One of the marvellous things about this dish is that it’s almost impossible to overcook the salmon – the crust seems to keep the flesh so succulent.  And for those who like their salmon to taste like salmon, the kick is relegated to the salsa.

The salsa can also be used as an excellent topping for bruschetta, or as a fresh sauce for pasta.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salmon with a pistacchio crust:
4 fillets of salmon (about 600g in total)
4 teaspoons of honey
50g shelled pistachios
60g breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper

For the salsa:
500g tomatoes, the best quality you can find
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 large sprigs of basil (12 large leaves), roughly chopped
1 large sprig of thyme (1 heaped teaspoon of thyme leaves)
2 heaped tablespoons of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
half a red chilli, chopped (including seeds)
100ml olive oil

Romaine lettuce to garnish

Method

For the salsa:
Wash and halve the tomatoes, removing the coarse green cores.  Chop the tomatoes into 1 to 2cm cubes and put into a sieve over a bowl for half an hour to drain.
Once drained, mix the rest of the ingredients with the chopped tomatoes, taking care not to turn everything into a pulp.  Don’t be afraid to add more thyme, chilli or salt for a full-flavoured dish.
This will keep in the fridge for a few days.

For the salmon:
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.  If you have time, drop the pistachios into boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, drain, then slip off the skins.  This gives a much greener, brighter colour to contrast with the salmon.  It also makes the nuts more moist so they are less likely to dry out in the oven.

Put bread in blender herbs, to make breadcrumbs.  Then add nuts and give a quick whizz so they are roughly chopped.  Add salt and pepper.

Season salmon with salt, then place skin down on aluminium foil in a roasting tin, each fillet preferably touching another.  Smooth the honey over the surface with your finger.  Press on the herb/nut/breadcrumb mixture.  Drizzle over with oil.  Then put in the oven for 15 minutes.  Serve with a slice, leaving the skin behind on the foil.