Filo Wrapped Salmon with Pesto

This is a recipe revamp today and I'm surprisingly excited to share it. It was good when I wrote it about 4 years ago and it's been one of my most popular recipes. The original photo is here but, I decided to re-photograph it and just revisit it to make sure it still tasted good! And from my new perspective on food and eating, I needed to see if it would fit in my diet! To be honest, it didn't fit in my daily week day meal plan because it just tipped the scales over 500 calories per portion, which is too steep for me. But it's a great weekend meal for me and lower calories than most of my weekend meals. Anyways, forget about that. It was delicious. I added pesto to the salmon to give it a nice twist. The nice thing with pesto is it has a nice flavour, even though it's high in calories and fat, you only have to use a tiny bit to make the flavour go far.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with salmon. I actually think it's one of the most boring fish out there. I personally don't think it's very versatile. It's one of the stronger flavoured fish, not that it tastes fishy but it has a distinct flavour. If I'm going to eat it, I normally have it on it's own without anything else with a strong flavour like simple boiled potatoes and a salad. Today with the pesto I just had some steamed broccoli along side. You use whatever you have and you should be right as rain. Try this recipe if you want a twist on salmon.

Serve hot with fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 125g salmon fillets skin removed
2-3 tbsp. Pesto
6 filo sheets

Method:
Since you have to work with the filo dough simply make sure all of the ingredients are at hand and ready to go.
Lay out 2-3 sheets of pastry and brush a tiny bit of the pesto around the edges.
Lay the salmon at the bottom of the square or recatangle.
Spoon 1 tbsp of pesto on top of the salmon, and fold the ends over the salmon and then roll it up.
Repeat for the next one.
Brush the tops with any remaining pesto.
Bake at 200C for 20 minutes.

Homemade Salmon Fish Fingers with a Light Mayo Tartar Sauce

I have made these fish fingers before and decided to revamp the recipe a bit with a new photo and enthusiasm. I made these with salmon but you could use any type of fish. I'd like to stress that the reason I like making these isn't just because I like to make everything home-made, but more because I can't stand the thought of how vile leftover fish bits reformed into a perfect little square or rectangle can be. Sure there is some fish fingers that are decent, but if you can cut out some processed items you might be better off. We all know that things made at home just taste better. Sometimes people stray from making things at home because it sounds too difficult or they can't be bothered. This dish from start to finish was 40 minutes tops! Of course I'm a massive multi-tasker and completely organized so I bet that shaved five minutes off the time but it was totally worth it, and I am totally excited that my old recipe was just as good as I thought it would be! This serves two, as I always cook for two but can be easily doubled or trippled.

Ingredients:
200g boneless skinless salmon
100g breadcrumbs
50g flour
20g finely grated parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
Salt and Pepper
parsley and dill (optional)

To Start:
Preheat oven to 200C.
Get three bowls/plates out.
One with flour, salt, pepper and herbs.
One with breadcrumbs, herbs and parmesan.
One with egg whites, beaten until lightly fluffy.

To Finish:
Cut the salmon into 8-10 1in strips.
Coat a few at a time in the flour, then into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs and place on a lined baking tray.
Continue until you've used all of your fish.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

For The Light Tartar:
3 tbsp. Lighter than Light Mayo
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp. capers
1 tbsp. chopped gerkins

Mix together, seasoning to taste and voila!

Cod in Tomato Thyme Sauce

This is the simplest recipe to make when you're in a hurry. It's also really healthy for you if you're watching your calories! I know a few people who don't like fish that have really enjoyed this. This rich tomato sauce is a lovely compliment to the white flaky fish. You can add any herbs you want but I think fresh thyme goes the best here. Don't skimp on the garlic either! Serves 2-3. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
400g white fish such as cod, haddock etc..
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dark brown sugar
½ tbsp. olive oil
Few sprigs fresh thyme (1 tsp. dry thyme will work as well)
Salt and pepper to taste

To Start:
Dice your onions, chop your garlic and get a pan hot.
Heat the oil and saute the onions for a few moments.
Next add the garlic, and tomatoes, and thyme.
Bring to a bowl then down to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes. (trust me simmering does the world of good)

To Finish:
Add the brown sugar
Place the fish pieces in the sauce.
Spoon over some of the sauce onto the fish pieces.
Cover and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
Serve over toasty brown rice.

