Salmon Wellington with Maple Basmati Rice

• 5 eggs
• 20g butter
• 2 tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably golden colour for its delicate flavour)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 400g cooked rice
• 500g spinach
• 2 sheets of pastry, 24cm x 40cm
• 500g/half side of salmon

Salmon

1. Hard-boil 4 eggs for 6 minutes and then refresh in iced water. Peel, slice and set aside.
2. Blanch spinach in salted boiling water for 10 seconds, refresh in iced water, then lay the leaves on a dry cloth on a tray to soak up the moisture.
3. For the salmon, preheat oven to 200ºC fan.
4. Melt butter in a frying pan, add the maple syrup and salmon, season and seal on each side.
5. Roll out the pastry into 2 rectangles (24cm x 40cm) and lay the first sheet of pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Place a layer of cooked rice in the middle of the pastry sheet.
7. Lay the sealed salmon on top of the rice, leaving an edge of 2cm, and add a second layer of rice.
8. Next, add a layer of spinach and the sliced egg. Place the second sheet of pastry over the top, seal all edges and score with the back of a knife.
9. Brush with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180ºC fan and cook for a further 20-25 minutes.
10. Rest for 10 minutes then slice and serve.

Rice

1. For the fragrant rice, start by heating the butter (50g), cumin, coriander, maple syrup and cardamom in a large pan.
2. Cook for about 6 – 8 minutes until golden, then stir in the rice.
3. Add stock/ water, star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon, cover and cook.
4. When the rice is cooked, drain, set aside and leave to cool.
5. For convenience, the rice, eggs and spinach can be cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight.

To serve

1. Serve a generous slice of the salmon Wellington with a chive butter sauce or dill crème fraiche. The dish can be served warm or cold.