Cod in an Asian/Cajun Flavoured Tomato Sauce

Sorry for the lack of posts but I haven’t done any home cooking for a while as I have had a busy couple of weeks doing fun stuff with friends; making the most of the last couple weeks of the London summer, and a last hurrah in Ibiza! 😀

 

Now I’m back to reality and thought a good detox meal to get my health back on track would be a nice nutritious piece of cod.

Here’s a simple sauce that I made up on the spot, it’s not really based on anything, and the ingredients may well seem a bit random (I mean, fish sauce and cajun seasoning?! Yes, really.), but I can assure you it does taste really good!!

So somehow I’ve created my own take on a ‘fusion’ dish! Similar to what my favourite restaurant Chotto Matte in London offers, which is Japanese/Peruvian, and another favourite of mine Sushi Samba, which is also Japanese/Brazilian. Well, mine is Asian/cajun. And it rhymes. Wow, I really am a genius…

Ingredients:

• 2 cod fillets
• Olive oil
• 1/2 a large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp chopped chilli
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• Rice to serve (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Sprinkle cod with a little mixed herbs and salt and bake in the oven in a lightly oiled loose foil parcel. (Little tip: always make sure the shiny side is facing inwards as it cooks the fish better.)

Fry onion in a large saucepan until soft and fragrant, then add garlic and chilli and stir for a minute.

Add tomatoes and heat through. Add ginger, paprika, salt, mixed herbs and cajun seasoning. Stir well. Follow with soy sauce.

Simmer for about 10 mins on low. At the very end add the fish sauce.

Pour the sauce over the baked fish and serve with rice or whatever else you’d like.

Spicy Piri Piri Sardines on Rice Cakes

Here’s a simple, quick recipe for a light meal you can quickly put together any time of the day. Rice cakes are so versatile, and sardines are full of omega-3 healthy fats – what more could you need in a nutritious lunch?!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of sardines in olive oil
• 1/2-1 red chilli (depending on your taste)
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• Dash of lemon juice
• Dash of balsamic vinegar
• Dash of soy sauce
• 4 rice cakes
• Encona (or your preferred) hot pepper sauce

Method:

Put all ingredients except sardines, hot sauce and rice cakes into a blender or food processor and process until almost smooth.

Mash the sardines with a fork, then mix them and the processed ingredients together.

Spread the mixture evenly on top of the rice cakes and add a few drops of hot sauce (if desired).

 

 

Spicy Tuna Fish Cakes with an Avocado, Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella Salad

YUM! These are seriously amazing! Healthy, full of flavour and quick to make – what more could a girl want?

I’ve made crab cakes in the past and although they taste nice they have never turned out with this consistency, they are usually a bit sloppy and wet and fall apart while I’m frying them (which I’m sure is entirely my fault and I clearly need to work out a better recipe – thus why they haven’t made it to my blog yet) but these tuna patties were pretty easy in comparison! I think because tuna is a bit meatier than crab.

There was a small amount of trial and error with these ones; the first time I made them I used too much egg and they were too wet, and I followed a recipe I found online that didn’t say to use breadcrumbs which didn’t work AT ALL so not sure what that was all about. You DEFINITELY need breadcrumbs in my opinion. So once those things were ironed out I just added the other stuff I wanted and they turned out perfectly (not to brag!). And now they are up on my blog for you guys all to try, so we are all winners!

Ingredients:

For the fishcakes:

• 4 x 150g cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried coriander leaf (or 1 tbsp fresh)
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 slices bread, blended into breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the salad:

• 2 avocados, cubed
• 2 tomatoes, cubed
• 1 small cucumber, cubed
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed

For the salad dressing:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Tear up the bread into pieces and place in a blender or food processor and process until you get fine breadcrumbs.

Combine all the ingredients in bowl and mix well.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan so you can fit all the patties in one layer.

Take handfuls of the mixture and form into balls. Flatten slightly and place into the hot oil. Fry for about 4 mins each side on a medium-high heat.

To make the salad combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl, then combine the dressing ingredients and dress the salad when ready to serve.

 

Baked Salmon Balls with a Coconut Avocado Dip

So this was the first time I’ve ever made salmon balls! I know, insane right?! Is everyone else making salmon balls and enjoying them weekly on Wednesdays and just not telling me about it?? If they aren’t then they should be, and from now on I’m going to! Actually, I’ll just make them any damn day I please! Today’s a Sunday and they were pretty good today.

