Ingredient: Fish & Seafood

Cooking a large piece of salmon feels like a celebratory treat, I like to use a couple of thick 1kg salmon fillets, with the stuffing sandwiched between them for ease of ‘carving’, and I make sure my fishmonger cuts them so they are the same size and fit together neatly. However, you could also adapt this recipe to use a 2kg whole salmon if you like, using the stuffing in the gut cavity – the cooking time should be pretty similar.

You also need baking paper, a whole newspaper and some string to tie it up.
Begin by making the stuffing. You can do this several hours in advance if you want to get ahead.
Set a large frying pan over a high heat, tip in the pine nuts, and let them toast to a golden brown.
Transfer to a bowl and stir through the capers, garlic, parsley, chives and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle a little salt on the skin side of both salmon filets, rubbing it in well in the cuts through the skin. Rest one of the salmon fillets, skin side down, on a large sheet of baking paper. Spoon the filling on top of the fillet, pressing it down firmly all the way to the edges.
Lay the second fillet, skin side up, over the filling to make a salmon ‘sandwich’. Bring up the sides of the baking paper to wrap and cover the fish completely. Then spread out the newspaper and lift the fish on to it, wrapping it up in a bundle. Use string to tie and secure the newspaper in several places – you might want to enlist a second pair of hands so you can get the knots good and tight.
Now lift the fish parcel and hold it under a gently running cold tap to dampen the newspaper all over. This will create a steamy environment for the fish to cook in.
When you are ready to cook, fire up your barbecue ready for indirect grilling. Rest the fish parcel on the grill bars away from the fire. Insert the Weber Connect probe deep into the centre of the fish and shut the lid. Leave to cook until the internal temperature is 60C. This may take and hour or so, depending on the heat of the barbecue.
Whilst the fish is cooking, make the lemon yogurt dressing by simply mixing together the yogurt, lemon juice and zest and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
Rest the parcel on a serving platter, then cut through the top of the newspaper and peel back the layers to reveal the fish below. Cut into chunky slices and serve with lemon yogurt on the side.

Place your prawns into a tupperware container with a lid (or bowl with clingfilm). Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl until nice and even. Season generously with Maldon salt and pepper and pour over the prawns. Place the lid tightly on the container and shake to marinate the prawns. You can leave them for 30 minutes if you wish but can cook immediately too.

Sear prawns on the BBQ on both sides until opaque and bright coral in colour, adding a touch more Maldon salt on each side. Once cook, serve immediately.

Place the saffron in a glass with 1 tbsp water and allow it to steep and infuse.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a paella pan, then add the finely chopped onion and red pepper with a pinch of Maldon salt. Cook the onion and pepper for 5 minutes until softened, then add the crushed garlic and chorizo. Fry this for a further 3 minutes until the garlic is soften and the chorizo is sizzling and fragrant.

Next add the smoked paprika and the paella rice. Stir this so it is well mixed with the other vegetables and chorizo and gently fry for a couple of minutes. Next add the white wine and allow this to bubble and mostly cook away before adding the chicken stock, saffron water and chopped tomatoes. Season the mixture with Maldon salt and cracked black pepper, mixing to combine. Now allow the mixture to bubble simmer for 5 minutes before dotting in the monkfish pieces, and then leaving to cook for a further 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes mix in the squid rings and tentacles, the frozen peas and the prawns. Allow these to cook for 3 minutes before finally adding the mussels to the top of the pan. Loosely cover the pan with tin foil and allow the mussels to steam and open up – this should only take 2 minutes.

Once all the seafood is perfectly cooked you are ready to serve. Top the paella with the chopped parsley, a final pinch of Maldon salt and the lemon wedges to be squeezed over. Bring the whole pan to the table to serve your guests.

This recipe is deliciously quick and easy to make – whether that be on your BBQ or a trusty, griddle pan in your kitchen! We chose to barbecue our king prawn as the grilling process will allow the meat to retain more nutrients and juices in comparison to frying them.

We created a beautiful green sauce to brush over the king prawns to infuse a punch of zest from lime and gentle warmth from the ginger and garlic.

