Roast salmon with fresh herbs

Ingredients to serve 6

2kg salmon
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
6 onions, peeled and sliced
200 ml white wine
30g fresh ginger, peeled
1 French shallot, peeled
1 small bunch basil, leaves only
1 small tarragon, leaves only
1 small bunch chervil, leaves only
2 Melba toasts
100g butter

Roast fish is as satisfying on a winter day as a meat roast, and just as simple to prepare. In fact, it's a lot quicker.

Remove the salmon head. Cut away the two sides of salmon, retaining the skin. Trim the tail 5cm from the end. Use tweezers to remove the bones from the salmon fillets.

Preheat the oven to 160C (gas 2-3).

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and sauté it over a medium heat until it's soft. Then deglaze with white wine and reduce for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then pour the mixture into a flameproof roasting tin.

Put the ginger, shallot, the basil, tarragon and chervil leaves, Melba toast and butter in a food processor. Blend the ingredients until smooth, then season with salt and pepper.

Spread the herb mixture generously over one salmon fillet, skin-side down, then cover with the other and tie together with string.

Lay the salmon parcel on top of the softened onion, drizzle over a little olive oil, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the salmon over and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

From 'Rôtis – Roasts For Every Day Of The Week' by Stéphane Reynauld (Murdoch Books, £17.99)

Sommelier's choice

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Chardonnay 2006, USA

A rich wine with flavours of peach and white pear with a lengthy finish. The acidity will help to cut through the fleshiness of the salmon.

Majestic, £14.99, Majestic.co.uk