This is a very different way to cook salmon but, believe me, it works. We regularly cook prawns and lobster by gently poaching them in oil. With salmon it keeps the moisture in and there is lots of flavour in the oil. So, while it may seem an usual way to cook fish, it is a good example of how easy it is to cook restaurant food in your own home. You can re use the oil twice if you store it in the fridge. Wild salmon is preferable to farmed for this dish, as the firmer flesh gives a better texture and adds to the robust flavours in the poaching liquor.

This pavlova is a light, summery dessert. The hazelnuts add flavour and texture to the meringue. And do try to buy the best lemon curd you can find. Walnuts can be used instead of hazelnuts in the meringue. Just be sure to choose fruit to complement the walnuts, such as strawberries and ripe peaches in season.

Recipes

Poached salmon with dill and mustard potatoes

Serves six to eight

10g (¼oz) coriander seeds

10g (¼oz) black peppercorns

10g (¼oz) green cardamom pods

10g (¼oz) star anise

½ litre (1 pint) Donegal rapeseed oil

6-8 x 175g (6oz) salmon fillets, skinned and pin bones removed

18-24 baby fennel, trimmed

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 fresh thyme sprig

50ml (2fl oz) white wine

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Dill and mustard potatoes

1kg (2¼lb) small new potatoes, peeled

4 tbsp crème fraiche

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

juice of ½ lemon

1½ tsp freshly grated horseradish

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC, (400oF/gas mark 6). Heat a large sauté pan that will hold the salmon fillets comfortably. Add the coriander seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods and star anise and heat for two to three minutes, until aromatic. Pour in the oil, then warm gently for about 30 minutes to infuse the flavours.

2. Place the fennel in the centre of a piece of foil, then scatter over the garlic, thyme and wine. Season to taste and wrap into a parcel. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the fennel is completely tender.

3. To make the dill and mustard potatoes, place the potatoes in a separate pan of salted water, then bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until tender.

4. Meanwhile, season the salmon fillets with salt and the cayenne pepper. Carefully arrange the salmon fillets in the poaching liquor and simmer very gently for about 10 minutes or until the salmon is just tender but still pink in the middle.

5. To finish the dill and mustard potatoes, make the dressing. Place the crème fraiche in a bowl and stir in the mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, dill, lemon juice and horseradish. Season to taste. Drain the potatoes well and then stir in a spoonful of the dressing until lightly coated.

6. Arrange the dill and mustard potatoes on plates and arrange a piece of poached salmon on top. Spoon over the dressing and arrange the roasted fennel to the side to serve.

Hazelnut pavlova with summer fruit and passion fruit lemon curd

Serves six to eight

4 egg whites

225g (8oz) caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

2 tsp white wine vinegar

50g (2oz) toasted skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Passion fruit lemon curd

4 tbsp lemon curd

2 passion fruit, halved and seeds scooped out

Filling

150ml (¼ pint) cream, whipped

200g (7oz) thick Greek yoghurt

225g (4oz) strawberries

2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced (stones discarded)

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC, (325oF/gas mark 3). Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a large, flat baking sheet and mark with a 23cm (9 inch) circle.

2. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric whisk on full speed, until they are stiff and look like a cloud. Add the sugar, one teaspoonful at a time, still whisking at full speed until it has all been added.

3. Blend the cornflour and white wine vinegar together in a small bowl and fold into the meringue mixture with the hazelnuts.

4. Spoon the mixture into the circle marked on the non-stick parchment paper on the baking sheet and spread out gently so that the meringue forms a 23cm (9in) circle, building the sides up well so they are higher than the middle.

5. Place the meringue mixture in the oven, but immediately reduce the temperature to 150oC, (300oF/gas mark 2). Bake the Pavlova for about 1-1¼ hours, until firm to the touch and a pale beige colour. Turn off the oven and allow the Pavlova to cool in the oven.

6. Carefully remove the Pavlova from the baking sheet, peeling off the parchment paper, and slide onto a flat serving plate.

7. To make the filling, mix the whipped cream and yoghurt together in a bowl and spoon into the centre of the Pavlova. Decorate with the strawberries and peaches and leave in the fridge for about one hour before serving.

8. To make the passion fruit lemon curd, mix the lemon curd with the scooped-out seeds and juice from the passion fruit in a small bowl and serve with the Pavlova. CL