Nigel Slater's Salmon With Artichokes Recipe

Something light for an early spring day.

The recipe

Grill or bake a piece of salmon fillet of about 350g. Leave it to rest for a few minutes, then break it into large bite-size pieces. Cut 4 preserved artichokes in half. Roughly chop a few sprigs of dill and a few stems of flat-leaf parsley. Warm a thin film of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the artichokes, cut-side down, and leave them for a few minutes to warm through gently. Add the herbs, then the salmon. Finish off with a squeeze of lemon.

The trick

Cook the salmon until it is just opaque. Keep the pieces large, and don't stir the dish too much, otherwise they will break up. You can use leftover cold salmon for this, but it should be added before the artichokes to give it time to heat through properly.

The twist

Use any fish in place of the salmon, but particularly suitable with the artichoke are red mullet, bream and squid. Add tomatoes, finely diced, to the pan before you add the fish, and let them cook down for 5 minutes before you add the salmon. Add black olives, capers, even a little finely chopped anchovy. Use tarragon instead of dill.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk
Nigel Slater's salmon with artichokes midweek dinner. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer