Bill Granger recipe: Poached salmon and preserved-lemon potato salad with watercress mayo

Serves 4

Poached salmon and soft-boiled eggs with a watercress mayo (Laura Edwards)

The sharp preserved lemon and a peppery watercress mayo balance the salmon's richness well.

½ bunch spring onions, cut into thirds
1 lemon, halved
2 bay leaves
Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks only (reserve leaves)
4 black peppercorns
4 x 120g salmon fillets

For the potato salad

1kg new potatoes
1 preserved lemon, skin only, finely chopped
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed

For the mayo

Bunch watercress, roughly chopped
6 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
6 tbsp crème fraîche
Juice ½ lemon

To serve

4 soft-boiled eggs
1 bunch mint, whole leaves
Whole leaves from the bunch of flat-leaf parsley

To poach the salmon, put the first 5 ingredients into a large pan, cover with 1 litre of cold water and 1 tbsp of salt, and bring slowly to the boil. Remove from heat, add the salmon fillets, cover the pan and allow to stand for 8 to 12 minutes; the residual heat will cook the fish. Lift the salmon out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

For the potato salad, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water till just tender, drain then tip back into the pan, cover and allow to steam-dry for a few minutes. In a bowl, mix the preserved lemon, vinegar, oil and mustard with the shallot and garlic. Pour over the potatoes while they are still warm.

For the mayo, blend the watercress with the mayonnaise, crème fraîche and lemon juice.

Break the salmon into large flakes, toss through the potatoes and pile on to a platter with the soft-boiled eggs, and the mint and parsley scattered generously over. Serve with the mayo on the side.