Scandinavian salmon

Serves

2

Timing

Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 1 hour 10 mins

2 pieces wild salmon fillet
2 sweet potatoes
1 head broccoli cut into florets
55g/2oz roughly chopped Brazil nuts
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Dressing
2-3 tbsp smooth mustard
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp low sodium salt
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
150ml/1/4 pint sunflower oil
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Method

1 Wash, prick and bake the sweet potatoes, as regular potatoes, in a hot oven for about 1 hour.

2 Heat a griddle pan or frying pan and add a little olive oil. When hot add the salmon skin side down to sear it and give it a nice colour.

Do not try and move it around; when it is ready it will lift out of the pan easily. Turn over and cook the other side.

How long you cook it is up to you; some people like their salmon quite rare, others well cooked.

3 While doing this put the broccoli on to steam.

4 Make the dressing. Mix the mustard, sugar, low sodium salt and vinegar together, and then add the oil by degrees, slowly beating after each addition. Finally add the dill.

5 Serve the salmon with the sweet potato sprinkled with black pepper, broccoli sprinkled with olive oil, and Brazil nuts. Drizzle the sauce over the salmon.

Dr Clayton says

Another healthy fish dish, particularly if it is wild salmon and the darkest red you can get. The combination of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the salmon, Brazil nuts and sunflower oil is strongly cardio-protective.

Salmon provide Omega 3 PUFAs, while sunflower oil provides Omega 6 PUFAs. This combination, together with the Vitamin E in Brazil nuts, is cardioproective. The selenium in Brazil nuts confers additional cardio-protection and and has anti-cancer properties.

Sweet potatoes provide dietary fibre, and traces of B vitamins, as well as beta carotene in the darker orange varieties.

Broccoli is an excellent source of Vitamin K, essential for healthy bones; sulphur compounds linked to cancer protection; the anti-oxidant Vitamin C; lutein, which protects the eyes, and dietary fibre.

Dr Clayton says

highlights the benefits from the main ingredients in each recipe, and the symbols show how those foods can reduce major health threats. The more symbols, the stronger the protection.

Heart disease