White wine & dijon mustard salmon

In my quest to eat healthier, recently I’ve been thinking about alternatives to the standard weeknight meals of pasta and rice-based dishes. I often fall into a rut (mostly just prior to payday!) when things get a little stale and the bank balance is looking a little sad. Sometimes it just takes a little imagination to shake things up a bit!

This week, my local Sainsbury’s supermarket had a special on gorgeous, plump salmon fillets, so I picked up a couple each. I don’t often cook with salmon – I find it can be quite pricey most times, so when I see it on special I snap it up.

And what better to pair with the salmon than some lovely fresh vegetables my mother-in-law Wendy so generously donated from her allotment garden – cute little baby new potatoes and a salad of lettuce and red pepper? And best of all? They’re free!

I love baby potatoes, and I reckon they’re delicious baked in a super-hot oven with plenty of garlic and herbs. Otherwise, just serve them boiled or steamed with a big knob of butter. Yum.

This recipe is a pretty simple one, tweak it as you see fit:

White wine & dijon mustard salmon with crispy garlic new potatoes

4 small salmon fillets (or two large ones)
200mL white wine (about a glass-full)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Chopped flat-leaf parsley (just a small handful)
1 tbsp butter
Sea salt and black pepper
12-15 small baby new potatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
A glug of olive oil
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Start on the potatoes first. You’ll need to par-boil them for about five minutes, then leave them to drain and dry before adding them to a roasting pan with the parsley, garlic, paprika and plenty of olive oil. They should take about 15-20 minutes.
While that’s happening, add the salmon fillets to a large frying pan and cook on each side for around 3-4 minutes. Keep in mind that it will continue to cook once it’s off the heat, so bring it to the ‘almost-done’ stage.
Remove the salmon and deglaze the pan with the white wine, allowing to reduce before adding the butter and mustard.
Add the parsley to the sauce just before serving.
Serve the salmon fillets with a simple salad and the crispy baby new potatoes, with the sauce on the side for liberal drizzling.

Serve the rest of the chilled white wine beside this plate of deliciousness for a lovely summer supper.

I’m looking for other things that I can do with salmon, as it seems to be in bountiful supply in my local shops at the moment – please share your ideas!