Salmon with roasted beetroot & fennel

Serves 2 ● Prep Time 10 Mins ● Cooking Time 1 Hr
This Scandinavian inspired dish combines sweet roasted beetroot and fennel with salty capers and dill, the flavour of all of which is balanced well by cyder vinegar with honey. It’s a subtle amalgamation of sweet and sour notes with buttery, slightly smokey salmon to top it all. Root vegetables are a great lower carbohydrate alternative to the usual fare of potatoes or rice, not to mention the extra nutrients they contain. They add lightness to this recipe whilst remaining satiating.
method

A bunch of beetroot (500g), peeled

2 fennel bulbs (350g), trimmed and thinly sliced

2 lightly smoked salmon fillets 

1 tablespoon of capers

Leaves from 1/2 bunch of dill 

Cold pressed rapeseed oil for roasting

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning 


For the dressing:

2 tablespoons of apple cyder vinegar with honey

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  2. Cut the beetroot into wedges, place on a roasting tray, drizzle with rapeseed oil, season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for 15 minutes. 
  3. Remove the roasting tray from the oven, add the sliced fennel, a small drizzle of rapeseed oil, a splash of water and season again. Stir well and return the beetroot/ fennel mix to the oven for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked and soft when pierced with a fork. 
  4. To make the dressing, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together with a splash of water until thick and well combined. 
  5. Season the fish. Put a frying pan on a medium high heat, add a splash of rapeseed oil and cook the salmon skin side down for a couple of minutes. Flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes more. Set aside until the remaining ingredients are combined. 
  6. Take out the beetroot/ fennel mix from the oven. Add the capers to the roasting tray along with the dressing and the dill. Give it a good stir then divide between two plates. 
  7. To serve, top each plate with a piece of salmon and a few mole dill fronds if desired.
ingredients

A bunch of beetroot (500g), peeled

2 fennel bulbs (350g), trimmed and thinly sliced

2 lightly smoked salmon fillets 

1 tablespoon of capers

Leaves from 1/2 bunch of dill 

Cold pressed rapeseed oil for roasting

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning 


For the dressing:

2 tablespoons of apple cyder vinegar with honey

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  2. Cut the beetroot into wedges, place on a roasting tray, drizzle with rapeseed oil, season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for 15 minutes. 
  3. Remove the roasting tray from the oven, add the sliced fennel, a small drizzle of rapeseed oil, a splash of water and season again. Stir well and return the beetroot/ fennel mix to the oven for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked and soft when pierced with a fork. 
  4. To make the dressing, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together with a splash of water until thick and well combined. 
  5. Season the fish. Put a frying pan on a medium high heat, add a splash of rapeseed oil and cook the salmon skin side down for a couple of minutes. Flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes more. Set aside until the remaining ingredients are combined. 
  6. Take out the beetroot/ fennel mix from the oven. Add the capers to the roasting tray along with the dressing and the dill. Give it a good stir then divide between two plates. 
  7. To serve, top each plate with a piece of salmon and a few mole dill fronds if desired.