One of the great things about having Neven’s Irish Seafood Trails series on RTÉ is that people are telling me they are trying some of the recipes and eating more fish. Salmon is one of our most popular fish and this is a very quick meal to make. It also works with trout.

I visited Mags and Ger Kirwan at Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Kilkenny a while back. They are a great family business. But the bonus for me was I had my son Connor with me. He went fishing and caught two trout.

Trust me. There is a lot of flavour going on here

Anyone who has ever visited the Canary Islands will have come across mojo sauce. It adds a great taste to chicken. I often use it with grilled fish, or with pork chops too. Instead of the breast, you could use chicken supreme which is the wing and breast with the skin on. Trust me. There is a lot of flavour going on here.

I am a great fan of Manor Farm corn-fed chicken in Cavan. I love the taste. They are the number-one retailer of maize-fed chicken in Ireland and are a big local employer. Continued success to them.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Recipes

Salmon parcel. \ Philip Doyle

Salmon parcels

Serves four

4 x 175g (6oz) skinless salmon fillet, pin bones removed

handful fresh herb sprigs, choose from dill, parsley, coriander, marjoram and chives

a few green peppercorns

4 tbsp dry white wine

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lemon wedges, to garnish

steamed green beans, to serve

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F, gas mark 5). Using a dinner plate as a size guide. Cut out four circles of non-stick parchment paper. Place a piece of salmon on each one and gently scrunch up the sides.
  • 2 Scatter the herbs over the salmon portions with the peppercorns and season to taste. Then drizzle a tablespoon of the wine on each one. Wrap up to enclose and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake the salmon parcels for 8-10 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and tender.
  • 3 Open the salmon parcels and garnish each one with a lemon wedge. Serve on warmed plates with the steamed green beans.

    • Charred chicken with mojo sauce

    Serves two

    450g (1lb) baby new potatoes

    2 sun-dried peppers (or roasted peppers from a can or jar)

    50g (2oz) soft goat’s cheese

    2 garlic cloves

    handful of fresh basil leaves

    about 120ml (4floz) rapeseed oil

    2 chicken breast fillets

    1/4 tsp each ground cumin and coriander

    1/2 tsp hot paprika

    2 tbsp white wine vinegar

    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until just tender. Roughly tear up the peppers into a bowl and pour over boiling to reconstitute (or use roasted peppers from a can or jar). Set aside.

  • 2 Place the goat’s cheese in a small bowl and crush in one of the garlic cloves. Shred half of the basil and add with plenty of seasoning. Mix well to combine.

  • 3 Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan. Ease the skin from each chicken breast, cutting with a scissors and without detaching it at one side. Then spread the cheese mixture under the skin, replacing the skin carefully once you have finished.

  • 4 Add the chicken to the pan, skin-side down and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Then turn over and continue for cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely tender.

  • 5 Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan. Drain the potatoes, add to the pan, tossing to coat and cook over a fairly high heat until lightly golden, tossing frequently. Shred in the remaining basil at the last minute.

  • 6 To make the mojo sauce drain the peppers. Roughly chop and place in a food processor with the remaining garlic clove, the cumin, coriander, paprika, vinegar and seasoning. Whizz until well combined, then with the motor running pour in the rest of the oil to make a sauce.

  • 7 Carve one of the chicken breasts and fan out. Arrange on a serving plate with a small dish of the sauce and some of the potatoes which have been sprinkled with a little sea salt. Serve at once.

    • Food profile

    Know your goat’s cheese

    Goat’s cheese is a wonderful ingredient; capable of adding serious depth of flavour and a tangy kick to many dishes. As in Neven’s recipe this week, it pairs especially well with chicken, but can be added to soups, tomato and red pepper-based pasta sauces, baked whole in shortcrust or puff pastry or crumbled over salad.

    Goat’s cheese comes in many forms. One of the most popular types of goat cheese is chevre-style, which is soft, has a slight crumble and is fresh and tart-tasting. You can find this type of goat’s cheese in nearly any supermarket. Other types of goat’s cheese are firmer, such as goat’s feta, or covered in soft or hard rinds and “ripened”, or allowed to age to fully develop its flavour.

    For good Irish goat’s cheeses, try St Tola from Co Clare or Killeen from Co Galway.