Crispy salmon, minted pea puree with lemon and dill sauce

I hate to waste food, whether it be for financial or ethical reasons. Tonight was based on finance. Have you seen how expensive fresh herbs are? There were a couple of bunches of mint and dill hanging around that were just asking to be cooked. I also had some salmon in the freezer and some peas so I guess you can see where this is going.

If you cook salmon correctly, there's no need to mess around with the rest of the dish too much. Some simple veg and a light sauce and you're there. The minted pea puree goes with any fish, although maybe not a tin of pilchards! This was served with a side dish of roasted crushed new potatoes which gives the plate a nice bit of texture. This is the only thing that takes any time. The other elements will only take about 10 minutes.

Ingredients (for 2, approx £3.00 per head) : 2 fillets of salmon with skin on, 2 finely sliced shallots, 25g butter, 2tbsp olive oil, 100ml fish stock, 40ml double cream, handful of chopped dill, 100g frozen peas, handful of chopped mint, juice of half a lemon, seasoning.

1. On a medium heat, melt half the butter with 1tbs olive oil. Season the fish and place skin side down. Do not be tempted to move or turn the fish until virtually all of the flesh has turned pink. This will ensure that the flesh stays moist, whilst the skin is crispy. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Only then turn over for a minute.
2. In the meatime, gently saute the shallots in the remaining butter and oil. Once softened, add the fish stock and cream and bring to boil. Reduce by a third.  Add the lemon juice and finish off with the dill and season to taste.
3. Bring the peas to the boil and then add to a mini blender with the mint and 1tbsp of the fish stock. Blitz until smooth.If you don't have such a gadget, just use a masher.
4. To serve, arrange the puree on a plate and place the fish on top. Spoon over the sauce.

As you can see, it's very easy and makes for a delightful midweek supper dish.