Tag: fish

How To Bake Fish In A Potato Crust

Have you tried fish baked in a potato crust?  The first time I tried it at a local restaurant, I wasn’t impressed, but last weekend I tried it again in Rome.  The fish was so tender and moist; simply divine!

It was presented in a simple yet elegant way – sea bream covered with a layer of overlapping paper thin potatoes slices.  The fish sat on its own juices – no sauces masking the delicate taste of the fresh fish.

When I returned from Rome I decided to have a go at this dish.  I did some research about it and came across a very similar version of baked fish and potatoes – interesting – but not quite what I had in Rome.  So I decided to try my own version of this dish.

I used sweet potatoes cause that is what I had available.  Besides, all the nutrients found in sweet potato, they do not need parboiling before baking which makes them quicker to use.

Ingredients for four persons

  • four fillets of sea bream
  • two sweet potatoes
  • fresh thyme
  • four tbsps olive oil
  • juice from half a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

  • line a baking dish with heavy duty foil and brush lightly with olive oil
  • place the fish fillets on the foil

    Fish partialy covered with sweet potato
    Fish partially covered with sweet potato
  • squeeze the lemon on the fillets and sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt and pepper
  • scrub the sweet potatoes and pat dry
  • slice thinly using a mandolin slicer or similar
  • cover the fish, overlapping the potatoes as you go
  • brush the potatoes with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt and pepper
  • bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the potato is cooked.

    Baked fish in potato crust
    Baked fish in potato crust

I grilled the potatoes for the last five minutes to get that char grilled tinge on the edges.

Serve with seasonal vegetables or fresh salad.

Baked fish and potatoes served with saute zucchini
Baked fish and potatoes served with saute zucchini

Voilà, dinner in 30 minutes!

My next experiment with this recipe is adding a thin smear of pesto to the fish, before covering it with potatoes.  Not too much pesto, because it’ll overpower the taste of the dish.  Just a hint of pesto – especially if you do the homemade pesto with parsley and walnuts instead of basil and pine nuts – should enhance the taste.

Have you ever baked fish in a potato crust?  If not, give it a go.  It’s so simple to make.  Leave your comments below and let me know how you get on.

Until next time … happy cooking.

 

My thanks go to

 

Colette CumboLeave a comment

Have yourself a salmon little Christmas

Are you cooking the typical turkey dinner this Christmas?  Most people do.  But for those of us who eat fish, I would like to share a simple recipe I came across years ago.  It’s so quick and easy to make and … it never fails! It certainly is a crowd pleaser!

 Holiday Side of Salmon

This recipe is taken from a Christmas cookbook supplement which came as a freebie with Essentials magazine many moons ago.  I remember picking up this magazine from the newsagent’s at Heathrow airport thinking it would make a good read.

holiday-side-of-salmon
Holiday side of salmon

Doesn’t it look spectacular? But it really couldn’t be simpler to cook.

Ingredients

* one whole side of salmon (approx. 1.6kg – 2kg)
* juice and zest of 2 limes, plus extra to serve
* 100ml dark rum
* 50g dark brown sugar
* 2tbsp honey
* 2tbsp soy sauce
* 1tsp ginger, peeled and grated
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1tsp allspice

Serves 8-10

 

How to prepare your salmon

  1. Put all the ingredients (except salmon) in food container large enough to take your fish.  Mix well.  Put in the salmon and coat all over.  Close the container and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours.
  2. Heat oven to gas mark 7 / 220 degrees Celsius.  Remove the salmon from the marinade and put in a lined roasting dish.  Bake for 15 minutes.
  3. Boil the marinade in a pan for 5 minutes until thickened.  Drizzle over the salmon and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Rest the fish in a warm place for a couple of minutes before serving.

Ideas for sides

My favourite side dishes to go with salmon are spinach and lentils.  I think they go so well together.

This is my latest warm spinach salad

* rinse spinach leaves and put in pot with a tight fitting lid
* steam gently for a few minutes until the leaves are just beginning to wilt – drain any excess water
* warm one tablespoon of olive oil and saute two cloves of crushed garlic and two spring onions, finely chopped
* remove from the heat and pour over spinach – top with toasted flaked almonds.

 

My puy lentil salad is just as quick and easy to make.  Rinse the lentils and boil in vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes (do not overcook) – drain.  In the meantime finely chop an onion, courgette, two celery sticks and one large carrot.  Saute in a tablespoon of olive oil for ten minutes.  Remove from the heat – add boiled lentils, chopped parsley and 75g of dried cranberries.

