Mrs J is still on vacation in the US of A. Today is her last chance to explore before making the hop back across the Atlantic. She’s not been cooking much lately, so in honor of the age-old trick of celebrity chefs, here’s one she made earlier.

It doesn’t get much easier than this cold salmon dish. It can serve a crowd and is an excellent summer main course. If you make it, and like it, turn in the direction of Scandoland and say your thanks to the hundreds of wives and mothers that helped perfect this recipe.

Take one whole side of salmon, about 1 kg, remove any remaining obvious grates and make sure the skin side is free of scales (but you want the skin still on). Set your oven to 150°C.

Bring 1 liter of water to the boil together with 1 tablespoon of salt and a good handful of roughly chopped dill stalks. Use stalks only, not the tips (you’ll use those later).

Slice two small untreated lemons and place in a baking dish. You need a dish that’s large enough to hold the salmon and the water, to the point where the salmon is just covered with water.

Place the salmon on top of the lemon slices, skin side up, and pour over the hot liquid. Put the whole thing in the oven for about 35 minutes. For info, the water is not supposed to boil in the oven, there should just be enough heat to cook the salmon through, slowly, gently.

Take the fish out of the oven and make a little cut to check that it’s cooked. Then let it cool completely while still in the liquid. This will take a while.

In the meantime you may want to spend time peeling some potatoes. Boil them with salt, timing them to be warm when served. What you also must do is prepare the sauce. The cold sauce is the key to this dish.

Take two tsp of dijon mustard and two tsp of ancienne style mustard and mix with 2 dl of creme fraiche 15% fat. Dice 1/2 courgette finely and fold into the mix. Season with salt and black pepper. Add more mustard until it’s to your taste.

When you’re ready to serve, pour the liquid off the salmon and remove the skin. Place your warm potatoes around the salmon and decorate with the dill tips and perhaps another sliced lemon. Serve the sauce on the side.

Enjoy!