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

I loved smoked haddock (the undyed kind of course). I was looking for some inspiration for a dish and I came across kedgeree which was surprisingly British to my knowledge. It's traditionally served as a brunch dish but I decided to give it a go as a dinner option and it worked out great! I really love the combination of egg and smoked haddock, it's almost like a very non-traditional Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon! Either way, I think anyone should try this because it's dead easy, and you can use smoked salmon if you cant' find the haddock. Just skip the poaching process and flake it in at the very end with the eggs. As a dinner this fed 2, but you could easily double it, or serve it at a brunch and make the portion smaller! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
200g basmati rice (1c.)
150g undyed smoked haddock
1 onion
½ c. red pepper diced
½ c. frozen peas
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs - Soft boiled
300ml milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. mustard seeds
3-4 cloves
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
handful fresh coriander
handful fresh parsley
1 medium tomato

To Start:
Begin by poaching the fish in the milk, mustard seeds, cloves and bay leaves. Poach for about 15 minutes then set aside.
Bring the eggs and a small pan up to boil, boil for 4-5 minutes, turn off and take the eggs out and put them in ice water. Set aside

For the Dish:
Dice the onion and peppers.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan until hot, toss in the onions, red pepper and garlic. Toss around until fragrant.
Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander and rice and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. Stirring constantly.
When the onions are soft add two cups of water, half the coriander and parsley and bring up to a boil, place the lid on and turn down to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

To Finish:
Remove the haddock from the poaching liquid and flake.
Peel the eggs and cut into quarters.
Dice the tomato.
When the rice is done take off heat, add the fish, the rest of the herbs, half the eggs, tomatoes and frozen peas. Mix thoroughly being careful not to smash the rice.
Serve when hot and garnish with the rest of the egg.

Steamed Sea Bass and Pak Choi with a Spicy Asian Ginger Kick

I love fish! I know that some people are turned off by fish and that's OK, but they need to get out there and try it! The most effective way to cook fish I've found is to steam it in a foil packet. It’s really easy, not to mention it makes it really hard to overcook the fish. Sea bass is one of my favourite fish and this is a lovely way to try it especially since pak choi is full on in season. I used whole sea bass (which served two) in this recipe but you could easily use skinned and boneless fish but I do however recommend a nice white fish. But use what you have, the flavours speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 whole sea bass

1 large bunch pak choi (may use 4 smaller ones)

½ red onion

1 knob ginger peeled

1 chili (red)

1 clove garlic

½ lime (juice only)

¼ c. coriander chopped

1 tsp. honey

2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Dash sesame oil

To start:

Preheat oven to 200C or 400F

Lay 1 sheet of foil down on a shallow baking tray, just long enough to extend past the edges.

Drizzle a little oil o the bottom.

Cut the pak choi in 4 quarters and lay down on the bottom.

Slice the ginger, red onion, chillies and sprinkle half of each of these on top of the pak choi.

Next rinse the fish and lay it across the pak choi.

Sprinkle the remaining chili, ginger, and onion on top of the fish. You can scor the fish before you do this and shove the ginger inside for more flavour.

For the dressing:

Crush the garlic.

Combine garlic, lime juice, honey, olive oil and sesame oil in a jar or small cup.

Whisk up and pour over the fish.

Top with sea salt and coriander.

To Bake:

Take a long piece of foil the same length as the bottom piece, and carefully fold each of those pieces together making a packet where no air/steam can get out.

Place in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Be careful when removing as it will be extremely hot. My recommendation is poking a hole and letting some steam out before opening completely.

Flake the fish off the bone and serve.

Sea Bass with Moroccan Style Couscous

I love Moroccan food; it’s one of my favourite types of food to cook. I love the sweet and the savoury aspect of the ingredients and the robust spices. I make my own spice blend but for the fish here I used Ras El Hanout spice blend you can buy at most stores. It’s a simple evening meal and very healthy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets
½ c. whole wheat couscous (you can use regular)
¾ c. vegetable stock (boiling)
½ c. frozen or fresh broad beans
Small handful of dried apricots
Small handful of pistachios
Small handful of dates
½ small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. ras el hanout rub
Oil

To start:
Prepare the couscous: put the dry couscous in a bowl, and add your boiling vegetable stock and let sit and ignore it until ready to use.
Dice onion, garlic, dates, apricots and pistachios.
In a small pan heat some oil, when hot add the onions and garlic until fragrant turn temperature down.
When onion is softened add the apricots, dates, and broad beans.
Mix around until the broad beans are warmed through. Stirring frequently.

For the Fish:
Take your fillets and sprinkle ras el hanout and salt on them.
Grill in a shallow pan for 4 minutes per side.
When firm to the touch take them out and set aside.

