Wild about salmon

LAST night we had a feast — a wild Irish salmon gently poached and served with hollandaise. We ate the first tiny broad beans and sugar peas from the garden and new potatoes from Patty Walsh’s farm across the road, and finished with a bowl of loganberries and cream.

Wild Irish salmon is in season for just a few short weeks. In this area, the season opens on June 1 and finishes on July 31, or sooner if the allowed quota of fish has been caught, but wild salmon may still be available from some other areas until August 12.

Wild Irish salmon is such a special treat that it's worth seeking out during the last few weeks of the season. At Ballymaloe House, we serve only wild salmon. During the short season, it will be on the menu almost every night, served in a variety of ways.