Summer Salmon with Zingy Pesto and Veggies

I’ve been doing really well on my healthy eating and am feeling a lot better for it, less bloated, less irritable and generally a lot happier. It also helps that in summer you tend to want to eat lighter meals and salads have been playing a bit part in my menu. I’m also having fun trying out new lighter/low fat meals and confirming you can have tasty satisfying meals whilst they are still good for you.

The following recipe definitely falls in the above category. I came across this recipe on the Good Food website whilst looking for a recipe to jazz up my smoked salmon fillets. I just adapted to suit my needs and used less oil for the zingy pesto sauce. This meal really delivered a wonderful dining experience with an explosion of flavour!

Summer Salmon with Zingy Pesto and Veggies

Serves 2

Ingredients
325g small new potatoes, thickly sliced
325g frozen peas and beans
1tbsp olive oil
zest and juice of ½ lemon
medium bunch of basil, leaves only
2 salmon fillets about 140g/5oz each (I used smoked salmon fillets for added flavour)

Boil the potatoes in a large pan for 4 mins. Tip in the peas and beans, bring back up to a boil, then carry on cooking for another 3 mins until the potatoes and beans are tender. Whizz the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and basil in a blender to make a dressing (or finely chop the mint and whisk into the oil and lemon).

Put the salmon in a foil parcel, season, then pour the dressing over. Cook in a preheated oven, 200oC/180oC/Gas 6. Drain the veggies, then mix with the hot dressing and cooking juices from the fish. Serve the fish on top of the vegetables.

Note: If you don't have any basil to hand, you can use mint or dill instead. Both add a delicious, herby freshness to this dish.