Baked salmon fillet with pickled cranberries, parsley & pistachios

Balance out an oily fish, such as salmon, with homemade pickled cranberries. They also add a fun, Christmassy feel to the dish

Prep:15 mins
Cook:30 mins
plus at least 1 week pickling

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 451
fat 26g
saturates 4g
carbs 25g
sugars 18g
fibre 3g
protein 28g
salt 0.3g

Ingredients

300ml cider vinegar
300g caster sugar
340g fresh cranberries
½ tsp whole cloves
½ tsp juniper berries
75g panko breadcrumbs
½ tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp sumac
1 lemon, zested
5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1kg salmon fillet, pin-boned (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
60g pistachios, crushed
½ small bunch of parsley, chopped, to serve

Tip

Healthy salmon salad

Flake any leftover salmon into a bowl and mix with a pouch of cooked mixed grains, any leftover pickled cranberries, cooked purple sprouting broccoli, a bag of watercress and any leftover pistachios or seeds you have. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice to serve.

Method

Make the pickled cranberries a week or two ahead. Put the vinegar and sugar in a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to boil for 4 mins. Pour the mixture into a 1-litre sterilised jar, or two smaller ones, and seal well, then leave to cool. Chill in the fridge for at least a week.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan for 2-3 mins until golden and toasted, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool.
Combine the breadcrumbs, thyme, sumac, lemon zest and some seasoning in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the 5 tbsp olive oil and mix in thoroughly.
Lay a piece of baking parchment on a baking tray large enough to fit the salmon fillet. Put the salmon fillet skin-side down on top, and carefully spread the crust mixture over the top of the salmon. Don’t press the mixture down too much. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil.
Bake the salmon for 20-25 mins ideally until it is just cooked and the crust has turned a golden colour. Once cooked, transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the pistachios, some drained pickled cranberries and the parsley. Try serving with buttered greens and roast new potatoes.