Marcus Bean's alternative Easter family feast
If you’re not a fan of traditional lamb, or just fancy something different for your Easter Sunday lunch, Marcus Bean is cooking up a delicious alternative. He’s cooking a stunning salmon centrepiece, perfect for your Easter table.
Roasted salmon
Serves: 6
Ingredients
For the pesto:1 large bunch of wild garlic, washed 50g hazelnuts (alternatively almonds, peanuts, pine nuts)60g Parmesan, grated160ml olive or rapeseed oil Salt and pepper, to taste1-1.2kg side of salmon, pin boned and skin removed (reserve the skin and cook in the oven for salmon skin crisps)150g thick cut smoked streaky bacon, chopped 700g seasonal medium new potatoesA few pieces of butter
For the seasonal greens: 70g unsalted butter1 small bunch of spring onions, chopped into whites and greens500g frozen garden peas, defrosted100ml white wine1 medium iceberg lettuce, slicedFresh thyme leaves 2-3 tbsp freshly chopped chivesPinch of caster sugar10-15 fresh mint leaves
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 110C/gas ¼.
2. To make the pesto, add the wild garlic into a blender, with the nuts, parmesan and oil. Blitz, then taste and season.
3. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray, and lay the salmon on top. Spread a thin layer of the pesto over the top, covering all the salmon.
4. In a small frying pan, fry the chopped smoked bacon for about 4 minutes, until it gets a little colour. Spoon the bacon pieces on top of the pesto, and pour any fat from the bacon into the tray.
5. Place the salmon tray in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes (this slow cooking process keeps the fish soft and delicate). Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside until needed.
6. While the salmon cooks, place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water. Season with salt, bring to the boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes until just cooked. Drain and leave in the pan. Add in a few pieces of butter, salt and pepper, and 2 tbsp of freshly chopped chives, and gently mix.
7. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, add 70g butter, and fry the white part of the spring onions for 2 minutes. Pour in the defrosted peas and wine, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the sliced lettuce to the pan, cook together with the peas and spring onions for 2-3 minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper, and add in the fresh thyme, the green parts of the spring onions, the chopped chives and the sugar. Once cooked and slightly wilted, add the freshly chopped mint, stir together for a minute and transfer to a warm serving plate.
9. To serve, carefully portion the salmon with the wild garlic pesto and bacon, add the buttered new potatoes, and serve with the lettuce and peas.