SALMON with STUFFED PEPPERS / SALAD DRESSING

I wasn't intending on posting this recipe up here, as it's more of a compilation of foods than an intricate recipe, but it tasted and looked so good that I felt I had to share! It's the perfect summer supper that's quick and easy to make. You can eat the red peppers with other fish than salmon, they're also great with sticky chicken, and they're brilliant to take to a picnic. 

The salad dressing recipe is one I've been meaning to post for a while, and whilst it's nothing new or groundbreaking it is my go to salad dressing, and works well with green salad all year round.

Serves 2

2 fillets of Scottish salmon
Olive oil
Lemon

4 red bell peppers
1 tin anchovies
12 mini mozzarella balls (or 1 large ball ripped into 12-16 pieces)
Handful cherry tomatoes
Handful Kamalata olives
Jar artichoke hearts in oil
Large handful basil

Salad leaves for 2

For the salad dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp English mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Large pinch sea salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C (fan).

Remove the salmon fillets from their packaging, and toss in lemon juice from 1 lemon and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cover and put in the fridge.

Slice the peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds from inside. Lay the peppers on a lightly oiled roasting tray, cut side facing up. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and put a couple of halves inside each pepper. Fill the spaces between the cherry tomatoes with olives, halved artichoke hearts, ripped mozzarella and pieces of anchovy. You can use as much or little as you like of these ingredients to suit your taste. Once the peppers are full of yummy fillings, drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt (the more anchovies you've used, the less salt you'll need). Put in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the peppers charring.

While the peppers roast, make the salad dressing. I make mine in an empty clean jam jar, as it's great for storing any that's leftover in, and with its lid, it means I can shake it up in the jar before serving. Add all the dressing ingredients to the jar, stick the lid on, and shake. The quantities above make enough for about 4 salads in our house, but it just depends how much dressing you put on your salad!

When the peppers have 5 minutes to go, heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Take the salmon from the fridge and once the pan is hot, add the salmon and cook for 2 minutes on each side. This leaves you with pink in the middle salmon which is how I serve it, but if you like your salmon well done, then cook if for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Plate up the dressed salad leaves, red peppers with torn up basil and salmon fillets, and serve. Crusty bread would be a lovely accompaniment if you want some carbs with this.