Pan-fried Salmon

1. Slit parallel lines halfway deep into the salmon fillet, approximately 1 small finger width apart. Rub in salt and black pepper. You can also add in the thyme if you desire. Optionally you can replace the thyme with rosemary or basil. Drizzle over with olive oil.

2. Drizzle a non-stick pan with some olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Once it just starts to smoke, put in the salmon skin-side down and let it sizzle. At the same time season the salmon side up with some salt.

3. Do not touch it and let it cook. You can monitor it by watching the cross-section of the salmon and seeing the color change to become paler. After it’s about 2/3 cooked, turn it over to cook the other side.

4. Once the other side is cooked also, turn it back on the skin side and take it off the heat.

For the sides:

1. Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves, drizzle with olive oil, and lightly sprinkle some salt and black pepper over them. Roast them in the oven for about 10-15 mins at 200°C until they become somewhat shrivelled.

2. Boil the potatoes until they are soft, then transfer to a pot with some olive oil. Turn up to medium heat and crush the potatoes with a wooden spoon. Do not crush them until they become like mashed potatoes in texture.

3. Drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil, parsley, black pepper and a pinch of salt over the crushed potatoes. Churn the crushed potatoes over gently to coat them with the oil and seasonings, letting the heat infuse the flavours into the potatoes.

To serve: Scoop a mound of the crushed potatoes, then place the salmon on top of it and garnish around the potatoes with the roasted tomatoes.