METHOD

The pan


1. Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan. Add the salmon and cook on a medium-low heat for 2 or 3 minutes until the salmon starts to cook.
   
2. Add the whisky and lemon juice, and continue to cook until the liquid has been absorbed (another 2 minutes).
3. Add the seasoning and crème fraiche and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 2-5 minutes (depending on thickness) and remove when just starting to cook through.
5. Add the asparagus and cherry tomatoes to the pan. 
   

The pasta


1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, definitely no more. This should take 3 or 4 minutes.
   
2. Drain using a colander, catching the cooking water in the cooking pan.
   

The combination


1. Return the pan to a medium-low heat, then add the pasta, mixing well so that it is coated by the stuff in the pan.
   
2. Cook for 5 minutes, adding the reserved pasta water if necessary to keep things moist.
3. Stir in the basil immediately before serving.

The crumpets

1. Spoon on the potted shrimps, then the pasta. Now where did that rosé get to?
 

OTHER NOTES

Wild salmon

There is an amazing difference in flavour and texture between wild and farmed salmon. Farmed salmon tends to be pallid, fishy-flavoured and slimy, reflecting much higher levels of fat. While we’d never knock fish-farming, farmed fish are often unavoidably less active than their counterparts in the wild – and this is particularly impactful for fish like salmon, whose physical exertions in the wild are legendary. Wild salmon is more expensive, but we feel it’s well worth the investment.