Topic: Mains / Dinner

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.

We’ve teamed up with Chef Jason Whitehead to create a delicious beef fillet recipe, paired with a refreshing asparagus and leek terrine.

Beef fillet is the most tender of all steaks to eat, with it’s flavour often being described as having a mild, beefy flavour. It is not as flavoursome as other meaty cuts such as rump or sirloin. However, there is a reason why beef fillet is the most desired out of all cuts; it is very lean, with minimal marbling, meaning it is less fatty in taste and texture. As a result, you are greeted with a almost melt-in-your-mouth beef cut that is beautifully soft and tender.

Chef Jason Whitehead serves his beef fillet with a tasty asparagus and leek terrine. Nothing pairs better than green vegetables with a hearty protein! Both the asparagus and leek help balance the meal and add a gentle hint of sweetness as you cut into the dish. Jason composes the two vegetables into a terrine, where layers of each vegetable are delicately placed on top of one another and packed into a rectangular dish. It looks very impressive and makes a great side dish!

The charred leek puree brings a gentle warmth and smokiness to the dish, with a pinch of Maldon Salt to elevate the sweetness.

How to make the charred leek puree…

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Cut your leeks in half straight down the middle, then drizzle some EVOO and season with some Maldon Salt.
  3. Pop them into the oven and leave them there until they start to turn black / burn.  Keep an eye on them, and when the leeks are completely black, remove them from the oven.  While still warm, add them to a blender along with your garlic clove, rosemary sprigs and about 1/8 cup of EVOO.  Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go and adding more EVOO as needed.  You want a thickish paste.  Pass this mixture through a sieve, then taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.  Place into a squeezy bottle and set aside. 

Here’s how to make the leek and asparagus terrine…

  1. Blanch your spinach leaves for 20 seconds in hot water, then immediately place them into an ice bath.  Remove from the ice bath and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Remove the thick white stem from the spinach leaves, trying to keep the leaves intact.
  2. Cook your leeks whole in some salted water until tender, then drain and pat dry.
  3. In a small saucepan, bring your veggie stock and agar-agar to a simmer for 2 minutes, then strain and set aside (it must remain warm or it will start to set).
  4. Line a small loaf tin with clingfilm.  Now line the tin with your spinach leaves, making sure they overlap each other, and also hang over the sides of the loaf tin.  Place your asparagus spears and cooked leeks inside the loaf tin and press down gently to make sure they are nice and compact but not squashed. Pour over your veggie stock mixture, then fold in your overlapping spinach leaves to ‘close off’ the terrine.  Using another loaf tin of the same size, place it on top and fill it with some dried lentils or beans to weigh it down. Pop it into the fridge to set. 

How to make the charred tomato sauce..

  1. Fry your shallot in the butter until nicely browned, then add in your tin of chopped tomatoes.  Season with Maldon Smoked Salt and brown sugar, then allow the sauce to reduce until it is thick and the tomatoes have mostly disintegrated.  
  2. Blend until smooth, then pass through a sieve and set aside. 

Here’s how to cook beef fillets…

  1. Make sure your fillets are at room temperature.  Rub them in some EVOO then season well with Maldon Salt and black pepper.  Get a frying pan nice and hot, then drizzle with a little more EVOO.
  2.  Fry your fillets to your liking, then add in your butter, garlic and rosemary, and baste your steaks with this foamy mixture.  Allow your steaks to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

To serve…

  1. Gently remove your leek and asparagus terrine from your loaf tin, then remove the clingfilm.  Cut into 2cm slices and place onto a serving plate.
  2. Place your fillets next to the terrine, then decoratively place dots of your charred leek puree and smoky tomato sauce around the plate.  Add some Maldon Salt to your steaks and then serve. 
  3. Optional – drizzle a little red wine just around the plate.

Can you substitute beef fillet?

Beef fillet is expensive compared to other meats due to it’s time-consuming efforts of cleaning, trimming and preparing the meat cut. Gristle, and fatty tissue are taken out, which although results in a beautifully tender fillet, the price can be pretty costly!

Cheaper cuts of meat normally come from the rear end of an animal, resulting in a tougher, chewier texture. However, a great alternative to beef fillet would be shoulder cuts. This is a very economical cut of meat and rich in flavour! It may not be readily available at your local butcher, but they can either cut or order them for you if requested.

