This was a quick and healthy dinner that could also be a breakfast, if you wanted to treat yourself. I found some marked down salmon fillets and tender stem broccoli at the shops and, after a few minutes of staring at them on the chopping board, I came up with this recipe.

I use Jamie Oliver’s ingenious method of poaching eggs (it will revolutionise your life) and I cook the salmon en papillote but crisp up the skin separately to give a bit of texture.

Serves one.

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet, skin on
• 1 egg
• As much tender stem broccoli as you fancy
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• A bunch of parley, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (gas mark 4)

Start by carefully slicing the skin off the salmon, trying not to take to much of the flesh off with it. A sharp knife is best for this. Put the skinless bit of fish on a piece of foil or baking parchment and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap it up tightly enough for it to be just about airtight. On the same tray, lay the skin on a small bit of baking parchment and rub salt into it. This will help it crisp up. Put the tray in the preheated oven. The fish should take no more than 10 minutes to cook but be prepared to check it with a knife or fork to make sure it’s cooked all the way through.

Now prepare the egg. Boil the kettle with enough water to fill two small saucepans to 3/4 full. While it’s boiling, put an A4 sized piece of cling film (it has to be relatively good quality – really thin stuff will probably split) over the top of a glass or mug. Make a slight dip in it by pushing it down into the cup, just enough to make a cradle for the egg. Cover the dip with a drop of olive oil to prevent the egg sticking when it’s cooked. At this point you can add fresh herbs, thinly slice chilli, seasoning or even smoked salmon! Crack the egg over the cup and lay it in its cradle – try not to break the yoke. Then carefully wrap it up by pulling all the sides together and twisting them round either into a knot or tie it with an elastic band. Make sure you get the knot or elastic band as close to the egg as possible to ensure there’s no air left in the bag. Place the cling film sack in the now simmering water and leave to cook on a low heat for 2-4 minutes – it depends on how soft you like it and whether the eggs are straight out of the fridge as to how long it will take.

Chop the ends off the broccoli and place in a pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and then cover with boiling water. Don’t drown them, they just need enough to steam. Cover with a lid and leave on a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.

Remove the egg from the pan and drain the broccoli.

Put the broccoli on the plate first, followed by the salmon and then the egg on top of that. The crispy skin can rest on the side. Sprinkle with the spring onion and parsley and tuck in!