A fast, healthy weeknight pasta tossed with fresh smashed pea, mint and basil pesto and tender poached salmon. Jump to Recipe
I’m not sure yet how I feel about my paediatric rotation coming to a close. We have an eight week block as part of our fourth year of medical school, with a range from high acuity wards and emergency department shifts to six week baby check-ups and continence clinics. Though the majority of kids are easy-going and happy to talk about their favourite teacher or best friends, it seems that most of the art is in being able to communicate just as well with worried parents. Paediatricians are pros at explanations and reassurance, even in the most frustrating situations. It’s challenging to figure out what’s wrong with a child who can’t talk yet or says yes to all questions, but rewarding when you’re met with smiles and gurgles. Very unwell children can be incredibly sad and scary, probably more so than adults, but most of the time it’s positive with good outcomes. It doesn’t hurt that in my experience the paediatric teams have been the friendliest in the hospital – I guess you have to be to work with kids, and feeling included as part of a team does make being a student significantly more enjoyable.
Finishing this rotation also signals another step closer to those looming exams. Life has become a routine of study, sleep, running and eating – it’s a productive one, and necessary, but the eating has to be GOOD to keep me motivated. Something to look forward to in amongst a weekend at my desk. Last weekend was our university ball, which I took as an excuse to practice my Paris picnics with a pre-drinks spread of silky smooth hummus, goats cheese, chorizo and strawberries; there was that batch of Thalia’s chewy, buttery spelt cookies, oozing with pockets of dark chocolate; a quick walk around the botanical gardens and brunch with friends.
There were smaller things too, like our house Game of Thrones rituals on Monday evenings, always accompanied by crumble (we’ve gone through pear-chocolate-walnut, strawberry-rhubarb, and peach-blueberry so far – any more good ideas??). My daily cafe flat white in the sun between clinics. Getting the chance to walk to and from the hospital for once (usually I’m placed a half an hour drive away, so it’s a luxury!). Taking the odd book out from the library for an evening away from my computer. I find noticing and appreciating those moments is so vital for me at times like this – I need things to hold on to and look forward to during those hours spent scrawling flashcards and typing up assignments. What gets you through pressured times in work and study?
With this escalation in study, meals have certainly become less elaborate and more time efficient. I’ve been obsessed with smashed peas lately, as you may have noticed on my instagram story – it is such a cheap and healthy way to bulk up a pesto or avocado smash when bulk herbs and avocado can get pricy. Here I have used them in a pea, mint and poached salmon pasta: a brief blitz of peas with mixed mint and basil, almonds, parmesan and lemon, loosened with fruity olive oil and a splash of pasta water. It’s paired with flaked poached salmon, an easy, mess-free method of cook oily fish that works every time. Enjoy!
A fast, healthy weeknight pasta tossed with fresh smashed pea, mint and basil pesto and tender poached salmon.
- 3 cups of water
- 2 bay leaves
- teaspoon white or black peppercorns
- 500 g fresh skin-on salmon fillets (I generally allow about 150-200g per person)
- 1 cup peas + 1/2 cup extra (frozen is fine - just pour boiling water on top, leave for a few minutes then drain)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 cups mixed mint and basil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
- zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- liberal freshly ground salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- a few tablespoons of water to loosen , as required
- shell pasta , about 350-500g depending on appetites
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In a small-medium frypan, bring three cups of water to the boil. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salmon, skin side down, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Leave for 15 minutes. Remove the salmon from the water and set aside.
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Bring another pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.
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Meanwhile, in a food processor, blitz the 1 cup of peas, garlic, herbs, almonds, parmesan, lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil. You can make this as smooth or as chunky/textured as you like (it’s quite smooth in the photos but doesn’t have to be).
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Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Just before draining, save a bit of pasta water.
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Toss the pesto through the pasta with extra peas, using pasta water to loosen if necessary.
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Flake the salmon on top, and serve with extra parmesan and freshly ground salt and pepper.
Delicious, wish I was having this for dinner right now. Your writing about study and routine takes me back to my time during psych – I do not envy you but after it was done I found I missed it all. Baking, swimming laps and gin are generally how I cope with pressure – your methods sound far more lovely 🙂
Ah baking and swimming laps sounds pretty lovely to me – in fact, I do exactly the same! I can’t imagine missing this study but who knows, maybe I will? the one thing I really don’t look forward to about medicine is that we don’t stop sitting exams for years and years and year.. ugh I guess I better get used to it!
This is gorgeous! I’ve never thought to make a pesto out of peas (so smart!) and such a great flavor pairing with the poached salmon. Definitely can’t wait to make this on a busy weeknight!
Thanks Laura! Peas are just so versatile and cheap – I always have a bag in the freezer!
ahh! good luck with exams; glad you’re still finding time to cook and do the things you enjoy. xo
thanks Michelle! A work in progress haha but better than nothing. and good luck with settling back into portland life – and the cookbook, so so exciting!
Stunning!! I haven’t had salmon in SO LONG and you’re making me crave it, big time!!
thanks Todd! I try and make salmon a regular meal in our house – it’s just so fast (plus I love it hahah)
I’m so obsessed with the pea smash. Your quick study meals = quick meals with a toddler grabbing my ankles for me. These photos are beyond stunning too!
So so true – I can’t imagine trying to cook and look after a crazy little human running around at the same time – all props to you! Thanks Sarah!
Pea and mint is a match made in heaven. We used it as well in a green mac ‘n cheese, lovely. This pasta is dreamy! Love it, and your pictures are gorgeous as usual! They make us hungry! 🙂
Ooh a green mac n cheese sounds much better than the original, such a good idea! Thanks Nicoletta!
Love smashed peas and a great alternative to a quick pasta. The balance of work and leisure is often hard to manage – I totally get it.
Thanks Cindy! It’s tricky when it comes to blogging to I guess – it is a leisure activity in that I love baking and would do that anyway, but actually having a blog puts a certain degree of work / expectation into it – it’s a balance I guess!
I love how incredibly green this is! It makes me happy. I’m trying to learn how to decompress during the small moments like you but I usually end up trying to multitask work during those. Lol, dancing in my room is still my go-to fix.
Oh thanks so much Meg! And dancing in your room sounds like an awesome go to fix – I need to try that more often. x
Oh my goodness this looks divine. Beautiful photos and styling too, wow!! -CK
Thanks Christiann! X
YES, YES, YES. I have a freezer full of salmon from my relatives in Alaska and I will absolutely make this beautiful dish. Love the idea of peas + pesto + salmon, and how can you not love the addition of pasta?
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to following your beautiful blog.
All the best!
xoxo
Elisabeth
Ah that’s the best, wish I had some salmon gifting relatives! Thanks Elisabeth, hope you enjoy the recipes xx
mmm you can never go wrong with pesto (: and i love that vibrant green with that pale pink! such pretty colors. my pastas tend to be very neutral colored and filled with onion and cauliflower lol. and congrats on finishing your exams!!!
thank you!!! finally catching up with replying to comments, but I am SO stoked to be done with exams…bring on summer!
When I was an undergraduate, my weekly African dance class saved my sanity. Now many years later I’m finishing my PhD; cooking and gardening, and long walks with my dog help a lot! Sadly, I have a weird aversion to peas, so I probably won’t try this recipe, but I do have a crumble suggestion: I recently made a tropical version, with mango, banana and pineapple, and included nutmeg and coconut in the crumble topping, along with the ground almonds I always use for half the flour. It was delicious and very summery, served with an intense vanilla bean sorbet.