Roast salmon with craquelin pastry topping

Name: Roast salmon with craquelin pastry topping
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 1 side sustainable salmon (about 1.4kg), at room temperature; 6 bay leaves, plus extra to serve; Juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges for squeezing, if you like; For the craquelin; 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 30g demerara sugar; 2 tsp smoked sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve (we used Maldon, from larger supermarkets); 2 blades mace, ground using a pestle and mortar (or a little freshly grated nutmeg); ½ tsp pul biber (aleppo pepper) or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra to serve, if you like; 1 fat garlic clove, crushed; 2 tsp chopped fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme leaves), plus extra sprigs to serve; 50g plain flour; You’ll also need; Electric hand mixer; Baking tray lined with compostable baking paper

Portion size: Serves 6
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 20 min
Difficulty: easy

Recipe by: Katy McClelland

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This quick and easy roast salmon takes just 35 minutes. The secret to its success is its light, crisp, savoury craquelin pastry topping.

Alternatively, go for a traditional salmon en croûte as your Sunday centrepiece or Easter lunch, or perhaps one of these showstopping salmon recipes.

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Ingredients

1 side sustainable salmon (about 1.4kg), at room temperature
6 bay leaves, plus extra to serve
Juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges for squeezing, if you like

For the craquelin

60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
30g demerara sugar
2 tsp smoked sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve (we used Maldon, from larger supermarkets)
2 blades mace, ground using a pestle and mortar (or a little freshly grated nutmeg)
½ tsp pul biber (aleppo pepper) or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra to serve, if you like
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp chopped fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme leaves), plus extra sprigs to serve
50g plain flour

You’ll also need

Electric hand mixer
Baking tray lined with compostable baking paper

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Method

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. To make the craquelin, beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl using an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt, ground mace (or nutmeg), pul biber/cayenne, garlic, thyme and flour until mixed and spreadable (see Make Ahead).
Put the salmon on the lined tray skin-side down. Spread the craquelin over the top of the fish using the back of a spoon, then add bay leaves and some extra thyme sprigs. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden and the fish is just cooked through.
Sprinkle with a little extra smoked salt and the lemon juice, then scatter with the extra bay leaves and thyme sprigs and add a dusting of aleppo pepper or cayenne, if you like. Serve with seasonal veg, new potatoes and lemon wedges (optional).
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Nutrition

635kcals Calories
43.4g (11.7g saturated) Fat
48.6g Protein
11.9g (5.1g sugars) Carbs
1.1g Fibre
1.9g Salt

Quick wins & tips

Use it up: Flake leftover salmon, then freeze in a bag or food storage box in a thin layer (so it’s easy to break off little bits). Fry straight from frozen in a splash of oil over a high heat for around 5 minutes until crispy. Reduce the heat to medium to cook through for 2-5 minutes more, making sure it’s heated through. Stir into rice or pasta or serve with a squeeze of lemon and mayo on rye/sourdough toast.