I intended to make a big tuna niçoise salad for our neighbours get-together the other night, but Marsey and Jason in Steve Hatt the fishmonger pointed out that, due to bad weather in the Indian Ocean, tuna had been a little hard to come by. That’s the kind of food nerd info that I love. .

So I went with salmon instead. I bought one large piece and Marsey skinned it for me. I like to cook the salmon in one big piece if I can, and break it up after it’s cooked because it stays juicy that way. However, if you want a crispier texture, break up the salmon before you fry it.

Before cooking, I marinated the fish for a couple of hours in a mix of lemon juice, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and grated ginger. Then I heated a small amount of olive and toasted sesame oil (half and half) in a frying pan and quickly fried a dessertspoon of sesame seeds until they turned dark brown, before placing the salmon fillet in there. I started out with the oil very hot, then, after about 2 minutes turned the heat down and placed a lid on the pan. After about 5 minutes I took the lid off and turned up the heat again for another minute to drive off the excess liquid and give a slightly crispy texture to the underside of the fish.

Then I broke it up and gently placed the pieces, along with halved hard-boiled eggs on top of a big, dressed salad of green leaves, halved baby tomatoes and cooked green beans.

Here it is.Don’t forget to order your boxed set of recipes and food improvisation tips here

And here are the green beans on the balcony.