Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest food export and is savoured the world over. With huge nutritional benefits and highly versatile to cook, it is no surprise that salmon is perennially popular. The Scottish Salmon Bible by Claire Macdonald shines a spotlight on many of the best ways to eat salmon, from the more traditional recipes of cold poached salmon, to modern twists incorporating saffron, beetroot, even banana! The recipe of the week is a refreshing lemony pasta dish, ready to eat in under ten minutes.

Salmon with lemon, parsley, chilli and garlic spaghetti from The Scottish Salmon Bible by Claire MacDonald

This is one of our favourite ways to eat salmon with spaghetti. Both are simple to prepare and very quick to cook – literally in the seven minutes it takes to boil the water around the cooking spaghetti. This is packed with punchy flavours and the result is really very good.

Serves 6
375g (12oz) spaghetti
900g (2lb) filleted salmon, skin removed and the fish sliced
into fairly small dice
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
2 rounded tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 fat cloves of garlic, blanched twice
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Boil the spaghetti in salted water for seven minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, thoroughly mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.

Drain the spaghetti and return it to the saucepan.

Add the contents of the bowl to the pan on a low to moderate heat and fork together for 2–3 minutes – the heat from the drained pasta cooks the diced salmon.

Serve immediately into warmed plates or bowls.