STEAM ASPARAGUS RECIPES

1. Wash the potatoes, chop into 3cm chunks and cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes, or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, line up the asparagus, trim off the woody ends, then slice the stalks 1cm thick, leaving the tips whole.
3. Drain the potatoes and steam dry for 2 minutes, then return to the pan and mash well. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then tip on to a clean work surface.
4. Fill the empty pan with boiling kettle water and place on a high heat.
5. Use your hands to scrunch the flour with the potato, then divide into 24 pieces. Squeeze each in your palm to compress, into little uneven gnocchi, then drop into the boiling water for 1 minute, or until they float.
6. Meanwhile, put the asparagus into a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring occasionally.
7. Strip in most of the thyme leaves, then use a slotted spoon to add the gnocchi straight in.
8. Finely grate over most of the Parmesan and toss well, adding 100ml of gnocchi cooking water to emulsify it into a nice sauce. Taste, season to perfection, then dish up.
9. Grate over the remaining Parmesan, strip over the remaining thyme, and finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Lightly butter a large sheet of foil big enough to wrap the salmon, and place over a large roasting tin (see tip).

2. Place the dill in the centre of the foil. Season the buttered foil with salt and pepper and place the salmon on top, skin side up. Pour over the white wine and lemon juice. Bring the two long edges of the foil together and fold the edges together, scrunching them up to make a parcel and sealing the edges at the side like a Cornish pasty (see tip).

3. Place in the oven to poach for about 25 minutes until the salmon is just cooked, the flesh pale pink and opaque. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the skin, pulling off in one piece if possible (see tip). Use a palette knife to scrape off any grey fat.

4. Blanch the asparagus tips in a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a jug, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Using two fish slices, carefully transfer the salmon to a serving platter. Arrange the asparagus along the length of the fish, scatter the shrimps over the top and spoon over some of the dressing. Garnish with slices of radish or micro herbs and serve at room temperature with the remaining dressing in a jug.

Cook time: 25-30 minutes plus resting.

Prepare Ahead:
Assemble the dish up to 3 hours ahead. The salmon can be poached up to 8 hours ahead and the dressing made up to a week in advance.

Mary’s Classic Tips:
* If you don’t have a roasting tin large enough for the length of the piece of salmon, the grill pan makes a good alternative.
* Make sure you have a good seal around the edges of the foil parcel before baking it. This will ensure no steam escapes out of the sides, and the fish will cook beautifully inside.
* It is so much easier to remove the skin from the salmon while it is still warm; if the salmon cools down too much, the skin will stick firmly to the flesh and be tricky to remove.