Grilled salmon with herb beurre blanc

Serves 4

Grilled salmon with herb beurre blanc (Jason Lowe)

With their egg and butter ingredients, sauces like hollandaise and beurre blanc, that you would pair with various meat dishes, are full of saturated fats. They're delicious but sadly a complete no-go area for anyone with high cholesterol. But don't despair: you can make fantastic alternative versions with a butter substitute and a good reduction in the base with wine, vinegar and shallots. You really won't notice any difference.

Oily fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines are some of the tastiest and healthiest foods you can get, full of omega-3 fatty acids; the good fats that should be a staple of everyone's heart-healthy diet.

4 portions of salmon weighing about 180g, boned and skinned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little rapeseed oil for brushing
2 medium shallots, peeled, halved and finely chopped
½tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
50ml white wine
120g low-cholesterol spread
1tbsp chopped chives, chervil and parsley
A few drops of lemon juice (optional)

Preheat a ribbed griddle pan on the stove or a barbecue, season and brush the fish with the rapeseed oil and grill the salmon for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness.

Meanwhile, put the shallots in a pan with the vinegar and white wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced down to a couple of teaspoons. Remove from the heat and whisk in the spread until it's emulsified; then add lemon and seasoning to taste and stir in the herbs.

Spoon the sauce on to warm but not hot serving plates and place the salmon on top.