Hearty Seafood Chowder Serves 4

This is a recipe that my mother loved to make and that I recently got to recreate while filming for a TV series in the beautiful seaside village of Howth. It relies on a variety of fish, so you'll need to take a trip to the fishmonger or you could use 400g of a seafood chowder
mix. If you’re in Dublin, Howth is hard to beat as there is a whole line of shops there so that you can compare prices!

  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil a knob of butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 small leek, finely chopped 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 potato, diced
  • 225g fresh mussels, cleaned 150ml dry white wine
  • 1 tbsp plain flour 500ml chicken stock 150ml cream
  • 100g skinless salmon fillet, cut into cubes
  • 100g natural smoked pollock fillet, cut into cubes
  • 100g skinless whiting fillet, cut into cubes
  • 100g raw peeled prawns
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus extra to garnish
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE
brown wheaten bread and butter

heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and once it stops sizzling, stir in the onion, leek, carrot and potato. tip in the mussels and pour in the wine. cover with a lid and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the mussels have opened, discarding any that do not.
using a tongs, remove the mussels and set them aside in a bowl. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to combine, and cook for another minute, stirring continuously. Gradually pour in the stock, then pour in the cream. cover again and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the fish and prawns and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, until just cooked through.
take the mussel meat out of the shells and return to the chowder, allowing it to just warm through. Season to taste and add the dill. this can be kept covered in the fridge or frozen.
Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with the dill


Salmon Parcels with Dill Yoghurt Serves 4
A lovely light parcel of salmon with crisp green vegetables on a bed of a simple potato gratin, served with a light yoghurt dressing. These can be made in advance and chilled for up to 24 hours.

  • 600g baby new potatoes, such as Charlotte or Jersey Royals
  • 40g butter
  • 4 spring onions, very thinly sliced 250g asparagus
  • 200g purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli
  • 1 lemon
  • 120ml vegetable stock
  • 4 x 150g skinless salmon fillets
  • FOR THE DILL YOGHURT
  • 150g Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus extra sprigs to garnish
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Preheat the oven to 200°c (400°F/gas mark 6).

cut the potatoes into thin slices (about 3mm) and cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 6–8 minutes, until tender. drain and return to the pan with the butter and the spring onions. Season to taste, then toss gently to coat.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. cut the asparagus and broccoli in half on the diagonal, cutting any thick broccoli stalks in half again lengthways. Add to the pan and blanch for 1–2 minutes, until just tender, then use a tongs to transfer to a bowl of iced water. once cooled, drain well and dry on kitchen paper.
Pare the rind from the lemon into curls, then cut away four thin slices and cut the rest into wedges. Set aside until needed.
cut four large squares of parchment paper and place them on your worktop. divide the potato mixture between them, slightly scrunching up the sides, and spoon over 2 tablespoons of stock. Add the salmon fillets and season to taste. nestle around the asparagus and broccoli and put a thin slice of lemon on top of each fillet.

Bring the sides of each parchment parcel together, folding and crimping the edges to seal, making sure there is still room for the air to circulate during cooking. Place two parcels on each baking tray.
Bake the salmon parcels for 15 minutes, until puffed up.
Whisk the yoghurt in a bowl with the dill, vinegar and mustard. Season to taste and loosen with a splash of water if necessary to achieve a drizzling consistency.

to serve, transfer the parcels to plates and carefully open them up, as steam will be released. Scatter over the lemon rind and a few dill sprigs, then drizzle over the dill yoghurt. Serve the lemon wedges on the side.