Peppered salmon with saffron potatoes makes a wonderful afternoon Spring lunch. Salmon is one of those wonderful oily fish that tastes delicious however you decide to cook it.  Sustainably-sourced salmon is becoming rarer and a tad more pricey too, so if you don’t have the time to catch your own then you want to make sure that you source a good quality fillet.

When cooked in the smoker, all the natural flavors of the meat are heightened to create wonderful flaky flavours. If you’re able to get a hold of a whole salmon, or even better, catch your own and make the most of the great salmon fishing in the UK you can smoke it and serve it whole for a dinner party. You will need to prepare this in advance to allow time for the fish to cure and then dry properly. It is best to obtain a fresh fish on Saturday, cure it overnight, and then smoke it Sunday morning for an afternoon lawn lunch.

If you don’t have the time to fiddle around with smokers, poaching the fish is equally delicious.  Poached salmon holds real purity and allows you to focus more on the sauce. Cooked in some white wine and lemon juice and poached for no longer than 4-5 minutes is the best way to enjoy it.

Find more fish recipes in The Field and try our different methods.

PEPPERED SALMON WITH SAFFRON POTATOES AND SPICED BROTH

Serves 4
■ 4 x 1in slices of salmon
■ 1 tbsp mixed crushed black and green peppercorns
■ Salt and pepper
■ 500ml (17fl oz) fish stock
■ 1 pinch saffron
■ 12 small maris piper potatoes
■ 1 bulb of fennel, very finely sliced
■ 20g (3⁄4oz) finely sliced ginger
■ 1 hot chilli
■ 100g (31⁄2oz) sugarsnap peas

■ Juice of 1 lime

Start by sprinkling the salmon with peppercorns and some salt and put to one side. In a saucepan, heat the stock and add the saffron. Cook the potatoes until they are just done and then remove them. Place the fennel, ginger and chilli in to the saucepan and cook for five minutes, then add the sugarsnaps and cook for two more. Grill the salmon for a few minutes. Add the potatoes back in, squeeze in the lime and season to taste. Ladle the broth and potatoes into four bowls, pop a piece of salmon on each and perhaps give the fish a final squeeze of lime juice.