Sticky Ginger & Soy Salmon Traybake with Pak Choi

Ingredients

• 4 x 150g salmon fillets, skin on
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 x 250g pouch microwave jasmine rice
• 1 thumb fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 heads pak choi, halved lengthways
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C and line a roasting tin. Whisk the soy, honey, sesame oil, grated ginger, crushed garlic and rice vinegar in a bowl until glossy. Taste it — most of the salt comes from the soy, but you want sweet-salty-sharp all in balance; adjust the honey or vinegar if one is shouting over the others.
2. Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no lacquer. Season the flesh side with a pinch of salt and pepper, sit them skin-side down in the tin, and spoon over two-thirds of the glaze. Leave to marinate for 5 minutes while you prep the pak choi.
3. Toss the halved pak choi with the vegetable oil and a pinch of salt, then nestle them around the salmon in a single layer, cut-side up. Don't crowd them on top of the fish — they need space to catch and char rather than steam.
4. Roast for 15–18 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily under a fork and the glaze has bubbled down to a deep, sticky mahogany lacquer. The garlic in the glaze is protected by the soy and honey here — it won't burn the way raw garlic in oil would, but if you see any exposed bits going dark and bitter, spoon glaze over them.
5. In the final 3 minutes, spoon the reserved glaze over the pak choi so the leaves catch and crisp at the edges. Add a small splash of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lime if you have one to the pan juices off the heat — the acid lifts the whole tray and cuts the honey's sweetness.
6. Meanwhile, ping the jasmine rice according to packet instructions and fluff with a fork. Taste, season with a pinch of salt, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
7. Spoon the rice onto plates, lift the salmon and pak choi on top, and pour over every drop of the sticky pan juices. Scatter generously with the sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve straight away while the glaze is still glossy.