Crispy Skin Salmon with Ginger Greens & Rice

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on salmon fillets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g basmati rice, rinsed
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 25g ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 pak choi, thickly sliced
• 250g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Sweet chilli dipping sauce, to serve
• Pickled cucumber, to serve

Method

1. Cook the basmati in plenty of salted water until tender, around 10 to 12 minutes, then drain and keep covered so it stays warm and fluffy while you get on with the salmon and greens.
2. Pat the salmon skin very dry with kitchen paper and season the flesh side well with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, then lay the salmon in skin-side down and press gently for the first few seconds so the skin makes full contact. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is properly crisp, deeply golden and releases without sticking.
3. Turn the salmon and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until just cooked through and the flesh flakes when nudged. Lift it out onto a plate to rest so the skin stays crackly.
4. In the same pan, add the ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant and softened but not coloured. Add the tenderstem broccoli first and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until bright green and just tender, then add the pak choi and cook for another minute until the leaves wilt and the stems still have bite.
5. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil so the greens turn glossy and savoury rather than watery, tossing for a few seconds to coat.
6. Fluff the spring onions through the warm rice and divide between bowls. Top with the ginger greens and sit the salmon on top so the crispy skin stays proud above the steam.
7. Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and tuck a lime wedge alongside for squeezing over. Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce and pickled cucumber on the side.