Delicious, fast, simple & Healthy Salmon Fish Cakes

Is it really worth it? It is of course
but in moderation

Out with the old Habits
"Shur I could be knocked down by a bus in the morning" I'd say as I inhaled the last puff of my fag. Yeah, that was my attitude in my twenties. Thought I was invincible. But my health gave me a few shocks and the big 3 0 was fast approaching. Jan 1st 2011 I decided to quit the cigs. Most of us have great intentions, and whilst some are short lived, this one wasn't. My doctor pleaded with my vanity above anything else, and shameful to admit, that was a big factor, not to mind I'd be a few grand richer (ah....where has that gone?)




In with the new

We all need to keep an eye on our weight

So a year down the road, my weight has fluctuated. I decided to start the Dukan diet a couple of weeks back coupled with my favourite exercize 'Zumba'. It a whole pile of fun. Life needs to be fun and I refuse to be in pain when trying to be healthy, which brings me to food. Many people associate the word 'diet' with deprivation and dull boring food. The reason it is that is because we need to make more effort to make healthy food more interesting. 

Salmon Fish cakes. No compromise on taste. SWEAR

I made these delicious Salmon fish cakes this evening and was compelled to blog them before I forgot the recipe. They were packed full of flavour and tasted quite luscious. Feel free to add your own bits and bobs. This is super healthy and lets face it, we ALL should be eating more fish. 


Salmon Fish Cakes
Makes 4 fish cakes


Ingredients


2 large Salmon Fillets
1 egg & 1 egg white
1 tablespoon of oat bran (use breadcrumbs if you like)
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of sweetener (or brown sugar if you're not on Dukan)
1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of corriander
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 large bunch of coriander leaves
Juice of a lime
3 spring onions, finely sliced
dash of Rapeseed Oil, for frying




Lemon and Lime Yogurt dressing
Half a lime, juice & zest
Half a lemon, juice & Zest
Small pot of natural yogurt


Method


Put all the ingredients bar the sliced onion into a food processor for a few seconds. 


Stir in the spring onions and make 4 patties and put on some greaseproof paper in the fridge for about 10 mins to firm up.


Use a non stick pan and heat a teaspoon of rapeseed oil (rub with kitchen paper if you are super conscious of the calories) On a medium heat, cook the patties for about 2-3 mins each side, ensuring they don't burn.


Serve with some nice green veg like sugar snap peas and some lemon & lime yogurt dressing. 

Feisty Fish Thai Red Curry

A quick foreword...

I know. It's been ages. I've been busy obsessing about carbs and baking things that I won't allow myself to eat. 'Living vicariously' as one tweeter suggested. Absolutely. Hey look, I know the whole 'eat less, move more' ethos, I do. But I always like to try new ways of feeling and looking fabulous, and mixing it up helps me to stay motivated. Plus it's a not so secret fantasy of mine that one day, I'll be referred to as the skinny bitch in the corner. Life has been good overall, have burst into 2012 with loads of positive energy and contentment has taken up residency and is a very welcome addition to my sometimes chaotic life.  

It's a paste, not 'Chicken Tonight'
 so don't beat yourself up

Now, onto the cooking: 

So I've cooked loads of wonderful dishes over the past couple of weeks, but one that I stood out for me was my Thai fish curry. I visited my local fishmonger to purchase monkfish, but they was out and so they suggested Victoria Perch instead. I was hesitant but oh my, this fish is PERFECT in a fish curry. It's a white, extremely meaty fish that holds it's own and doesn't flake into nothingness. It's a white, low calorie option and better still it's very reasonably priced. I used a paste for this dish, which I wasn't happy about, as I like to make everything from scratch (which, I might add, I can be annoyingly boastful about) but after putting out some feelers to the foodie community via twitter I was reassured that the paste I was using was top notch and really ,I couldn't go wrong. And were they right. This paste can be bought in any good eastern cuisine store.

I've not cooked a whole pile of Thai food in my lifetime, nor could I call myself a Thai cuisine fan per se, but this dish packed a punch and more besides. I beg you to make this dish. You'll go back for seconds, in fact you'll probably cook it again within the week. Feel free to add some vegetables, maybe some cooked spuds, peppers or some cherry tomatoes. 

For God sake, it's too deleicious

Feisty Fish Thai Red Curry

Serves 2

splash of sunflower oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large red or white onion, cut into large chunks (or whatever your preference)

2 Victoria Perch Fillets, cut into bite size pieces (or any meaty white fish)

1 decent Tablespoon of Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste (This is quite hot, so if you'd prefer it milder, maybe use a dessert spoon)

1 tin of Coconut milk (go for half fat if you want to save calories....BORING!)

Juice & Zest of a lime

1 Tablespoon of muscavado sugar

A decent bunch of chopped fresh Coriander

Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic paste and fry on a low heat for about 10 mins until the onions have softened

2. Add in the sugar, the zest and juice of the lime and the coconut milk and bring to the boil

3. Allow to simmer and reduce for about 10-15 mins. 

4. Fire in the fish and cook for a minute or two until the fish is cooked. 

5. Stir in some chopped coriander and use some for a garnish too.

HEALTH WARNING: It is strongly recommended that a cold beer or two is consumed whilst eating this.