Salmon Toast with Peas, Dill and Pickled Radish

Bright, tangy radish meets tender peas

This lunch is built around complementary contrasts: crisp bread, a soft but not smooth layer of peas, juicy salmon and radish with a fresh bite. Peas give the toast a lightly sweet base, while lemon sharpens the flavour and dill adds a herby, anise-like note. Mashing the peas roughly keeps the texture interesting and stops the purée from sliding off the bread when you add the salmon.

Fresh peas are most readily available in late spring and early summer; frozen peas are a practical choice the rest of the year and work well here. Cook them briefly, just until tender. Overcooking dulls their colour and makes them taste less fresh. A fork or potato masher gives you a chunkier purée than a blender. Use olive oil for richness and lemon juice to taste: the purée should taste bright, but not sour.

Cook the salmon in a hot frying pan so the outside colours lightly while the middle stays tender. A thin fillet cooks quickly, so take it off the heat as soon as it flakes easily into large pieces; cooking it for too long will dry out the fish. Let it rest briefly, then flake it with a fork. If you’d rather not cook raw fish, you can use hot-smoked salmon for this lunch. It doesn’t need cooking and is usually already saltier, so taste the toast before adding extra salt.

The radish isn’t preserved for a long time, but quickly pickled in vinegar, sugar and salt. This softens its sharp flavour somewhat while keeping the slices crisp. Slice them as thinly as possible with a sharp knife or mandoline; thicker pieces taste more distinctly sour and are harder to spread over the toast. White wine vinegar is mild, but apple cider vinegar works too. A little sugar rounds out the vinegar without making the radish sweet.

Serve the toast straight away, while the bread is still crisp and the toppings taste fresh. The quantities are intended for lunch for two; with a green salad on the side, it makes a complete meal. Cover any leftover components and store them in the fridge, and chill cooked salmon promptly; eat it within two days. Top the bread just before serving, as the pea purée and pickled radish will soften toasted bread over time.