To Finish:
Add the warm onion, fruit and broad bean mixture to the couscous and stir to combine.
Add the pistachios.
Place the couscous on the plate for serving and top with the fish fillet

Super simple evening dinner and very tasty as well! Enjoy!

Fish Curry

This is a delicious alternative to the standard take away. It takes a few extra steps and some extra lovn', and the results will be worth it. It's a delicious delicate fish curry unlike some of the standard sauces you get at local takeaways. I adapted this recipe from a 'do it yourself' curry box, and I think it came out even better. By the way I think chicken or turkey would work perfect with the flavors as well as fish. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
300g firm fish (Salmon, cod, etc..)
1 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 chillies –or as hot as you’d like it
1 onion
50g creamed coconut (3 tbsp.)
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp peppercorns
½ tsp. cumin seeds
1 thumb size nob fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
4 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 tbsp. coriander dried
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. garam masala
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. chili powder
10 curry leaves
2 tbsp. olive oil

To start:
Toast the spices, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, chili powder on a low heat until they become fragrant.
Immediately take off heat and place in a bowl.
Next in a food processor puree the onion, ginger, and garlic. Set Aside.
Grate the creamed coconut and set aside

To cook:
Add oil back into the pan that you toasted the spices, when hot add the puree and cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Next add the toasted spices, stirring and cooking for a further couple minutes.
Next goes in the creamed coconut shavings, until melted.
Then add the tomatoes and curry leaves bring up to a boil until everything is combined.
Simmer the sauce for about 30-45minutes, stirring occasionally.

To finish:
Make sure there is no skin on your fish.
Cut in chunks about 1-2 inches.
Gently lay the fish in the sauce and move around until covered by the sauce.
Turn the sauce down to low, and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the fish is firm and cooked.
Once finished serve over rice, or for low-carb alternative cauliflower rice, enjoy!

Salmon and Spinach Stuffed Filo Parcels

I might have used a bit too much filo pastry to wrap the salmon but definitely gauge how much you think you need. I think 3-5 sheets per fillet of salmon should work perfectly. This dish can be a bit time consuming but if you give it a little patience and love it will be a delicious dish that you can impress your guests with. This recipe is for 2.

Ingredients:
1 Package (270g) Filo Pastry – Follow the directions to thaw
2 Salmon fillets (250g total)
250g washed baby spinach
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter melted
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

To Start:
Heat a pan with the olive oil
Dice the onion and garlic.
When the pan is hot add the onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Add the spinach and wilt down for about 6 minutes then take off heat.

Make the Parcels:
On a clean surface carefully lay down one sheet and with a pastry brush, brush the melted butter all over the sheet.
On top of that add another sheet of filo, butter and repeat again. 3 sheets should be perfect for one salmon fillet.
When the layering of filo is done, add a salmon fillet in the middle, top with wilted spinach mixture.
Fold the ends up on both sides, and then fold it together like a package, so as to seal it.
Brush the remaining butter on top.

To Cook:
Bake at 200C or 400F for about 10-15minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a salad or potatoes. Enjoy!

Pan Fried Lemon Fish

I used Plaice fish for this recipe but I think it would be great with any light flavored fish, like white fish, cod, haddock or sea bass, anything with a mild flavor. Really simple meal, throw it together and you’re done with dinner. Serves 2. Sorry I forgot to take a photo!

Ingredients:
2 Plaice Fillets
1 lemon
1 onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3-4 leaves basil (fresh or frozen, not dried)
1 glass white wine
½ chicken stock cube
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp olive oil

To cook:
Dice the onion and garlic, set aside.
Lay the fillets on a plate and salt and pepper them.
Squeeze half the lemon on the fish.
In a large sauté pan, heat oil, when hot add the onions and garlic, and quickly sauté.
When soft, add the flour, and cook into oil for about 5-7 minutes.
Sprinkle on the stock cube.
Add the glass of wine and reduce down to on low.
Add the basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
Next add the fish fillets to the sauce, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
To finish squeeze the other half of the lemon on the fish and serve.

Gina's Tuna Pasta Mama

This recipe was requested by a couple people and here it is! There are a few ingredients that can be omitted or changed in quantity if you want more or less of it. I usually only make this for myself and use whole wheat fusilli pasta, and boil it for longer than it says so it turns soft enough to resemble white pasta with all the whole grain nutrition! Also if I keep my portion of pasta down I can compensate with veggies and get a couple portions of pasta salad! Try it!