Make dressing by putting two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, one tablespoon balsamic vinegar, one crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper in a screw top jar, mix well and drizzle over lentils.

And for the final touch, you can add some potato wedges.

Try it … I guarantee your guests will be impressed.

My thanks go to Essential Magazine https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=essentialsmagazine for this lovely salmon recipe.

 

 

 

 

Colette CumboLeave a comment

Lose Weight in the Kitchen, get fit in the Gym

Diet vs exercise –  studies show it is easier to watch what you eat than to workout the extra calories in the gym. Exercise is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle, but controlling how much you eat is by far more important.

Today I would like to share with you 5 tips to help you lose weight in the kitchen.

  1. Your healthy eating starts at the supermarket – don’t buy junk food.  Don’t allow yourself to be tempted when you open your cupboard.  Spring clean your cupboards and fridge from all the biscuits, chocolates, ice-cream and all the processed stuff.  Instead stock up on fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses and lean meat such as fish or chicken.healthy-looking-fridge
  2. Keep a food diary – it is not easy to remember all that goes through your mouth in the space of a day –  a generous spread of peanut butter, a fizzy drink, cake at eleven, biscuits with your afternoon tea, crisps or chocolate whilst watching TV – and the list goes on. Keep a food diary and take note of all you eat.  Be honest with yourself and go into detail. Note also the time of day and the mood you were in when you ate. Are you eating out of habit or because you’re hungry? Are you really hungry or thirsty? You’d be surprised how easy it is to eat out of habit, when you’re thirsty, when you’re stressed or tired.
  3. Weigh your food – portion distortion is the #1 culprit for weight gain. It is not easy to figure out how much food you need to keep healthy.  Unfortunately, we are made to believe we need more food than we actually do.  Take meat portions for instance – 250 / 350 g a piece – when in fact you only need 1 g of protein (meat or fish) for every one kilo of body weight.  Therefore, a 60-kg person requires 60 g of protein a day.  Keep cup and spoon measures on your work top and use them, all the time.  Smaller dinner plates help you control your portion size.
  4. Drink plenty of water – what is plenty of water?  There are various schools of thought about the amount of water you should drink.  Lately, I came across an article which I think makes perfect sense.  You can tell if you’re drinking enough water by looking at the colour of your urine.  If your urine is dark, you need to drink more water. I like using a two-litre bottle as a guide to how much water I drink each day.   You  need to drink more water if you drink alcohol or  workout at the gym. A good way to start your day is by drinking a mug of lukewarm water with lemon.
  5. Spread your meals over the day – golden rule #1 is don’t miss breakfast. Research shows that people who eat breakfast regularly are able to control their weight long term. Space your meals throughout the day.  Eat five small meals instead of three large ones.  This will keep you full throughout and help cut down on snacking.  Whenever possible do not eat your last meal just before you go to bed. Remember, your heaviest meal should be in the morning, not last thing at night.

Doesn’t sound complicated, does it?  You do not need to reinvent the wheel to lose weight. A few changes and some awareness should help you get on track and manage your weight long term.

Increase your level of activity as part of your healthy lifestyle for better results.

One final tip for the festive season – don’t miss out on celebrations – moderation is key.  If you’re going to a drinks party, have a bowl of homemade soup before you leave the house and avoid the finger food that goes round.  As for drinking – take one glass of water for each one of alcohol you drink.

The choice is yours – big changes start with small steps.  Let me know how you get on.

My thanks go to

The Unbounded Spirit

WebMD

Mirror online

Popsugar for image

Colette CumboLeave a comment

How to make the most of the Lampuki (fish) season

Making use of seasonal produce has a number of benefits, chief among which are, it tastes better and it’s less expensive.  But how do you make your seasonal produce last through the weeks and months to come?

In many countries, autumn brings to mind pumpkins, butternut squash and a number of other vegetables.  In Malta, besides veg, autumn also brings the Lampuki (Dorado fish aka Dolphin Fish) season.

lampuki

How to choose your fish

When choosing your fish, check that the eyes are bright and bulging.  The gills are bright red and the fish smells of sea water.  If the eyes are sunken in and the fish has a very strong smell, it is not fresh.

Lampuki are pricey after a spell of rough seas.  If you’re buying ‘in bulk’, wait for the seas to calm down for a few days because it will have an impact on the price you pay.

How can you ‘store’ your Lampuki?

You can freeze your Lampuki either raw or cooked.

