ahead, make the fragrant oil the day before.
Prep 20 min
Cook 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, lightly bashed in a mortar
8 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 preserved lemons, flesh scooped out and discarded, rind finely chopped (60g net)
2 tsp maple syrup
1 large lemon, cut into 5mm-thin rounds (130g)
1 salmon fillet (about 1.2kg), pin-boned, skin left on
Salt and black pepper
200g datterini (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
For the salsa
60g pitted kalamata olives
60g baby capers (or regular 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 heat and cook, stirring, for five minutes. Add the chilli flakes and coriander seeds, cook for another minute, until fragrant, then take off the heat and add the garlic, preserved lemon and maple syrup. Stir to combine, then leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line a 40cm x 30cm roasting tin with greaseproof paper. Arrange the sliced lemon all over the tray. Sprinkle the salmon with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper on each side, lay it skin side down on top of the lemon slices, then scatter the tomato halves all around the edges.
Pour the cooled oil and its solids over the salmon, and press the garlic slices flat against the fish’s flesh. Bake for 17 minutes (or up to 20, if you prefer it more cooked), then remove and leave to rest for five minutes.
While the salmon is baking, make the salsa. Mix 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 mix again. Scatter half the salsa over the salmon and serve the fish warm or at room temperature with the rest of the salsa in a bowl on the side.
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Roast broccolini with almond tarator dip and caraway oil
Broccolini is one of my favourite side dishes, especially when it’s roasted so the leaves go crisp and it gets just the right amount of char. All that is needed to make it complete is a dip – in this case, the tarator. If you would like to get ahead, make this the day before and chill it, though if you do so, you may need to thin it out with a bit of water before serving.
Prep 15 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4-6
50ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
600g broccolini, tough stalk ends trimmed
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the tarator dip
1 slice stale bread (a gluten-free one will work equally well), crust cut off and discarded, and the crumb roughly torn (25g)
50g blanched whole 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, lightly bashed in a mortar
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the oil and garlic in a small saucepan, making sure the cloves are fully submerged, then set on a medium heat and cook gently for 10 minutes, until the garlic has softened but not coloured. Take off the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
To make the tarator, put the bread in a medium bowl, add 125ml cold water, then leave to soak for 10 minutes, until the bread is very mushy. Tip into the bowl of a food 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 10-15 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go, until smooth and the consistency of thin aïoli, then pour into a bowl and cover with a plate.
Put the broccolini on a large oven tray, drizzle over a tablespoon of the confit garlic oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, toss to coat, then roast for eight to 10 minutes, until the florets are lightly charred and the stems have softened. Remove and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the caraway oil. Put the saucepan with the remaining 30ml confit oil on a medium heat, add the crushed caraway seeds and fry gently for a minute or two, until fragrant. Take off the heat and set 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 top and serve with the tarator on the side for dipping.
Crisp roast potatoes with rosemary and za’atar
These will sit particularly well at the Easter table, but bookmark them for any future roasts, too. The rice flour gives the potatoes an extra level of crispness (fine semolina would work just as well).
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 35 min
Serves 6-8
2½ kg maris piper potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp table salt
3 large rosemary sprigs
150ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp rice flour (not the glutinous kind)
1 tsp flaked sea salt
2 tbsp za’atar
Cut the potatoes into irregular shapes roughly the size of half a lime (ie, 4cm-5cm chunks) – the more edges they have, the more crisp they will be. Put them in a large saucepan, add cold water to cover, then add the table salt and one of the rosemary sprigs. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-high and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Drain, discard the rosemary, then return the potatoes to the dry pan and leave to steam and cool slightly for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the oil in a large 30cm x 40cm roasting tray (or divide it between two medium trays), then put in the oven for about 10 minutes, to heat up. Put the rice flour in the potato pan, and gently toss to coat and lightly fluff the edges. Tip the potatoes into the tray of hot oil, taking care it doesn’t splash, then use a spatula to spread them out so they aren’t stacked on top of each other. Roast for 25 minutes, then gently turn them over and roast for another 25 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.
While the potatoes are roasting, pick the leaves off the remaining two rosemary sprigs and finely chop them. When the potatoes are ready, scatter over the chopped rosemary, toss gently with a spatula and roast for three minutes more, until fragrant. Scatter the flaked salt and half the za’atar over the potatoes, toss to coat evenly, then transfer to a platter. Sprinkle over the remaining za’atar and serve hot.
