Oh Crumbs!

Back to the usual routine today and all the joys of the school run, not to mention remembering to take the after-school snacks! I had plenty of errands to run in town while Chris was at school, so had no chance to miss him all over again. The Easter break was, after all, my first experience of him being on a 'proper' school holiday. He was clearly glad to be back, though - I hardly got a backward glance once he got into the building!

Now that we've returned to some semblance of normality, I've started drawing up weekly meal plans again. With everything else that was going on today, I'd decided on a quick and easy dinner for this evening. This crumb-topped salmon is ideal for a weeknight family supper. It's healthy and, as an added bonus, is easily varied to stave off the "not that again" mealtime ennui; use different fish if you prefer, mix the crumbs with pesto or even curry paste for a new twist. Crumbs with herbs, lime and red chilli work really well with otherwise uninspiring white fish fillets.

Garlic-Crumb Salmon

4 salmon steaks or fillets
100g breadcrumbs
2 (or more) cloves garlic, finely chopped
fresh parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice

Mix the crumbs, garlic and parsley with a little seasoning, then add the olive oil and just enough lemon juice to bind it into a cohesive, but still crumbly, mass. Press this onto the fleshy surface of the pieces of fish and bake them, on a lightly oiled tray, for 10-12 minutes at 180°c.

I served the fish with steamed potatoes, broccoli and beans today, and followed it (for the children) with a small leftover piece of last night's chocolate pudding.