Salmon doesn't get better than this, says food blogger ELLY McCAUSLAND

HERE is possibly the best thing you can do with a fillet of salmon. Marinate it in a delectable mixture of maple syrup, soy sauce and crushed garlic. Sear and bake it until caramelised, sticky, sweet and salty but still tender and pink in the centre. Serve with a fresh, zingy, crunchy fennel and apple salad. It is possibly one of the most gorgeous and inviting dishes you can create for the end of summer.

Maple-glazed salmon with apple, fennel, cucumber and mint salad

(serves 2)

40ml maple syrup

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 garlic clove, crushed

Salt and pepper

2 salmon fillets, skin on or off

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Juice of half a lemon

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

Salt and pepper

1 bulb of fennel

1 granny smith apple

A small bunch of mint, leaves picked

Mix together the maple syrup, soy, garlic and some salt and pepper in a shallow dish, then add the salmon and coat well in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, turning occasionally.

For the salad, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Finely slice the fennel using a sharp knife or a mandolin. Cut the apple into thin matchsticks. Toss with the dressing, then shred the mint leaves and toss these in too. Taste and check the seasoning – you may want a little more lemon or salt.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Heat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, then sear the salmon (remove it from the marinade but reserve the marinade) for a minute on both sides if it is skinless, or just on the skin side if the fillets have the skin on. Put the salmon in an ovenproof dish, spoon over the marinade, and cook for around eight minutes or until the salmon is still a little pink in the middle (this will depend on the thickness of the fillets). Serve with the salad, with the glaze spooned over.

For more recipes, visit Elly's blog: nutmegsseven.co.uk