If I’m freezing raw Lampuki I prefer cleaning them before.  Ask your fishmonger to remove the gills, insides and scrape off the scales.  I find cleaning fish in my kitchen can get messy. My fishmonger is better equipped with large stainless steel sinks, sharp knives and a power jet water hose to wash the insides of the fish – so good!

If you would like to freeze the fish in portions, ask him to cut them for you.  Alternatively, you can freeze the fish whole.

When you get home, pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, put in date-labelled freezer bags and pack neatly in your freezer until needed. Frozen Lampuki can last for at least six months.

If you are freezing the Lampuki cooked in a pie, follow the cooking instructions of this recipe and freeze once you assemble the pie, before baking.

When you need to use the pie, defrost for a few hours in the fridge, then bake as usual, following your oven instructions.

Different ways to cook Lampuki

Admittedly, it may not be the healthiest option, but the tastiest way to cook Lampuki is by shallow frying them.  Do not put too much oil, just enough to cover the bottom of your pan, and fry the fish until the skin is golden brown.  Serve with fresh salad or grilled vegetables and potatoes.

Lampuki can also be oven-baked or served with a tomato caper sauce.  Personally, I like using the caper sauce when the Lampuki season is coming to a close and the fish are quite big.  At the beginning of the season, when the fish are young, it’s a shame to mask their delicate taste with a piquant sauce.

Another alternative is Lampuki pie – a typically Maltese dish.  The Lampuki pie is different from British fish pies in that is does not contain any white sauce.  The Lampuki pie is made from shallow fried fish, cooked cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes, capers, olives, herbs and seasoning.  All the ingredients are cooked and cooled before they’re put into a pastry shell.  Once in the shell, the pie can either be frozen or baked.

For those of you who do not live in Malta and would like to try this fish pie recipe, substitute Lampuki with a fish that can be nicely shallow fried without disintegrating.  I have not tried substituting Lampuki myself, but I believe seabass or sea bream will be good alternatives.

Tell us how  you cook your Lampuki.  It would be nice if you share your ideas and recipes.

My thanks go to

Little Rock

I Love Food

Made in Malta Products

Google Images

 

 

 

Colette Cumbo1 Comment

The 10-day soup challenge

Have you ever taken on a 10-day soup challenge?  It promises to help you shift that stubborn weight around your waist, in as little as 10 days! Sounds good? Find out more …

Eating soup

Does the soup diet work?

Four years ago, I was out of action for 12 weeks due a major operation.  My greatest concern was not my surgery but the weight gain due to lack of mobility.  I promised myself I was not going to come out of this heavier than when I walked in, so I set myself a plan – go for a liquid diet.

It worked!  At the end of the 12 weeks, I came out weighing 1.5 kgs less than when I went for the operation.  I lost some muscle due to lack of exercise, but in the main, the diet worked.

How does the soup diet work?

I came across this article which I would like to share with you.  It promotes the same concept – a soup diet to help you lose weight, without missing out on your nourishment. I did not stretch my diet to the limit, as is suggested in this article, but I did eat homemade soup for both lunch and dinner.

Obviously, if you eat nothing but soups, the weight will come off faster, but then you cannot live on soups alone long term.  I chose to vary my diet – having porridge in the morning and a piece of fruit in between meals.  I also cooked in advance so I could have different soups for lunch and dinner.

Soups in summer

You may associate soups with winter … true but not quite.  There are a number of soups which can be served cold or chilled and there are others which can be enjoyed at room temperature.

Homemade soups are comforting and quick ‘n’ easy to make.  A bowl-full of soup provides you with all your body needs – carbohydrates, protein, good fat and fibre – all in one.  Opt for thick soups; they keep you satisfied for longer.

Soups can be made from various ingredients.  You can have fish soups, chicken or meat. You can choose to go for vegetable-based soups which cover your five-a-day in a wink.  Or you can opt for grains and pulses.

Would you like to shift those extra pounds / kilos?  

Let’s do this together.  I have figured out four options for you to choose from.

Option A – eating nothing but soups for 10 days

Option B – eating soups for lunch and dinner for 10 days

Option C – eating soups for dinner only for 10 days

Option D – eating soups for five days out of seven / repeat in week two

Go for it and let me know how much weight you manage to polish off.  I am going with Option D – how about you?

Leave a comment

My thanks go to 

Mail Online for article by Ruth Styles; and 

Corbis for image

 

 

 

 

Colette Cumbo4 Comments