Its January and, as is the same every year, money is tight. I know we only got paid a week early but somehow I still have 3 weeks till payday and have to really think about how to make everything last till the end of the month.

Which is why on Friday when someone at work offered me some salmon fillets they couldn’t take home I jumped at the chance (hey – these were M&S, I don’t usually get M&S!!) Once I got over my excitement (Free Food!!) I started thinking of the best way of making the most out of this unexpected bounty.

The obvious choice would be with buttered new potatoes and veggies but these aren’t the largest fillets and i’m kinda potatoed out!! I then started to think about other ways of using salmon – pasta or salad were obvious choices but again this wasn’t really hitting the spot with me, neither was fish pie.

And then it hit me – fish and rice are natural bedfellows (think Kedgeree or Paella) and it really got my juices going thinking how best to combine rice and salmon into a delicious Saturday night meal for Dazzler and I.

It was Wednesday before I pulled these out of the freezer so I started to root through the fridge and found some broccoli tips and asparagus as well as some lemon and an onion and a plan formed. adding in some turmeric (in lieu of saffron) and some herbs completed this one pot special.

Ingredients

• 2 x Salmon Fillets
• 1 mug of Rice
• 2 mugs of water
• Turmeric
• dill or parsley
• a diced white onion
• handful of broccoli tips (Lidl have started selling these)
• Asparagus (tips and some of the stalk chopped
• frozen peas
• a lemon juice and zest

Method

Cut up the stalks of your asparagus and deflower your broccoli, leaving the stalks to add to your rice and reserving the florets and tips for steaming  

In a deep pan gently sweat the onion and turmeric in some oil until softened.

Add in the rice and turn in the oil slicked onions until fully coated and yellow looking. Add the water and season with a little salt, bringing the pan to a boil. Add in the stalks of your asparagus and broccoli

Meanwhile in a steamer (or colander) create a bed of lemon slices and pop salmon fillets on top sprinkled with some dill. Add in the asparagus tips and broccoli florets.

When your rice is at  a boil turn down to simmer. Pop the steamer on the top of the pan and continue to simmer/steam for abou5 12 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

Add the salmon and veggies to the rice and Break up the salmon and dill with a fork, fluffing the rice with the fork as you go.

Finally spritz with the juice of the lemon, season to taste and serve with a watercress salad and some crusty bread (if you really want a carb overload)

Divine!!