@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.

Preheat the oven to 150C.

Start by prepping the pork. Roughly chop the pork into 1-inch chunks. In a large bowl mix together the fennel seeds, chilli flakes, ground cumin, orange juice and zest, tomato puree, chipotle paste, garlic cloves and salt to make a paste. Add the pork chunks to the paste and toss them so they are well coated in the spices.

In a large heavy bottom casserole pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the pork and fry them off on all sides so they are golden brown, and the fat has rendered down – you might need to do this in batches. Once browned, remove with a slotted spoon. Keeping the pan on the heat, deglaze all the sticky bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, using 2 tbsp water and 2 tbsp honey. Let this bubble and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift it.

Then add the browned pork back into the casserole dish. Fill the pan with the vegetable stock, it should come up about halfway up the meat but if you need more then top up with water. Place the lid on the casserole and put it into the preheated oven for 2 hours.

While the pork is cooking prepare the pickled onions. Finely slice the onions and place into a small bowl. In a pan heat up the vinegar, sugar and Maldon salt. Heat it gently until the sugar and salt has dissolved, then pour the warm liquid over the sliced onions. Toss the onions and then allow them to sit. They will collapse and soften, turning a wonderful pink colour.

After 2 hours, check the pork. Remove the pan from the oven and using two forks, start to pull the meat apart – some parts will still be a little tough. Once you have pulled as much as you can, place the lid back onto the pan and put it back in the oven for a further hour.

Just before the meat is ready it is time to prepare the rest of the taco elements. In a small bowl mix together the natural yoghurt and chipotle paste. Destone the avocados and slice, then squeeze some lime over them to stop them from oxidising. In a small frying pan, heat up the tacos for a couple of minutes on both sides.

After 3 hours remove the pork from the oven. It should be meltingly soft by now and easy to pull apart with your forks.

Serve the tacos with a dollop of the chipotle yoghurt, some pulled pork, avocado slices, pickled red onions and some coriander leaves. Squeeze over some lime juice and a final pinch of Maldon salt, then enjoy!

The classic Caprese salad originates from Italy, which is made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and seasoned generously with salt and olive oil. What is interesting with this dish is that, like the Margherita Pizza, the colours of the food resemble the Italian flag of green, red and white.

There are many variations to a Caprese salad, including a pesto dressing instead of olive oil, or even using balsamic vinegar. You can also substitute the olive oil for a delicious vinaigrette with tarragon to really make the tomatoes sing in flavour.

  1. To prepare the caprese salad, slice the tomatoes and arrange on a large platter.
  2. Tear the mozzarella and arrange this around the tomatoes.
  3. Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil and season well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper.
  4. Finally garnish with some fresh basil leaves and then serve!

What to serve with Caprese Salad?

A Caprese salad is typically served as a side or appetizer, although it can be enjoyed as a lighter lunch/dinner option. However, you can serve many things with a Caprese salad to elevate the dish even further.

Grilled vegetables pair well with the salad to give texture and a gentle smoky flavour. Try peppers, eggplant or perhaps delicious charred courgettes, topped with tarragon dill and basil.

Additionally, adding a protein like chicken, shrimp, or steak make great additions to the dish to make a heartier main course option.

Our favourite is adding starch to the dish! Adding some crusty bread or pasta will transform the dish to have texture, whilst also having something to soak up the dressing. By adding your favourite pasta, you are essentially making a delicious pasta salad that can be enjoyed with friends and family.

What other cheeses could work in this recipe?

Instead of using the classic Mozzarella cheese in a Caprese salad, burrata cheese in a fantastic substitute due to it’s molten middle of cream. If you are using burrata, make sure to layer the tomatoes and basil first on the dish, and then place the ball of burrata on top…buon appetito!

What are the best tomatoes to use for a Caprese Salad?

The most used tomatoes for a Caprese salad are heirloom tomatoes, due to their balanced flavour in being sweet and hearty. You can also use fresh cherry tomatoes or even vine tomatoes. If you want something more substantial, try using beefsteak tomatoes in the mix to bulk up the salad.

How to present a Caprese salad?

