Roasted Regal Salmon & Asparagus with Lemon Caper Crumb and Lime Hollandaise

(Serves 4)

2 canned anchovies (D’Amico or Ortiz brand)
1 tablespoon capers
finely zested rind of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
20g grated parmesan
100g (2 thick slices) crustless artisan bread, eg sourdough, cut into chunks
4 thick fillets salmon
18-24 spears fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon lemon oil or 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil mixed with zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and ground black pepper

In a food processor, place anchovies, capers, zest, olive oil, parsley and cheese and blitz to a purée. Add bread and pulse mixture several times to form a rough coarse crumb. Do not let it get too fine. Put to one side until ready to cook.

Cook asparagus in boiling water for one minute. Cool under cold water, drain.

Preheat oven to 200˚C fan bake (220˚C regular bake). Place fish and asparagus in a baking dish lined with baking paper and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fish with a little crumb and spread out the rest in a separate shallow baking dish. Bake fish and crumbs until fish is just cooked (time will depend on thickness of fillets – about 10 minutes). Crumbs should also be golden and crisp. Serve fish and asparagus sprinkled with extra crumbs. Accompany with roasted cherry tomatoes and potatoes. Serves 6

Note: Spare crumbs can be stored when cool in an airtight container. They make a useful garnish for fish, chicken and pasta dishes.

Lime Hollandaise

(This is made in a flash in a food processor. Use lemons if preferred.)
3 fresh egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
several grinds black pepper
100g / 1/2 cup butter
Blitz yolks, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Heat butter until
bubbling but not browned (it needs to be very hot for the sauce to fully thicken). With motor running, gradually add hot butter to egg mixture in a slow stream. Chill if not using within a couple of hours.

If sauce has been chilled, reheat with care as it will curdle if overheated. I find the best way to do this is to sit a bowl of sauce inside a bowl of hot water for a minute or two.