Ingredients

• 1 x 320g pack frozen ready-rolled puff pastry
• 4 x 125g/4½oz frozen skinless salmon fillets
• plain flour
• for dusting
• 2 tbsp sun-dried-tomato pesto (from a jar)
• 1 tsp full-fat or semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• freshly ground black pepper
• handful fresh basil leaves
• to garnish (optional)
• 400g/14oz frozen cooked rice
• 200g/7oz frozen mixed vegetables

Directions

• Take the puff pastry and salmon out of the freezer and thaw for 2 hours at room temperature
• or overnight in the fridge.
• When the pastry and salmon have thawed
• preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and place a baking tray inside the oven as it heats.
• Unwrap and unroll the pastry onto a clean
• lightly floured work surface. Cut it into four equal-sized rectangles. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the pesto into the centre of each rectangle.
• Cut each salmon fillet in half widthways and place two halves
• side by side
• in the centre of each pastry rectangle
• on top of the pesto.
• Brush the edges of each pastry rectangle with the milk
• then fold the edges over themselves to create open parcels
• pinching the corners to seal. Brush the exposed pastry with a little more milk. Squeeze a little lemon juice over each piece of salmon
• and season
• to taste
• with freshly ground black pepper.
• Remove the baking tray from the oven and place it onto a heatproof surface. Arrange the salmon-and-pesto parcels onto the tray
• then bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until the pastry has risen and is golden-brown
• and the salmon is cooked through.
• For the vegetable rice
• 5 minutes before the salmon-and-pesto parcels finish cooking
• defrost the rice in the microwave until piping hot throughout. Meanwhile
• cook the vegetables in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes
• or until piping hot throughout. Drain in a colander
• then mix with the rice.
• To serve
• divide the vegetable rice equally among four warmed serving plates
• then place one salmon-and-pesto parcel on top of each portion. Garnish with the basil leaves
• if using.