This is a great dish for Christmas – the fish is cooked the day before and marinated in the infused oil dressing overnight to develop a lovely flavour. It can be served at room temperature if the day is hot, or can be reheated in the microwave and served warm.


4 portions skinless salmon
300ml olive oil
1 tblsp juniper berries, slightly crushed
6 fresh bay leaves
6 spring onions, shredded
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest of 1 lime
100ml white balsamic vinegar
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Put the oil, juniper and bay leaves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over the lowest heat possible. Let the oil infuse well below simmering point without cooking, for half an hour. (You may find you need to elevate the saucepan on an extra trivet or burner ring to prevent it from getting too hot.) Allow to cool. This can be done several days beforehand – keep the oil, juniper and bay leaves in a sealed jar in a cupboard.

Pour a little of the infused oil into a fry pan. Gently fry the salmon until cooked through. Make a dressing by combining 200ml of the oil with the spring onions, garlic, lime zest and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste.

Put the fish into a non-corrosive container and scatter over the juniper berries and bay leaves from the oil. Pour half the dressing over the fish (retaining the rest to dress the salad), cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight. Allow to return to room temperature or warm in the microwave before serving. Place a generous portion of the salad mix on a plate, top with the salmon and drizzle over the dressing. Serves 4.

Salad:

1 cup of rocket
1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of coriander
6 spring onions
½ Lebanese cucumber
3 sticks celery
2 baby zucchini
100g snow peas
ice cubes
Several hours before serving, cut the spring onions into 6cm lengths and then shred vertically. Do the same with the cucumber, celery and zucchini. Top and tail the snow peas and cut them into thin strips. Place all these vegetables into a bowl of water and add a generous amount of ice cubes*. Just before serving, toss the rocket, spinach and coriander into a bowl. Drain the vegetables and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Toss with the rocket mix.

*You can do this the night before – just remember to replenish the ice the next day.