Grilled Salmon with Dill Yoghurt and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on salmon fillets (approx. 150g each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 lemon, zested, then cut into wedges
• 200g lactose-free natural yoghurt
• 15g fresh dill, fronds finely chopped, plus extra to finish
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scraped out, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 8 radishes, thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, finely sliced into half-moons
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 400g cooked freekeh or wholegrain bulgur wheat, warmed
• fresh dill fronds, to finish
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• lemon wedges, to squeeze at the table, to serve
• flaky sea salt, to finish
• warm flatbreads, to serve
• pickled green chillies, to serve

Method

1. Make the dill yoghurt first so the flavours have time to settle. Combine the yoghurt, chopped dill, grated garlic, extra virgin olive oil and the lemon juice in a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir, taste — it should sing of dill with a soft hum of garlic in the background. Slide it into the fridge.
2. Toss the cucumber, radishes and red onion with the white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sugar and a good pinch of salt. Set aside for at least 10 minutes — the onion will soften and turn faintly pink, and the cucumber will start to release its water. That's the pickle doing its work.
3. Pat the salmon fillets thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Water means steam, and steam means no crisp skin — this is the single step that makes or breaks the dish. Rub all over with the olive oil, smoked paprika and lemon zest. Bloom the paprika in the oil for a moment as you rub it in — it should smell sweet and smoky, not dusty. Season generously on both sides.
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat until it's just shy of smoking. Lay the salmon in skin-side down — don't crowd the pan, give each fillet space, and cook in two batches if your pan is small. Press gently with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to stop the skin curling.
5. Cook for 5–6 minutes without moving them, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and the flesh has turned opaque two-thirds of the way up the side. Flip and cook for a further 1–2 minutes until just cooked through with a faint blush at the centre — it'll carry on cooking on the plate.
6. Taste the yoghurt and the salad once more before plating. Adjust the salt now — at the end, not at the table.
7. Divide the warm freekeh or bulgur between four plates and spoon a generous swoosh of dill yoghurt alongside. Pile the cucumber salad next to the grain, lay a salmon fillet on each plate skin-side up to keep it crisp, scatter the dill fronds over everything, press flaky sea salt onto the salmon skin, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and bring the lemon wedges, warm flatbreads and pickled green chillies to the table for everyone to squeeze and tear at will.