Today I have got another student-friendly cooking recipe for you: Salmon in a Vegetable Cream Sauce, served with creamy mashed potato. This dish is easy to make and keeps well in the fridge to be reheated the next day if you are cooking for yourself!
According to the NHS you are meant to have two portions of fish per week for a balanced diet. I definitely don’t do that, but I am trying to incorporate a bit more fish into my diet! So making this salmon and vegetable and cream sauce does exactly that! The recipe below makes two portions, so I can have this dish two nights in a row and that’s my two portions of fish a week sorted! It’s actually easier to get your two portions of fish a week than I thought, so why don’t you give this recipe a try!
How to make the Salmon and Vegetable Cream Sauce
This creamy sauce is easier to make than you think and is actually quite healthy – no cream! The sauce is started off by gently sweating some red onion, garlic, and leek. Then you stir in some vegetable stock, milk and reduced-fat soft cheese to make the sauce, before adding the frozen peas and edamame beans, followed by the chopped parsley. And that’s the sauce pretty much finished!
You then turn down the heat and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer in order to poach the salmon in the sauce. If you can buy skinless salmon fillets use those, but if not you can also use salmon fillets that have their skin on. It won’t get nice and crispy, but it still tastes good in my opinion! If you are looking for a different salmon recipe that takes full advantage of a crispy skin, check out this Pasta, Spinach Sauce and Salmon recipe!
How to make a (healthy) creamy Mashed Potato
Mashed potato is an absolute cooking staple and it doesn’t have to be full of butter and/or cream like when you see people making it on Master Chef! I know that’s probably what makes it absolutely delicious, but you can also make a yummy mash that is a little healthier!
When I make mashed potato, I simply use a few tablespoons of semi-skimmed milk to make it nice and creamy! In terms of seasoning, a good amount of freshly ground salt and pepper are an absolute must! I also like to add a little bit of ground nutmeg to my mashed potato, but that is entirely optional! Finally, in the version below, I also added some freshly chopped chives to it for an extra little twist!
More student- and family-friendly meal ideas
I have loads of student- and family-friendly cooking recipes on my blog that are easy to make and will be enjoyed by everyone! Check out some of my favourites below!
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Dish
- Thai Green Curry Recipe
- Colourful Rice Stir-fry
- Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
- Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya
- Vegan Chickpea and Spinach Curry
- Red Lentil Dhal with Crispy Aubergine
- Feta Cheese and Spinach Spiral Spanakopita
- Chickpea and Cauliflower Pilaf
- Smokey Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti
- Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie (with homemade Hot Water Crust Pastry)
Salmon in a Vegetable Cream Sauce with Mashed Potato
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2):
FOR THE SALMON AND VEGETABLE CREAM SAUCE:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 50ml milk
- 100g reduced-fat soft cheese (or crème fraiche)
- 70g frozen peas
- 70g frozen edamame beans
- Small bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 salmon breast fillets (skinless, if possible)
FOR THE MASHED POTATO:
- 1 large white potato (or two smaller ones)
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh chives (optional), finely chopped
Method:
- Start by preparing the mashed potato. Peel the potato and cut it into small chunks (roughly 2x2cm) and place into a pot of cold water (you can prepare this in advance and just leave the potatoes in the cold water until you are ready to cook).
- Set the pot over a high heat and bring the water to the boil. Once boiling, cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes until soft (check this by piercing them with a knife or fork).
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan for which you have a lid. Gently fry the onion for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Then add in the minced garlic and leek and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in about 150ml of boiling water, then pour the vegetable stock and milk into the frying pan and bring to the boil. Continue boiling for a minute or two until slightly reduced, then stir in the soft cheese, frozen peas, edamame beans and chopped parsley. Make a little well in the middle of the pan and place the salmon fillets in the frying pan. Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and leave to cook for about 5-10 minutes until the fish is a light pink colour and cooked through.
- At this stage, the potatoes should be ready. Pour the contents of the pot into a colander to drain the potatoes and leave to steam dry for a minute before returning to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash, adding a little milk at a time until smooth. Then generously season the mashed potato with salt and pepper, a little nutmeg (optional) and some finely chopped fresh chives if you like.
- Serve the mashed potato alongside the cooked salmon and spoon over some of the creamy vegetable sauce. Enjoy!