Start of by using a large serving plate or platter as the base for the salad. The bigger the plate, the more room it will allow you to showcase the beautiful red, white and green colours of the food.

You need to arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on the platter in an alternating pattern. After you have laid these ingredients down, you can then scatter the basil leaves over the tomatoes and mozzarella.

After this, season generously with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper to elevate the sweetness of the tomatoes and counteract the bitterness of the basil.

With a final glug of olive oil, you are able to serve immediately with a serving spoon.

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.

This pizza dough recipe is incredibly simple and only requires one prove before its ready to use. This recipe is topped with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, parmesan and rocket but you can top with whatever you like!

Start by making the pizza dough. Place the flour into a large bowl and sprinkle in the Maldon salt, mixing well. Then make a well in the middle of the flour. In a jug mix together the warm water, yeast, sugar and olive oil and whisk it together. Let this sit for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes pour the mixture into the well in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to slowly incorporate the flour into the wet mixture. When it starts to come together then use your hands to bring the dough together. Tip it onto a clean work surface and knead the dough to help bring it together. Then continue to knead for 10 minutes until you have a smooth, supple dough.

Lightly grease a large bowl and then place the dough into the bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place the bowl in a warm place and allow it to prove for 1 hour until it doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 220C and place either a pizza stone (if you have!) or a large baking sheet into the oven so it warms up.

While the dough is proving, mix up the tomato base for the pizzas. In a small bowl mix together the passata, grated garlic, dried oregano and plenty of Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.

After an hour the dough should have doubled in size. Then remove the clingfilm and knock back the dough by punching out the air from dough and giving it a quick knead. Then divide the dough into 4 equal balls.

On a piece of baking parchment sprinkle generously with semolina before rolling out one of the pizza balls to roughly 25cm in diameter, leaving a slightly thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Then spoon on some of the passata mix and spread out a thin, even layer on the base but leaving a gap for the crust. Top with some torn mozzarella and prosciutto. Then slide the pizza onto the hot tray in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

The pizza is ready when the crust has puffed up and gone golden brown, and the mozzarella has melted and gone oozy. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with chilli flakes, parmesan shavings and fresh rocket. Finally drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and a final pinch of Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Cut the pizza up and enjoy.

Join Ben Tish in creating the classic spring lamb with a twist! Salt crust baking is a great way to cook lamb – using Maldon Salt for the crust will allow the juices to become trapped, whilst also perfuming the meat without making it overly salty and enhancing the flavour.

You’ll not get a more tender result than this method of cooking your lamb which makes a great addition to your Sunday Roast. Accompanying the lamb are these beautiful, buttery jersey royals which are at their prime in Spring and make a great addition to the roasted lamb.

  1. Mix Maldon Salt with the egg whites to form a thick “paste”. Add some water to loosen if its too thick, you’ll need to be able to roughly mould around the lamb.
  2. Heat the oven to 160°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4
  3. Season the lamb leg and then seal in a large sauté pan to brown on all sides. Turn off the heat and lay the rosemary stalks on top of the leg.
  4. Spoon some of the Maldon Salt mix into a roasting tin and place the lamb on top. Nestle around the garlic and then mould the rest of the salt mix around the lamb to seal but leave the end bones protruding out.
  5. Place the lamb in the oven and slowly cook for 2.5 – 3 hours until the meat is soft and tender with an internal temp of around 65c. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 20 minutes before cracking the crust open and carefully discarding. The lamb should come away from the bone very easily.
  6. Whilst the lamb is cooking, boil the potatoes until just tender and then drain and cool before slitting lengthwise halfway through the middle and inserting a bay leaf. Place the potatoes on a roasting tin, season with Maldon Salt and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. We find this the best way to cook jersey royals because it creates them to have a nice, crispy finish. Reserve and keep warm.
  7. Serve chunks of the lamb alongside the bay potatoes and some garlicky aioli. Spring greens tossed in olive oil would also be a good addition. Baked lamb also pairs well with seasonal vegetables roasted in goose fat or vegetable oil, and sprinkled with Maldon Salt and pepper of course!

Interested in Salt Baking?

We have many other recipes including our delicious Salt Baked Sea Bass which showcases our to create a tender, juicy sea bass using the salt crust baking method.

