Fish – Page 2 – The Food Wife

Smoked Salmon Pasta

6th September 20236th September 2023
by thefoodwife

This is the ultimate fast food, ready in 10 minutes, only four ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and my god it tastes good.

This can be scaled up easily, Iâ€™ll give the ingredients for one person but otherwise just increase as needed, although with regards to the lemon zest, I used the zest of one lemon for one person (because I didnâ€™t want to waste any, and I like it extra lemony) but if scaling up, use the zest of one lemon for every two portions.

Ingredients:

75-100g spaghetti (gluten-free if required)

50g full fat cream cheese (dairy-free if required)

1/2 lemon (juice and zest)

50g smoked salmon (I use trimmings as itâ€™s already in small pieces which is what you need for this dish and itâ€™s more economical)

Black Pepper to season

Step 1: Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions, when it is al dente, drain, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water.

Step 2: Return the spaghetti in its pan to a low heat, add the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest and a grind of black pepper. Stir until the sauce is smooth and reduced enough to evenly coat the pasta (this will only take a minute).

Step 3: At the last moment, stir through the smoked salmon and serve immediately.

Garlic and Chilli Prawns

20th July 202220th July 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a main course/4 as a starter

This may be a messy meal but itâ€™s also delicious. If youâ€™re not a fan of peeling prawns then you can of course use ready peeled raw prawns (about 250g). But they wonâ€™t have as much flavour.

Serve with crusty bread to mop up all the oil and juices or with some fries.

Ingredients:

500g raw, shell on, king prawns

3 tbsp olive oil

2 spring onions

4 fat cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced

1 tsp chilli flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Step 1: Finely slice the spring onions, reserving the green ends as a garnish. Add the sliced white ends to a large frying pan or wok along with the olive oil. Heat over a medium high heat, as they start to sizzle add the garlic and chilli flakes along with the prawns. Stir frequently to avoid burning and cook until the prawns turn pink (a few minutes).

Step 2: Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the reserved slices of green spring onion and serve with wedges of fresh lemon. Eat immediately.

Pad Thai

9th April 20229th April 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a side

One of my favourites! The garnishes really make the flavour of this and you can control the heat by adding the chilli to your own taste. If making this gluten-free ensure you the oyster sauce you use is – Lee Kum Kee do one.

You can easily scale this recipe up, and add any extra protein you like; prawns or chicken work well. You can make the sauce up in advance of the final cooking the dish, the same goes for the frying of the tofu and the egg. Doing so makes the final cooking quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (gluten-free if required)

2 1/2 tbsp tamarind purÃ©e

4 1/2 tbsp packed/heaped light soft brown sugar

Stir fry:

2 handfuls of Stir fry vegetables of your choice (onion/pepper/baby corn/carrot ribbons work well)

3 handfuls of bean sprouts

225g firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes

2 eggs, beaten

200g wide flat rice noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions (then run through with cold water to stop them from sticking. You could also add a few drops of sesame oil to help keen them separate too)

Garnish:

1 lime cut into wedges

Fresh coriander leaves

Crushed chilli flakes

Crushed roasted peanuts

N.b. Steps 1-3 can be done in advance and stored in the fridge. If adding extra protein, stir fry before adding the vegetables in step 4.

Step 1: Mix all the sauce ingredients into a smooth sauce. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

Step 2: In a wok, fry the tofu in vegetable oil over a medium high heat, turning until nicely coloured and slightly crisped. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

Step 3: In the same wok, using the residual oil, scramble the eggs and cook until it is in dry pieces. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

If you have done steps 1-3 in advance remove from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to allow them to come up to room temperature.

Step 4: Heat a little oil in the wok over a high heat. Stir fry the vegetables, moving them about the pan. Add the cooked rice noodles and keep tossing or stirring them, then add the fried tofu, egg and sauce, keep tossing everything so that it is all is coated in the sauce and heated through.

Step 5: Once everything is piping hot, serve, with fresh coriander, wedges of lime, crushed peanuts and chilli flakes. Delicious.

Thai Three Taste Sauce

12th March 202012th March 2020
by thefoodwife

Makes enough for 3-4 portions

A staple in many Thai restaurants, the three tastes here are salty, sweet and sour. The saltiness comes from the fish sauce, the sweet from the palm sugar and the sourness from the tart tamarind paste. Thereâ€™s also a good punch of heat from the chilli and garlic.

It is an excellent accompaniment to (fried) fish or tofu. Make a batch and if not using it all at once, divide into mini portions and freeze.

The recipe below makes the sauce which you can then add to your chosen Thai dish. Once made simply add it to the end of your cooking of your fish or tofu. Serve with rice or noodles.

Ingredients:
3 chillis, roughly chopped (including seeds)
8 fat cloves of garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp water
65g palm sugar

Step 1: Begin by using a food processor to blitz the chilli and garlic into a rough paste.

Step 2: In a wok, heat the oil over a medium high heat and then stir fry the chilli-garlic paste for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until slightly thickened and the sugar fully dissolved. This may take three or four minutes. Stir frequently.

Step 4: Remove from the heat and it is now ready to use on your cooked fish or tofu, simply add for the last minute or two of cooking.

N.b. Adjust the amount of chilli depending on your tolerance.

BLW Tuna and Sweetcorn Cheesy Quesadillas

21st November 201821st November 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 1

This has become a favourite lunch for the Food Baby in our house. He likes to carefully pick out the sweetcorn and eat them and then munches his way through the rest of it. I use a tuna in spring water as brine is too salty and those in oil make it far too greasy. You can make this with any good melty cheese, weâ€™ve tried it with cheddar, Red Leicester and most recently the Spanish cheese, Tetilla.

Ingredients:
Spray oil
2 mini tortilla wraps
50g (melty) cheese (grated or sliced)
1/3 tin of tuna in spring water, drained
1 tbsp tinned sweetcorn, drained

Step 1: Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and spritz on some oil.

Step 2: Place one tortilla flat on the pan and add half the cheese. Top with the tuna and sweetcorn, sprinkled evenly, and finish with the remaining half of the cheese. Add the second tortilla and spray the top with a little more oil.

Step 3: Use a spatula to press the quesadilla and when the underside is toasted and firmed up, use the spatula to carefully turn the quesadilla over. Cook for another couple of minutes until the underside is browned.

I cut this into six pieces so it can be easily held by little hands and just make sure that before you serve the cheese isnâ€™t too hot to eat!