Phil Vickery's lighter weeknight suppers

From a hearty salad to an easy one-tray supper, Phil's weeknight dinner ideas prove summery can still mean satisfying, plus they're fast and fresh - perfect for a busy weeknight!

Whet your appetite with spicy mackerel noodle salad and a one tray salmon and summer veg bake.

Crispy fried smoked mackerel noodle salad

Serves: 2-4Preparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad:

150g glass rice noodles2 medium carrots, cut in very fine strips4 runner or 200g green beans, long sliced as fine as possible4 banana shallots, peeled and sliced very thinly1 green under ripe mango, in very thin strips

For the dressing:

½ small red chilli, very finely chopped1 tbsp fish sauce4 cloves garlic, finely chopped and cooked in a little oil until golden (this really changes the flavour of the garlic)2 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar, crushedFinely grated zest and juice 3 large limes2 tbsp any oilSalt and pepper

For the fish

3 smoked mackerel fillets2-3 tbsp cornflour

To serve

75g dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped4 tbsp fresh Thai basil roughly chopped

Method

For the salad

• Place the glass noodles into a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Leave for 10 minutes to soften, then drain well and pat dry with kitchen towel, and cut into roughly 3cm pieces.

• Next place the carrots, beans and shallots into a separate bowl and mix well

For the dressing

• Add the chilli, fish sauce, garlic, palm sugar, lime juice (all 3) and zest from 2 limes, mix well and season with salt and pepper

For the fish

• Pull the fish into smallish flakes, remove any bones and skin

• Heat a shallow frying pan with vegetable oil

• Dust the fish flakes in a little cornflour

• Add small amounts of the mackerel, and cook until very crispy, about 2-3 minutes, then drain well

To serve

• When ready to serve, add the noodles to the marinated vegetable mix then add the peanuts, coriander and basil and really mix well

• Finally add the cooked crispy fish, serve straight away

Tray baked salmon with plum tomatoes, sweetcorn and lime

Serves: 4Preparation time: 30 minutesCooking time: 30 minutes in totalResting time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp olive oil1 x 385g can sweetcorn, drained well2 red onions, finely chopped2 tsp fresh red chilli, finely chopped1 x 200g bag baby spinach leaves20 baby plum tomatoes, halved1 x 700g middle fillet of salmon, on the skin but scaled, no pin bones3 fresh limes3-4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander3-4 tbsp chopped fresh mint3-4 tbsp crème fraiche1 tbsp Holly’s honeySalt and pepper

Method

• Pre heat the oven to 230C gas 8

• Meanwhile, place the olive oil into a wok or deep frying pan or sauté pan

• Add the sweetcorn, red onion and chilli then saute quickly over a high heat until they take a little colour (this can be done way in advance)

• Spoon into a baking tray sprinkle over the spinach and place in the oven to cook for approximately 10 -12 minutes

• At the 10-12 minute point add the tomatoes and top with the seasoned salmon fillet

• Squeeze over the lime juice and bake in the hot oven for a further 10 minutes, do not overcook

• When the salmon is still half cooked remove the tray from the oven cover with foil and leave for 15 minutes

• Mix the coriander, mint, crème fraiche and runny honey together well and season with salt and pepper

• Carefully lift off the salmon with 2 fish slices (it's very important you do not overcook the salmon)

• Stir the crème fraiche herb mix into the cooked veg

• Spoon the salmon into small deep bowl s and top with the vegetable mix