Serves 4

This is my wife Tana’s favourite salmon dish. Quickly wilted iceberg lettuce and orange segments provide a refreshing contrast to the rich salmon and hollandaise sauce.

For the orange hollandaise
500ml white wine vinegar
1 tbsp peppercorns
Handful of tarragon
250g unsalted butter
3 large free-range egg yolks
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large orange, segmented
A few basil and mint leaves, shredded

For the salmon
1 banana shallot (or 2 regular shallots),
peeled and sliced
2 lemon-grass stalks
1 tsp coriander seeds
Handful of lemon thyme sprigs
4 salmon fillets (about 170g), skinned and
pin-boned
Olive oil, for rubbing
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 slices of orange
20g butter
1 small head of iceberg lettuce, trimmed
and finely shredded

1 First make the hollandaise. Boil the vinegar, peppercorns and tarragon in a small saucepan until reduced by half. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Leave to cool.
2 Clarify the butter by melting in a pan and when it foams, skim off the froth, scum and solids using a large metal spoon. You will end up with around 200ml of clear, golden butter for the sauce. Leave to cool a little.
3 Place the egg yolks in a heatproof pan set over a bowl of barely simmering water. Using a balloon whisk, beat the yolks vigorously with 2 tsp of reduced vinegar (save the rest for another time) until pale, thick and creamy.
4 Take the bowl off the heat, and, adding a little at a time, whisk in the clarified butter until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce is thick. Season with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Add a tiny splash of warm water if the sauce is too thick. Keep warm in a bain-marie.
5 Fill a third of a steamer with water and bring to the boil (a wok with a bamboo steamer or a stockpot with a steaming rack is fine). Add the shallots, lemon grass, coriander seeds and thyme (minus a few sprigs) and simmer for 5 minutes.
6 Rub the salmon fillets with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the fillets skinned-side down on the steamer tray, making sure that the fish does not come into contact with the boiling water. Arrange the remaining few thyme sprigs and orange slices over the salmon, cover, and steam for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the fish is opaque around the edges but still moist and pink inside.
7 Meanwhile, top and tail the orange, then slice off the peel and pith. Holding the orange over a bowl to catch the juices, cut through the membranes to release the segments. Stir the segments into the hollandaise along with a few tablespoons of juice and the shredded herbs.
8 Just before the salmon is ready, melt the butter in a large pan until hot, then toss in the shredded lettuce. Season well and cook briskly over high heat until just wilted.
9 Pile the lettuce on to warm serving plates and arrange the steamed salmon fillets on top. Spoon over the orange hollandaise and serve immediately.

Times Recommends

• Thomasina Miers’s cabbage and bitter leaves on garlic toast
• Food that's good for body and soul
• Carrot, date and goat's cheese salad