Oven Baked Salmon with a Roasted Vegetable Salad

Oven Baked Salmon with a Roasted Vegetable Salad – Serves 2

I never get bored of eating salmon, I just can’t. There are so many different ways of cooking salmon, not to mention the different types you can get, that I’m constantly thinking up new things to do with salmon. That coupled with the fact that it is a true health food, ensures that your body will stay lean and strong. Did you know that besides being high in protein and omega-3 fats, salmon will also provide you with your entire daily requirement of vitamin D in one sitting - quite a feat I’m sure you’ll agree! I’ve baked the salmon in the oven here, but if you’re in a hurry, salmon can be cooked in the microwave in just a couple of minutes, and your guaranteed that the result will be lovely, moist fish.

Today I decided to stick with the health theme and prepare a roasted vegetable salad to accompany the fish.  I have to say that this is one of my favourite salads – perfect for those days when you want a little bit more than ‘a few leaves’ and something a bit more substantial. The great thing about this salad is that it goes really well with a whole host of foods, and it more than stands up for itself if served on it’s own.

I tend to change the vegetables I use each time I make this to keep it interesting - peppers, shallots and butternut squash work really well, but just experiment and see what comes out!

Ingredients

• 2 skinless fillets of salmon
• 1 sweet potato, cubed 
• 1/2 of a large red onion, sliced
• 40g feta or goats cheese, crumbled (adjust to taste)
• 3 large handfuls mixed salad leaves (e.g. rocket, lamb lettuce & spinach)
• A good glug of olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Herbs de Provence
• Salt & Pepper

Method

First step is to heat the oven to around 190 C and start preparing the vegetables in the meantime. Place your vegetables onto a roasting tray and drizzle with a good glug of olive oil, then mix it all up with your hands until all the vegetables are covered. Finally sprinkle the vegetables with some mixed herbs – I use Herbs de Provence and they are fantastic! For the fish, place the salmon fillets on a seperate roasting tray, ensuring to grease the tray first and season well with salt and pepper. Now depending on the size of your vegetables and the thickness of your fish the cooking times will vary, however I find that around 25 minutes at 190 C will get the vegetables just right (a little crispy) and cook the salmon perfectly.

While the fish and vegetables are in the oven you want to start preparing the rest of the salad. Wash your salad leaves, then place them into a large bowl. Once your vegetables are ready add them to the salad bowl and crumble in some feta and/or goats cheese into the bowl. To dress the salad I usually make a olive oil and vinegar dressing using 2 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar and coat the salad well.

Dish up and your done – this goes perfectly with a nice white wine sat out in the garden on a summers day!