A pinch of Maldon Salt is important in this recipe because salt will ensure water is drawn out from the prawns to maintain an even cook without the shellfish drying out, resulting in a perfectly plump, sweet prawn.

  1. In a high-powered blender or food processor, blitz together the unsalted butter, grated ginger, garlic, coriander, lime zest and Maldon Salt. Mix this until you have a smooth and vibrantly green butter.
  2. Heat up the BBQ or alternatively you can you a griddle pan. Brush the prawns all over with the green butter until they are well coated. Place them on the griddle and cook for 2 minutes on each side until they are bright pink and cooked with light charring on their shells.
  3. Remove the prawns from the griddle and brush with some more of the butter, allowing it to soak in. Add the lime wedges to the hot griddle pan and cook them for a minute on each side to char.
  4. Remove the lime wedges and squeeze them over the prawns. Sprinkle over the finely diced chilli and coriander leaves and the prawns are ready to serve.

Want a dish to impress your dinner guests? Make our succulent, melt in the mouth Nordic baked salmon, served with crisp fried greens, radicchio and asparagus.

This is a truly showstopping dish for any occasion, but particularly great for Easter, making it a great alternative to the classic roast lamb. With a pinch of Maldon Salt, a handful of dill and squeeze of lemon, this dish will cause your guests to have a second helping.

What Does ‘Nordic Baked’ Mean?

The Nordic baking style is known for being fuss-free, easy to follow yet equally delivering on impactful flavour!

The style is also known for it’s minimalism, where Bronte Aurell, the owner of ScandiKitchen in London and author of The Scandi Kitchen and Fika & Hygge told the The Independent, ‘We do things that make sense and that are functional. You see this in everything from our design to our food.”

This is why you will find our recipe easy to follow when baking the salmon, resulting in a juicy dish to enjoyed amongst a bed of crisp veg.

When Should You Salt Your Salmon?

You should add a pinch of Maldon Salt no more than 15 minutes before cooking. This is because if you add salt too early, it will dry out the fish when you cook it. As a result, you should always sprinkle a generous pinch of Maldon Salt just when you are about to bake your salmon. This will result in the fish to maintain beautiful succulency and flavour…delicious!

How to Make Nordic Baked Salmon, Stir Fried Greens, Radicchio & Asparagus

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 
  2. On a foil lined baking tray place the two salmon fillets, skin side down. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and season with cracked black pepper and a pinch of Maldon Salt.
  3. Place into the preheated oven for 15 minutes until cooked through.
  4. Remove from the oven. 
  5. Whilst the fish is cooking, prepare the stir-fried vegetables. In a large frying pan heat up the other 1 tbsp olive oil. When hot add the asparagus, spring greens and radicchio. Stir fry the vegetables for 3 minutes until they are just wilted and cooked through.
  6. Season the vegetables with cracked black pepper, a pinch of Maldon Salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. 
  7. On two plates divide the vegetables. Place the fish fillet on top and then garnish with sprigs of dill and lemon wedges to squeeze over.

@eastafternoon

A deliciously light and fresh dish ideal for a crowd, this recipe for whole roasted trout with potatoes, asparagus and soft-boiled egg makes sustainable farmed ocean trout the star. The flavour combination of zesty lemon with the verdant lushness of dill and mint is heightened with generous sprinkles of Maldon’s delicately flaky salt while the recipe can be enjoyed either as a salad or as a main meal with salad on the side.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush a little olive oil all over the trout and season inside the cavity with a sprinkle of Maldon salt and black pepper. Stuff the fish with the mint, dill and lemon slices and lay it flat on a lined baking sheet. Season the trout’s skin with more salt and pepper and roast the fish in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the flesh is flaking. Butterfly the fish open and remove the spine, head, and tail. Discard the aromatics and flake the fillets, taking care to remove any bones. Set aside the flaked fish until needed.

Fill a small pot with water and set over high heat. Once boiling, lower the eggs into the water and cook for 8 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pot and cover the eggs with cold water to prevent them from cooking any longer. Set the eggs aside to be peeled and halved when needed.

In a large bowl, combine the boiled potatoes with the chopped herbs, asparagus, fennel, celery, and radishes. In a separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and chives and season the dressing with a pinch of Maldon salt and grind of black pepper.