What does salt crusting do?

Cooking lamb with a salt crust will lock in the natural juices of the meat. This is because when the lamb starts to cook in the oven, steam is then produced within the crust keeping it succulent and tender.

As the steam builds, some of the salt from the crust and natural oils of the meat will start to dissolve. This will then gently seep back into the lamb, giving it a rich, flavoursome taste.

You may worry that it seems like a lot of salt for this dish, however most of the crust is removed after cooking and only the correct amount of salt will season through the leg of lamb.

Should lamb be cooked in foil when roasting?

There’s no need to cover your leg of lamb with foil when it is roasting in the oven. You want a nice, slow roast to this meat so it can be enriched with flavour and covered in succulent juices. However, you may want to cover it with foil while it rests after cooking in order to retain the juices and keep it nice and warm before serving.

Do you enjoy cooking with lamb? We’ve also teamed up with chef Adam Byatt to create the delectable Buttery Lamb Leg with Weber. You may also be interested in our Lamb Chops with Parsley Aioli recipe in which shows you how to keep them tender and rich in taste!

We LOVE seeing your creations! Make sure to tag us on Instagram using #maldonsalt.

The classic galette. Ours is a deliciously golden, flaky pastry loaded with ricotta and spring vegetables including courgette, asparagus and fresh peas. Think of it as the close relation to the humble pie…but easier to make!

‘Galette’ derives from the Norman word of ‘gale’ meaning flat cake. In French cuisine ‘galette’ is often used to describe baked treats that do not require tin, which is why galettes are very popular to make due to the simplicity in it’s preparation. You simply roll out your pastry, fill it with your desired sweet or savoury toppings, and fold it up!

  1. Start by making the wholewheat spelt pastry. In a large bowl mix together the spelt flour and Maldon Salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs – it is ok here to have a few larger lumps of butter as it is a rougher textured pastry. Once the butter is incorporated, make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg. Mix this in, along with 1 or 2 tbsp of cold water to make it come together to form a smooth and slightly tacky dough.
  2. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and allow it to rest in the fridge for 40 minutes.
  3. While the dough is resting, prepare the fillings for the galette. In a small bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, chopped chives and dill plus some cracked black pepper and Maldon Salt.
  4. Heat a griddle pan and brush each side of the courgette slices with olive oil. When the pan is hot, grill the courgette slices on each side for 1 minute or so until they have nice char lines and have softened. Do this in batches and remove the slices from the pan as they are cooked onto a plate.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  6. Once the dough has rested, remove it from the fridge and remove the clingfilm. Lightly dust a surface with flour and then roll the pastry out until it is roughly ½ cm thick. The edges can remain fairly rustic as that is the style of this galette. Roll the pastry around your rolling pin and transfer onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  7. Spread the ricotta mixture across the pastry, leaving a 1-inch gap around the edges. Top the ricotta with the fresh garden peas, and then scatter across the asparagus spears. Drizzle this with olive oil. Then carefully fold the edges of the pastry in and slowly crimp and fold as you work your way around. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg.
  8. Place the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the charred courgette slices to the top of the filling, giving them texture and shape by curling them amongst the peas and asparagus. Place the galette back in the oven for a further 5 – 10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden brown and the courgette is warmed through.
  9. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over some dill fronds, some cracked black pepper and some Maldon Salt.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Make sure the lamb has come up to room temperature before cooking.

Place the lamb shoulder into a roasting tin. Rub the skin all over with olive oil and then cut some incisions into the skin and insert some peeled garlic cloves and small sprigs of rosemary into the cuts. Season generously with cracked black pepper and Maldon salt.

Place the lamb into the hot oven and roast for 30 minutes until the skin has browned and crisped up. Then remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 150C. Carefully pour the stock into the tin around the lamb and add the wedges of red onion and lemon around the lamb. Cover the tin with tin foil and seal the edges.

Place the lamb back into the oven and allow it to cook for 4 – 5 hours. After it has had this time the lamb should be meltingly soft and tender and pull away from the bone easily. Use the lamb cooking juices to make a gravy and serve alongside the rest of your Easter table sides; roasted carrots with thyme, minted new potatoes, steamed greens and mint sauce.