Tomato and Basil Salmon with Mediterranean salad

A light, simple salmon dish for bright summer or cozy winter evenings.

Ingredients

Salmon

• 2x skinned salmon fillets, approx. 120g each
• Fresh basil leaves
• Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• Garlic (fresh, pre-chopped or paste)
• Olives (optional)

Salad

• Mixed leaves
• Red pepper
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Assorted nuts & seeds
• Garlic & herb salad dressing

Method

Place the salmon on a lightly greased baking tray. Make three small holes in each, along the length, using an apple corer. If you don’t have an apple corer, a knife and a (clean) finger will do.

Press 6 sun-dried tomatoes and take 6 basil leaves (or 3 of each, cut in half, if they are large). Place one tomato on each basil leave with a small amount of garlic. Optionally put on olive on top, then fold each into a small parcel. Put one parcel in each of the holes previously made in the salmon.

Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle olive oil from the sun-dried tomatoes over the salmon. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for between 8 and 15 minutes according to taste.

Tear the mixed leaves into a salad bowl and add chopped red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Again, olives can be added but are optional. Toss the salad and sprinkle a assortment of nuts and seeds on top. I used pistachio nuts, pine nuts, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and almonds. Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad.

Serve the salmon and salad with thick sliced crusty bread and butter. I used a crusty loaf with poppy seeds, but any will do.