Baked Lemon Salmon with Minty Smashed Peas

Frozen peas are one of the most useful things in a freezer, and this dish is a good reason to keep a bag on hand. They are picked and frozen within hours, which locks in their sweetness and color, so they often taste better than the "fresh" peas that have spent days on a truck. Here they do the job of a side dish and a sauce at once. Mashed roughly with a fork, they turn into a bright green bed that holds the salmon up off the plate.

Salmon is a fish that forgives a little impatience. Its fat is spread through the fillet, so it stays moist even when it is cooked hot and fast at 200°C. The test is simple: when the flesh pulls apart in flakes at the thickest point, it is ready. If you like it a touch more tender in the middle, pull it out a minute early, since it keeps cooking on the tray.

The lemon brushing mixture is worth the extra minute. Zest carries most of the fragrance, while the juice gives a sharper edge, so using both makes the fish taste lemony rather than just sour. The crushed garlic stays mild once it has been stirred into oil and baked, so it adds warmth without shouting. A grind of black pepper on top finishes it.

For a weeknight, I often make a double batch of the smashed peas and keep the extra in a jar in the fridge for up to two days. They are good spooned onto toast, stirred into a bowl of warm rice, or served cold beside leftover fish. Leftover salmon flakes nicely into a grain salad the next day, and the mint and lemon in this recipe make it a natural match for a bowl of herby wheat berry and quinoa tabouleh if you want something to take to work.

If you are cooking for a crowd, the same peas work well alongside a plate of golden fish, chips and crushed peas, which is the sort of meal that suits a family table. Serve everything with extra lemon wedges and let people squeeze to taste. A green salad with a sharp dressing is all the rest it needs.