Add the flaked trout to the bowl with the potatoes and pour the dressing. Gently combine the salad and divide across 6-8 plates. Scatter a few extra chopped chives over the top of each serving and top with two halves of the soft-boiled eggs. Add a final scatter of Maldon salt over the eggs and serve the trout salad with glasses of chilled Rosé.

Tuna steaks are deliciously meaty and pack a lot of flavour when griddled or pan-fried.

This recipe shows you how to make a tuna steak that is beautifully tender, paired with a Salsa Verde infused with parsley, capers, mustard and of course Maldon Salt to elevate the flavours and release an irresistible tanginess to the sauce.

Because tuna steaks are impressive course to serve at a dinner party, it’s important to serve equally crowd-pleasing sides with this dish. Try our baked Hasselback potatoes what are delightfully golden and crispy which pair nicely with your tuna steak. If you are tight on time, you can whip up a cucumber salad, which is light, refreshing and easy to make!

Here is how to make our Grilled Tuna Steak with Tomato and Salsa Verde recipe…

  1. Start by making the Salsa Verde. In a food processor or blender place all the ingredients and blitz together to form a paste. This can be as smooth or chunky as you like. Set to one side.
  2. Next, prepare the tomato salad. Place the cherry tomatoes and black olives in a small bowl. Add a good drizzle of olive oil, cracked black pepper and a pinch of Maldon Salt. Mix it altogether and set to one side.
  3. Heat up a griddle pan on a medium high heat. Rub each side of the tuna steak with olive oil.
  4. Once the griddle pan is hot, add the tuna steak and fry on each side for approximately 2 minutes on each side, allowing the pan to create char lines across the flesh.
  5. After each side of the tuna is grilled, remove from the pan. Set aside to rest.
  6. Now it’s time to plate up, serve the griddled tuna steak on a plate piled next to the tomato salad, a drizzle of Salsa Verde and some garnish of basil leaves.
  7. Finish with cracked black pepper and a pinch of Maldon Salt.

Buying tuna steaks

When you are buying tuna steaks, you need to look for firm, red or dark red flesh and make sure it is from a sustainable source. Ideally you want you choose thicker steaks as these will cook better than thinner sized steaks/loins.

How to cook tuna

It’s important to note that tuna fish can dry out quickly, turning unpleasant and crumbly in texture. When cooking, you only need to place it on the pan/griddle/BBQ very briefly over high heat. Tuna can be served cooked to rare, or cooked to have a crust on the outside but remain raw in the centre – this is called ‘Tataki’ in Japan.

What are the benefits of salt baking?

Cooking fish in a salt crust is a wonderful way of ensuring your fish stays deliciously moist and doesn’t overcook.

The salt crust creates a layer which insulates the food to stop moisture escaping – this means all the delicious juices stay inside and it ensures the food cooks more evenly.

Of course, the salt also adds seasoning, you might worry that it seems like a lot of salt, however most of the crust is removed after cooking and only the correct amount of salt will season through to the actual food.

Serve this salt baked sea bass with simple steamed new potatoes and greens, plus plenty of lemon to squeeze over the fish – perfect!

A side dish that pairs perfect with our salt baked sea bass are our delicious Crispy Turnip Chips and Romy Gill’s Roasted Stem Broccoli. Once served your guests will be begging for seconds!

How to make salt baked sea bass?

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas Mark 6.
  2. Prepare the fish by filling the cavity with the thyme, rosemary lemon slices and garlic cloves.
  3. Select a baking tray that is large enough for the fish and cover with baking paper.
  4. Next, prepare the salt crust. In a large bowl whisk together the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold through the salt – the texture should be similar to wet sand.
  5. Place a third of the mixture on the baking tray (in the shape of the fish) and place the seabass on top.
  6. Then use the remaining salt mixture to enclose the fish in the crust. Make sure the seabass is completely covered and use your hands to pack the crust in.
  7. Bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and lightly golden.
  8. Use the back of a knife to crack the crust and remove it all from the fish – it should come away in chunks.
  9. Then simply peel and fillet the fish to serve.