African Volcano

I’ve been eating for two weeks… This may seem like a bit of a dream for some people, but my palate is jaded, I needed something much more comforting and zingy.  I’ve also been up since 4am this morning, and I’m definitely not in the mood for one of my elaborate cookery sessions – so it has to be fast!

At this time of the year my fridge is full of summery seasonal produce, but the weather speaks much more of autumn.  So, what to make? I check what I have – a large salmon fillet, Jersey royals of course, English asparagus, etc… Not really what I’m after I must admit…

I eye up my last remaining bottle of my favourite African Volcano peri peri marinade, and wonder when I will actually see Grant again to get some replacements…  But it’s too late.  My palate is already craving the rounded heat of Grant’s sauce, and there will be no alternative.

I decide to make a variation of one of my regular ‘quick’ dishes, here with a swift kick of spice to bring it alive.  I always have a large fillet of salmon in my fridge – it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient… You can marinade it in white miso, or brown miso, teriyaki, olive oil and herbs… Anything you fancy really, so I knew it would take to Grant’s marinade with aplomb.

I popped the fillet into a food bag with the marinade, but I also added a small handful of crushed pink peppercorns – I wanted that tart piquancy that they add, and of course the colour doesn’t look strange here either.  Then I wandered off for half an hour.  Pop the salmon in a roasting tray covered in foil for 10 minutes, then uncover it for the remaining 15 to allow the skin to crisp up.  I also popped in some lime quarters as roasted lime is delicious with fish.

While the fish was cooking I peeled the asparagus and popped that in a foil parcel to roast alongside the salmon, and prepared some boiled and crushed Jersey royals with olive oil.  How simple is that?

Now.  Jamie Oliver has a sweet potato mash that would have worked perfectly with this, but I didn’t have sweet potatoes in my fridge today.  We make this mash regularly, it has a spicy kick, and an amazing tangy savoury contrast via a combination of lime, mango chutney and soya sauce…  Next time I will definitely make this dish using that mash and not the Jersey royals, lovely though they were.  The recipe is in Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, but I’ve included a link below from the Daily Mail website for ease.

Line your trays with foil, and the whole thing will take you about 15 minutes of prep, and about the same of actual cooking.  Result.

If you want to try the African Volcano marinade or sauce for yourself (and you should!), you can pop along to the Maltby Street Market on a Saturday, or contact Grant directly for a clandestine handing over of bottles…

Jamie’s Sweet Potato Mash

Finely chop the coriander on a large wooden chopping board, setting a few leaves aside for the garnish. Add the mango chutney, a good splash of soy sauce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from ½ a lime and the reserved chopped chilli. Chop and mix everything together on the board.

Get the sweet potatoes out of the microwave and check they are cooked through, then use tongs to squeeze over the juice from the hot lime halves and discard them.

Carefully tip the sweet potatoes on top of the mango chutney mixture and use a knife or masher to chop and mash everything together, including the skins. Season to taste, adding more fresh lime juice if needed.

This is last week’s salmon by the way, when I was clearly feeling much more summery and light :0)