Lacquered salmon with pea family salad

Serves 4

(Jason Lowe)

Salmon has a robust enough flavour to benefit from an almost barbecue-like marinade – and cooking – as the oily flesh just stays so moist. Mangetouts and sugar snaps seem to have fallen by the wayside in restaurant kitchens and have reached kiwi-fruit status among chefs. I'm not really sure why, but I think it may have had something to do with the fact that they both became too much of an easy option on the vegetable plate, whatever time of the year it was, and I think chefs thought they were a little bit boring.

4 salmon fillets, skinned and boned, weighing about 160-180g
2tbsp miso paste
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp finely grated root ginger

For the salad

60g mangetouts which have been topped and tailed
60g sugar snaps which have been topped and tailed
40-60g, podded weight of peas, cooked
A handful of pea shoots, washed
4 spring onions, finely shredded on the angle

For the dressing

3tbsp mirin
tbsp sweet soy sauce
1tbsp rice wine vinegar

Heat the miso paste in a pan on a low heat with the soy and ginger, leave to cool a little then place the salmon fillets in a non-reactive container and pour over the miso mixture. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Cut the mangetouts into fine, matchstick-like shreds. Cook the sugar snaps in boiling salted water for 1 minute then drain and refresh under the cold tap. Whisk the mirin, sweet soy sauce and rice vinegar together.

Preheat the grill, line a tray with foil and lay the salmon on, spooning over the excess marinade. Grill for about 10 minutes, basting and turning the salmon so it gets nice and sticky and well glazed.

Meanwhile, toss the shredded mangetout, sugar snaps, peas and pea shoots with the dressing and season. Arrange the pea salad on serving plates and place the salmon on top.