St. George's Market Salmon & Veggies

I've made no secret of my love of St. George's Market and after the loveliest trip on Saturday, I won't be climbing down off my soapbox anytime soon. It's the one place that is sure to pick me up on these ceaseless grey winter weekends when straying too far from the house is out of the question. I dragged Andrew for a mooch around the stalls after lunch when I knew the crowds would have quietened down and he wouldn't have to stress about pushing past a load of tourists hovering over loaves of soda bread. As I drooled past the display of cheese and chutneys, I made a bee line for the vegetable stands (I have eaten a lifetime of smoked cheddar over the holidays) where I knew I would be in safer hands. I love buying my vegetables from the markets when I'm able to. Getting to meet the seller and have a conversation with them is such a rarity these days and I take real pleasure in getting to meet local business people. I picked up sweet potato, a massive bunch of fresh dill, onion, a load of asparagus and when I didn't have enough change to cover it all, I was shooed away with a flick of a hand. That's Belfast all over. After I picked up my veggies I splurged on some salmon and had to restrain myself from buying a kilo of mussels and scallops. Fresh seafood is such a luxury for me and this year I am trying to introduce a little more in to my weekly cooking to try and inspire some new techniques. I can rely on the same dishes to carry me through sometimes (oh hey cottage pie) so a little shake up can only be a good thing. Last night I unveiled the beauty and roasted the fish in foil slathered with a delicious marinade. It was extremely quick and easy that I'm even thinking of going completely wild and making fish cakes from scratch later in the week. With fresh breadcrumbs! Too much? I've included the ridiculously simple recipe below in case you feel like trying something other than a stew/casserole/pie - unless you're a much more accomplished chef than me and a recipe like this is laughable! Above all else if it encourages you to take a trip to your local markets or even just to the fishmongers down the road to have a chinwag about anything other than Brexit (fishmongers are quite passionate about EU quotas I feel so keep it light) then this would make me silly happy. Happy Tuesday y'all!

Feeds 2 Ingredients

• 600g fresh salmon fillet
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 150ml melted butter
• 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• Cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 1 large sweet potato
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 10 asparagus stalks

1. Cut the sweet potato in to chunks roughly an inch thick and drizzle with olive oil in a baking tray before sprinkling with cinnamon.
2. Place in an oven heated to 200 C and leave for 40 minutes, shaking after 20 minutes.
3. Mix the butter, sugar, lemon juice, dried herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Lay the salmon in foil in a baking tray and pour the mixture over the salmon.
5. Wrap the salmon up and place the cherry tomatoes beside the salmon in the tray. Drizzle with the tomatoes with oil and season with a little salt. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
6. About 5 minutes before everything is ready boil the asparagus until just firm.
7. Stuff your face.