Light Relief

You might think from reading this blog so far that everything I cook is very rich and indulgent.  Whilst I love my grub, I'm not daft and I know that heart disease/Type 2 diabetes/gout are no joke and so I do try to be sensible some of the time.  I do actually own quite a lot of diet recipe books (as part of the strange and contradictory relationship I have with food) but don't very often use the Weight Watchers-type ones as  - well, some of the end results taste like cack.  Who wants to eat a large serving of a cake made with artificial sweetener, ultra-low fat margarine and 0% fat yogurt when you could eat a smaller portion of a cake made with real ingredients and enjoy it so much more?

One of the better (ie: contains recipes for things you'd actually enjoy eating) healthy eating cook books that's come along in recent years (although the title is cringeworthy) is "Fat Girl Slim" by Ruth Watson.  Sadly it seems to be out of print now but you shouldn't have any trouble getting hold of a copy second hand.  Ruth is a gastropub owner and food enthusiast who managed to lose 4 and a half stones by applying the same principles of not compromising on quality or flavour to low-fat meals as she would with anything she'd serve to customers.  Some of the recipes do use ingredients that are expensive or difficult to source for many people.  But this recipe isn't too outrageous and best of all, tastes great and comes in at a respectable 480 calories per serving, if you skip the rice noodles that I served it with (largely to finish off a few lonely noodles in the bottom of the packet).  Unless you're really hungry, it doesn't really need any accompaniment.

Salmon Teriyaki and Wilted Greens (serves 2)

2 salmon escalopes (preferably with the skin still on)
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine/sake/dry sherry
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large piece root ginger, peeled and grated
A little groundnut (or vegetable) oil + 1 tablespoon
3 spring onions, trimmed and cut into thirds at an angle
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
3 pak choi, separated into leaves, root ends trimmed (OR you could do what I did and use a bag of fresh spinach instead)
100g beansprouts

1. Put the salmon into a shallow non-reactive (ie: not metal) container.  Whisk together the rice wine, sugar, soy sauce and ginger and pour over the fish.  Leave the escalopes to marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but preferably 2 hours (turn the fish over halfway through).
2. Drain the marinade into a small pan and bring to the boil over a high heat, uncovered.  Continue to boil for just 2 minutes, the marinade will thicken slightly.  Set the pan aside.
3. Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper and very lightly oil each piece on either side.  Place a heavy frying pan over a medium-high flame and when it is very hot, put in the salmon skin-side down.  WARNING - nothing lingers in your clothes/hair/furniture like the smell of frying fish so make sure you have all the windows nearby open or if you have a tiny kitchen like mine, invest in some Febreze.  Cook the fish for 4 minutes, brushing the salmon with the marinade halfway through.  Turn the fish and baste again.  Cook for 4-6 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish), again basting.  The salmon is ready when it has turned from translucent to opaque in the middle.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium flame.  Toss in the spring onions, garlic and pak choi/spinach and stir-fry for a few minutes until wilted.  Add the beansprouts, toss thoroughly and pour in a dash of the marinade.  Continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the veg is tender-crisp, then divide it up between 2 plates.  Perch the salmon on top (skin-side up) and brush over any remainin marinade.

Ruth Watson urges you to eat the skin, saying "it's almost the best part".  I completely agree and couldn't help feeling slightly miffed that the salmon pieces I used were skinless.