SALMON WITH CHILLI GINGER SAUCE Oily fish such as salmon, is a great choice when you’re watching your weight, but bear in mind that it contains more calories than white fish. It’s a highquality protein, so fills you up, and it is delicious especially when teamed with this sticky, tangy sauce. You need to allow time for the fish to marinate for 30 minutes but once that is done, this is quick and easy to prepare. SERVES 4 2 balls of stem ginger in syrup (and 2 tablespoons of the syrup) 3 garlic cloves 3 tbsp dark soy sauce finely grated zest of 1/2 well-scrubbed orange freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange (about 125ml) 1/2 long red chilli, thinly sliced 4 x 125 -150g salmon fillets, skin on freshly ground black pepper Put the ginger balls on a board and slice them thinly. Pile up the slices from each ball and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Put these in a bowl that’s large enough to hold the salmon and add 2 tablespoons of the stem ginger syrup from the jar. Peel the garlic cloves and slice them thinly, then add them to the bowl with the ginger. Stir in the soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice and red chilli.
254 calories per portion
Put the salmon in the bowl with the marinade. Season with lots of ground black pepper and turn a couple of times, ending with the fish skin side up. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220oC/Fan 200oC/Gas 7. Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Take the salmon fillets out of the marinade scraping off any bits and pieces, and place them on the tray, skin side down. Season with more ground black pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the sauce. Pour the marinade into a small non-stick saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 6 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the garlic is softened. You need enough of the marinade to pour over the salmon but not swamp it completely. Put the salmon fillets on warmed plates, carefully lifting off the skin as you go. Spoon the hot sauce over the salmon and serve with a small portion of rice or new potatoes and some steamed or stir-fried vegetables.
PLUM RICE PUDDING Those little pots of rice pudding you can buy in supermarkets make a nice sweet treat, but they are expensive and they contain lots of sugar. It’s so much cheaper to make your own and really easy. Eat the rice pudding on its own or topped with a fruity compote. We like plums, but use any lightly stewed fruit you like - apples, pears and summer berries all work well. SERVES 4 100g pudding rice 400ml semi-skimmed milk 200ml cold water 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp caster sugar (preferably golden) Compote 3 ripe plums, stoned and quartered 6 tbsp cold water 1 tsp caster sugar (preferably golden)
134 calories per portion Put the rice, milk, water and vanilla extract in a medium non-stick saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 16-18 minutes or until the rice is tender (with compote) and the sauce is creamy, stirring regularly. Don’t forget that it will continue to thicken as it cools, so add a little extra water if serving cold. Stir frequently towards the end of the cooking time as the mixture will be thickening up. Sweeten with a little caster sugar and serve warm or chilled with or without the topping. To make the compote topping, put the plums, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently, until the plums are softened but still holding their shape. Add a little extra water if you need. Spoon the rice pudding into tumblers or dessert dishes and top with the plum compote. Delicious warm or cold.