All Things Fishy

LOTS OF people don’t eat fish – perhaps it isn’t filling enough, or they think it’s too fiddly to prepare, but it’s long been considered to be brain food so coming up to exams it seems the perfect ingredient and it’s so easy.

Fresh Fish

Salmon steaks are usually on offer in the supermarket and take absolutely no preparation. Simply take them out of the wrapping and …

Salmon Steaks – 1 per person
1. Put onto a plate or dish, cover loosely with cling film and microwave for a couple of minutes (depending on the power of your microwave and the number of steaks you’ve got). 
2. Let it stand for a minute and then check it’s done by carefully removing the cover and using a knife to prise it open along a seam (you’ll see the fish is in strips). When you look inside, the fish should flake easily and be pale pink all over – the dark bits aren’t cooked. Don’t overcook it though, so don’t put it back in for more than 30 seconds.
3. That’s it – perfectly cooked, ready to eat fish – great with stir fry vegetables, coated in your favourite sauce, or on a baked potato with salad and a dollop of mayonnaise.

Tinned Fish

Sardines in tomato sauce on toast make a really nutritious and tasty snack. Or how about getting a tin of tuna chunks in brine, drain off the liquid and chop it into a jar of tomato pasta sauce before heating and serving with cooked pasta.  Or mix tuna with cooked pasta, put into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for about 20 minutes in the oven (Gas 4, 180C, 350F).

Salmon Mayonnaise is my absolute favourite summertime meal and is so ridiculously easy to prepare there’s no excuse not to try it:

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1 tin pink salmon (200g)
3 tomatoes or handful of cherry tomatoes
a cucumber
100g frozen peas – cooked and allowed to cool
100g tinned new potatoes
1 lettuce
1 hard-boiled egg

For the Dressing:

2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice (less if you use Jiffy style)
1 tsp sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped dried dill (a herb that’s great with mayonnaise or on cooked new potatoes with butter)

Method:

1. Drain and flake the fish and put into a bowl.
2. Dice the tomatoes and cucumber (or peel them if you don’t like the skin) and add with the peas (which you’ve already cooked) and potatoes to the flaked fish. Chop the potatoes if they’re out of proportion to everything else.
3. Stir together all dressing ingredients and mix this into the fish mixture.
4. Shred the lettuce and use most to line a serving bowl.
5. Pile the fish on top and garnish with chopped hard boiled egg.

This is delicious with chunks of crusty bread.