Cooking... with Martha Legg

Food & Drink Five Spice Salmon

In 2008, we travelled around Vietnam. I would like to say that we were traditional backpackers but although we had back packs, we flew between destinations, which, apparently, makes us ‘flash packers’. We started in Hanoi and then travelled to Halong Bay. (made popular by Top Gear), where our home for a night was a Chinese junk. (It had a bedroom, with a quilt that could have done with a good clean and an ensuite. You had to be locked in, as the bolt was on the outside and it definity had running water, all the time!)

The main meal in the evening was a fish dish, which we ate with chop sticks. I have no idea what sort of fish it was, but it was delicious. We then tested our chop stick skills by picking up and eating peanuts.

The next morning, it was drizzling. Martin asked me to go on deck, I said ‘no its raining’. He was persistent and on the third ask I went outside. He then proceeded to ramble about how long we had been together and how we got on and how his children liked me, etc. Somehow, during this, I realised he was actually proposing to me! What a romantic, proposing on a Chinese junk in the South China sea! Of course, I said yes, and we were married later that year.

Ingredients

500g boneless skin on, scaled, salmon fillet olive oil

1 bunch of spring onions

3 mixed peppers

2 carrots

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

432g tin of pineapple chunks in juice

150g frozen peas

Method

Rub the salmon all over with the five-spice, a pinch of sea salt and a little oil, then place skin-side down in a large cold non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat.

Cover with wet greaseproof paper and cook for 15 mins, or until just pink. Remove the paper and flip for the final 30 secs.

Trim the spring onions, then shred one and put aside. Deseed the peppers and cut into 2cm chunks along with the remaining spring onions. Peel and finely slice the carrots. Place a wok over a high heat and throw in the veg, moving it around for 2 mins to soften and lightly char.

Stir in the cornflour, vinegar, tomato puree, teriyaki and the pineapple (juice and all), followed by 250ml of water. Simmer for 5 mins, or until thickened, adding the peas for the last 2 mins. Season to taste.

Break up the salmon and divide between plates, along with the veg. Scatter over the shredded spring onion. Great with rice and chilli sauce.