Ingredients:
75g (per person ~3/4c) whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 can tuna drained
2 hardboiled eggs
1 tomato
Half green pepper
1 ribs celery
1 small can of black olives (~100-150g)
½ red onion
½ c frozen peas
3 tbsp. – ¼ c light mayonnaise
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. of ranch dressing packet
Fresh pepper

To start:
Start the water to boil the eggs and continue until you peel them.
Start the water for the pasta, and continue until done.
Note: place the frozen peas in the colander and when you drain the pasta the hot water will thaw the peas.

To finish:
Fine dice tomatoes, green pepper, celery, onion, and egg and place into large bowl.
When the pasta is done add to the bowl, mix up with the seasonings and mayonnaise adjusting seasoning as you like.
This will keep well for two days.

Oven Fish Sticks 'n' Zucchini Strips

Try this dish and you’ll never go back to boxed frozen fish sticks ever again. I had some salmon fillets and I wanted to try something new, as well as a new side dish, instead of the boring 'ol chips or fries. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:
250g salmon fillets (I used 2 fillets, about 5-6oz each)
1 c bread crumbs
¼ c parmesan cheese
½ c flour
2 egg whites
2 medium zucchini
1-2 tomatoes
1 tbsp. olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt /pepper

Dipping Sauce ingredients:
2 tbsp. light mayo
2 tbsp. Maille Dijon mustard
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch Paprika

To start:
Make a breading station - three bowls
1- flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder
2- bread crumbs and parmesan cheese
3- egg whites slightly whipped

Next:
Pre-heat oven to 200C or 400F
Slice zucchini into thin half centimeter strips (the idea is to make them look like fries).
Quarter the tomatoes
Cover a baking sheet with foil.
Lay zucchini flat and spread apart so that each piece is exposed.
Sprinkle with tomatoes.
Lightly drizzle the olive oil over the zucchini and tomatoes, and salt and pepper.
Place into the oven.

To finish the fish: (Using one hand only for the breading part makes a huge difference)
Line another baking dish with foil and use spray oil to prevent sticking.
Cut the pieces of salmon into half inch pieces, about the length of your finger too.
Dip each piece in flour completely covering it.
Next dip into the egg whites.
Next dip into the bread crumb and make sure completely coated.
Place on the baking dish, and repeat until all salmon is done.
Place in the oven and the zucchini should be done at the same time the salmon is finished in 15-20 minutes.

Preparing the dip:
Mix all ingredients and serve individually in dipping bowls.


Note: Forgive my sloppy plating, I started eating before I realized I hadn’t snapped a photo!

Sea Bass and Broad Bean Foil Packets

This is a technique that’s very easy to use, and maybe one that some people forget to use, I know I did. I was tired of just oven baking a fish and constantly watching it to make sure that the fish was getting done without overcooking, and then I just remembered that I could wrap individual portions into parcels and bake in the oven at a set time and the steam and moisture would cook and keep moist whatever was in the packet. You could really use your imagination with this as any vegetable can go inside with whatever seasoning you like. This is my recipe and it serves the two of us but since it’s in parcels you just adjust the ingredients as needed.

Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets
1kg broad beans (prepared- see below)
½ punnet cherry tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 lemon
1 handful parsley leaves
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2-3 fresh basil leaves per packet
Tin foil

To prepare the Broad beans:
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Shell all the broad beans.
Blanch them for 3-5mins in boiling water.
Take them out and put in cold ice water to stop the cooking process.
Peel the outer layer of skin off the beans to reveal a bright green bean, set aside.

Note: This is a timely but rewarding process; you could easily skip it and try this recipe with any other type of bean, such as French.

To making the packet filling:
Quarter all tomatoes and add to a bowl. (Smash the tomato out a bit so the juices come out)
Chop garlic, parsley finely and add to bowl.
Next lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and broad beans and mix thoroughly.
Set aside and let sit 5 minutes.

Build the packet:
Lay out sheets of foil big enough to double over and fold in the packet contents securely without any air getting free.
Lay down the fish pour a portion of the tomato, broad bean mixture on top and secure tightly.

Bake at 200C or 400F for about 20-30mins.

Salmon and Fennel with Roasted Veg

As you know when I cook it’s usually just for my husband and so, I try to accommodate the people cooking for themselves as well as well as a family. This one is simple for a family or one person. The ingredients can be as large or small as you'd like. With this recipe I usually roast potatoes with fennel, and add some of the fennel leaves to the salmon. Well this week’s veggie box, I got an abundance of carrots. So I decided to mix them in with the roasted veg part. So here’s what we need for 4 people.