I’ve never used my blender thingy* to process fish or meat before either but today I thought I’d give it a try and see how it fared. I hate my blender thingy by the way, it was about £50 from some online shop that promised amazing things, it’s called a Rapido but it definitely does not live up to its name. However, surprisingly it did this job nicely for a change! I thought it might end up mushy but it still had small chunks in which is how you want it to be. It actually got a bloody good use with this meal actually what with salmon chopping, avocado blending and bread-crumbing, so I can’t complain too much.

I must apologise again for the badly lit photos, its a shame but I can never cook while it’s still day-light so this is what I have to work with. Please trust me they look better in real life and they taste absolutely divine!

As you can see, they have quite a meaty texture.

They actually taste more meaty than salmony, which is strange but in a good way. If you are following a pescatarian diet like myself or just want to make a healthier type of meat ball then these are definitely for you, but to be honest these make a great addition to anyone’s meal routine. You can also try them with a different kind of sauce, or with chips or however the hell you want! I should note that the sauce has quite a strong coconut flavour to it so if you don’t like that kind of thang, then you can use Greek yogurt instead.

As always, they’re healthy and quick to make like most recipes on my blog, so what are you waiting for? Get cooking!

*I say ‘thingy’ as it’s supposed to do more than blend, it’s supposed to chop, pulse, juice and all that jazz too.

Ingredients:

(Makes 10 large salmon balls)

• 500g salmon (with skin off)
• 1/2 an onion, grated
• 3 fat garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped and seeds removed (definitely optional, I just seem to have to have everything spicy lately!)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried coriander leaf
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used 1 1/2 slices of bread whizzed in my blender)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar

For the avocado dip:

• 1 avocado, chopped and skin and stone removed
• 3 tbsp coconut cream (or use Greek yogurt for a more savoury flavour)
• 1 tbsp dried coriander
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 5 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder or 1/2 a fresh chilli with seeds removed (this is not optional but it won’t taste very spicy, it just adds a nice depth of flavour)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method:

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Roughly chop your salmon and bung it in the blender/food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, not smooth.

Place it into a bowl and add all the other salmon ball ingredients. Mix well until fully combined.

Take handfuls (about 2 tbsp) of the mixture and roll into balls using your palms.

Place onto a baking tray sprayed with non stick spray and bake for 18 mins or until lightly browned and cooked through.

Serve with the avocado sauce which you make by just blending all the ingredients together until very smooth.

 

 

Paleo Spicy Grilled Salmon with a Tomato Salsa & Steamed Veg

Since my last post my boyfriend has been guilt tripping me about ending my pescatarianism before a whole year is up! Yes, this is the same boyfriend I mentioned not many days ago who couldn’t wait for me to make him a beef lasagna. What an odd creature he is 😉

So anyway I don’t think I would be able live with myself if I don’t continue it for a whole 12 months now. However, I don’t want to go back on my word that I’ll be starting Paleo either, so it looks like I’m doing pescatarian-Paleo for the next two months! I’m not one to shy away from a challenge so… It’s going to be interesting.

I decided to kick off the challenge with a spicy grilled salmon dish accompanied by mixed steamed veggies and a tomato and onion salsa. I was worried I’d need more substance after having carbs nearly every night for the past year, but I needn’t have. As long as you include some healthy fats in your meals you will feel full, and I certainly did after this. There’s also lots of flavours; in the spices, the salsa and the salmon itself.

 

If you’re not interested in doing Paleo feel free to serve it on a bed of rice, which is exactly what I did for my boyfriend!

Ingredients:

• 2 large fillets salmon, halved
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil (my new best friend, and it’s always pre-melted in Singapore!)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 tsp dried coriander leaf (or 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander)
• Juice of 3 limes
• 4-5 brown mushrooms, sliced
• 4 sticks asparagus, cut into 1 inch sticks
• 1 red pepper, sliced

Method:

Mix the paprika, cumin, chilli powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Add the oil and mix well. Rub this mixture all over the fish and leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

Mix the tomatoes, onion, coriander, lime juice and some more salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you need it.

Steam the mushrooms, asparagus and pepper for about 8 mins.

Meanwhile, grill the salmon on a medium heat for about 5 mins on one side and then 2 mins on the other. It should be juicy and tender, so be careful not to over do it!

Serve with the veggies, and top with the salsa.