Cooking at this time of year is different from the norm. We tend to veer towards more celebratory, sharing-style dishes that have a wow factor. This week’s offering is just that. A stunning side of salmon, encrusted with buttery hazelnuts, thyme and citrus is as impressive as any big bird. It smells incredible and looks absolutely beautiful. If you still want to eat turkey on December 25th, this is a lovely pre-Christmas dinner, or ideal for the days following.
I love fish at this time of year and this dish works equally well with trout. If you can source a large side of trout, or use a few smaller ones, they’re the perfect match for the hazelnuts. I’ve added a pinch of chilli flakes for warmth, and the sweet aniseed of the fennel is so delicious with the fish. I blitz the nuts in my nutribullet but a food processor is fine too.
Even though this dish looks amazing and is perfect for a dinner party, it’s also very easy and can be assembled and cooked within 30 minutes. Hassle free and so rewarding. It is a very easy Friday night fish supper. I like to serve it with a rocket or purslane salad dressed with a little of the citrus olive oil dressing and a handful of salty black olives. Boiled small baby potatoes are ideal to serve alongside this too.
You can prepare this dish ahead of time, cover it and leave it in the fridge until you are ready to cook. It also works well if you’re feeding more than four, so feel free to double the recipe and cook both sides of salmon or trout in the same tray.
The tradition of cooking fish on Christmas Eve is widespread. In Italy, and also especially popular with Italian American households, is the feast of seven fishes, also known as La Vigilia. It really is a feast with seven different courses ranging from the delicious fritto misto to calamari, clam linguine and salt cod.
In Poland, the Christmas Eve supper, Wigilia, begins after the first star appears in the evening sky. The main meal is on Christmas Eve with 12 traditional courses being served. This number is a symbol of wealth and represents the apostles as well as the 12 months of the year. It's a feast of herring and carp, usually eaten alongside pickled beets, beet soup, dumplings such as pierogi, sauerkraut and the delicious Polish poppy seed roll makowiec. It's like a yeast dough Swiss roll with a dramatic spiral of sweet black poppy seeds inside.
Recipe: Hazelnut and citrus salmon
