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A spice rub can transform a plain old piece of chicken or fish into a masterpiece. Here I’m using a rub for salmon but it works a treat on monkfish or chicken – actually on pretty much anything. Eat it hot for a swanky lunch to impress your friends and any leftovers eaten cold the next day ROCK!

for the spice rub
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

4 fresh salmon fillets

for the salad
200g puy lentils
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 spring onions, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
¼ cucumber, cut into small pieces
a small bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked

for the dressing
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ heaped teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
juice of ½ lemon
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mix all the dry spices together in a bowl. Add the garlic and oil. Mix thoroughly and rub over the salmon fillets. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Place the lentils in a saucepan with the sliced ginger and turmeric. Cover with water and bring to the boil. You may need to add more water as the lentils absorb quite a lot while cooking. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Strain off any excess water and leave to cool.

Heat a griddle pan on high and when it starts to smoke lay the salmon fillets on to the grill. Grill for 3 minutes on each side or until you are confident the salmon has just cooked through. You really want it a little underdone so it's juicy and opaque in the middle, but feel free to cook it however you like.

In the meantime, make the dressing. Put the cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin oil in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

When the lentils have cooled, add the spring onions, the red pepper, cucumber and coriander leaves, mix gently and then add the dressing and mix gently once more. Pour the lentil salad onto a serving plate and top with the fillets of salmon. Drizzle any of the salmon juices over and get stuck in!