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Rare grilled (or steamed) salmon salad with Jersey Royals, fennel mayonnaise and lemon

This is one of the first things I like to cook as soon as the appearance of Jersey Royals in April heralds the advent of spring. Naturally, the dish is still good cooked at any other time of the year if Jerseys are substituted with other little waxy spuds such as Rosevale, Charlotte or Belle Fontenays. Asparagus spears are also a cracking and fitting seasonal addition to this salad, as are peas and broad beans. However, tempting as it is to keep adding tasty and fitting ingredients, it is always a worthwhile attribute in cookery to exercise a certain level of restraint. You can also take the short cut of buying the mayonnaise, but as most commercial brands include the idiotic and unpleasant addition of sugar, I would not recommend it. Besides, making real mayonnaise is just about one of the most satisfying jobs you’ll ever do in the kitchen.

It is also worth pointing out that successfully grilling a large piece of fish (or meat, for that matter) in the domestic setting will prove both messy and problematic. You probably won’t have a grill big enough and it creates huge amounts of smoke with which your possibly inadequate extraction system will struggle. Better to grill on a barbecue (unlikely in April/May), or bake or steam the fish. Whichever cooking method you choose, make sure the fish is not overcooked … a cardinal sin.

Serves 6 as a main course

olive oil

1 whole side of good-quality farmed salmon, skinned (or wild if your summer budget allows)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons

about 18 small Jersey Royals or other new potatoes, cleaned or scrubbed if muddy

1 large head of fennel

2 medium egg yolks

1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

300ml vegetable or grapeseed oil

2 romaine or cos lettuces, leaves separated, washed and dried – inner leaves are best

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp capers

1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped

Cook the salmon by your preferred method. For a big piece such as this, it is probably easiest baked in foil. Set the oven to 175°C. Brush a big sheet of foil with olive oil, season the fish really well on both sides and generously squeeze plenty of lemon juice over it. (If you want to look like the bloke off the telly, artfully lay some herbs over – if not, don’t bother.) Gather up the foil to make a loose-fitting parcel and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Leave the fish in the foil to come back down to room temperature. If your salmon is fridge-cold to begin with, it might be a good idea to give it a further 5–10 minutes in the oven.

Cook the potatoes in well-salted simmering water until just cooked. Keep in the water, as these will be nice in the salad if still warm.

Make the fennel mayonnaise. Remove the core of the fennel and the tough outer layer, which can be discarded. Slice the fennel very thinly (a mandolin is good but not essential for this) and chop very finely. It should resemble finely chopped onion. Place the chopped fennel in a voluminous glass or china bowl (making mayonnaise in a steel or plastic bowl just feels all wrong to me) and add the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and the zest of one of the lemons. Proceed in the usual way by adding the vegetable oil gradually at first and then a little faster as you whisk away as madly as a dervish. If the mayonnaise thickens too much, dribble in a few drops of lemon juice as you go. When all the oil has been incorporated, adjust the seasoning.

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving dish. Season them and dress with a little olive oil, some freshly squeezed lemon juice and the chopped shallot. Drain the warm potatoes, slice them in half, season and scatter over the lettuce. Pull the salmon apart with your fingers and add big chunks to the dish. Make sure you add all the fishy juices from the foil pouch and scatter the whole salad generously with the capers and chopped dill. This is an excellent communal dish so encourage folk to help themselves, handing the fennel mayonnaise around separately.