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets 150-200g each depending on how hungry you are (6-8oz each)
1 large bulb fennel
1 onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3-4 baking potatoes
4-5 big carrots, depending on what feeds your family
1 lemon
Garlic powder
Salt/pepper
Olive oil for roasting
Chilli flakes (optional)

To start:
Slice off the tops of the fennel and set aside (all the furry bits and leave just the white body)
Slice the fennel thinly through the core that holds it together
Peel and slice your onion
Peel and dice your garlic
Scrub your potatoes (Don’t dice yet or they’ll get brown)
Peel the carrot and chop in finger length sizes.

Next:
Heat the oven to 200C or (~400F)
Dice the potatoes and put them on a foiled lined baking tray
Sprinkle about 3/4ths of the onion slices on top
Sprinkle half of the garlic on the potatoes.
Add half to 3/4ths the fennel to the potatoes (add all of the fennel if you’re not doing the carrots).
Drizzle with about 2 tbsp. olive oil.
Crack pepper and salt on top, and douse with a couple shakes of garlic powder and get your hands ready to toss it up.

Then:

Before you put the potatoes in the oven, prepare the carrots. (or omit the carrots from the recipe).
Lay in a baking pan or foil lined dish.
Drizzle olive oil on the carrots
Add any remaining onion or fennel or chop some fresh garlic.
Sprinkle chilli flakes and half of lemon on the carrots, cover with foil and place in the oven with the potatoes.
Roast for about 35-45 minutes, poke to see if they are tender.

Prepare the salmon fillets half way through the potatoes cooking time:

On a foil lined baking tray, lay the salmon fillets out and put some of the fennel fluff underneath the salmon and between the pieces
Salt and pepper
Add a lemon on top.
Bake in the oven when the potatoes are almost done about 40 minutes into their cooking time, for about 8-10 minutes depending on how thick your fillets are. Basically this is not rocket science, but it was hard to write the recipe to coordinate everything to be done at the same time. I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions on how to work the timing let me know :D

Get on an Island with Rice Pinapple Salsa and Seared Fish

This is a variation of a recipe I have made before, but on request I’ve jazzed it up to have more sweet savoury element contrast for the “island” feel. You can have the rice and salsa on its own and enjoy it as a vegetarian meal, or a side dish. I topped it with some fish fillets that I had around and it made a great full meal. So I hope you enjoy it. This feeds 2-4 depending on how hungry you are, and like I always say, I try to write the big part of the dish for more than two people but the protein like steak or fish would be your discretion. And basically we’re making rice the normal way we’re just substituting different liquids to make up that proportion of 2:1, so think of it that way if it gets confusing!

Ingredients for Rice:
1 cup Basmati rice (185g)
½ medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic diced
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
¼ c white wine (I use sauvignon blanc, viognier etc.. something you want to drink)
¾ c canned coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock (you can definitely substitute vegetable stock or whatever)
2-3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1can black eyed peas
1tbsp oil

Ingredients Pineapple Salsa:
1 small can (200g) of pineapple chunks or slices (doesn’t matter you will chop it up anyway)
10 cherry tomatoes quartered
½ a green chilli, like jalapeno
2 cloves of finely finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Juice from the pineapple
Salt + pepper

Fish:
Use enough fillets for your family, I suggest Sea Bass, Plaice..etc, something with light flavour.
Salt and pepper them and grill them in a pan and voila. Obviously this is a perfectly acceptable dish without the fish for a vegetarian option.

To Cook Rice:
Chop onions, garlic, cilantro.
Heat oil in a medium size sauce pan, when the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and rice. Brown slightly until everything becomes fragrant. About 5 minutes.
Add the wine; quickly stir into the rice cook for 2 minutes be careful not to burn all the liquid out.
Next add the coconut milk and stir, and follow with the stock.
Stir around and put on a very low simmer, cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes, check near 15 minutes and give a stir, add a little extra stock if necessary.
Next add the can of black beans and chopped cilantro, mix and take off heat and let sit while you finish dinner.

The Salsa:
Basically chop everything up to as chunky or as fine as you’d like, I suggest the chilli and the garlic extremely fine, pour in a little pineapple juice and let simmer.

To assemble your plate, start with the rice, add the cooked fish on top and top with the salsa, and you have Island rice with pineapple salsa and grilled fish. It will be like you’re in the Caribbean.