Roast salmon salad – another way with new potatoes

This salad came about from one of those days where I popped to the supermarket after work and picking Abs up from school. I asked her what she fancied and she said ‘salmon’. We found a new product… honey roasted salmon, so I decided we would make a salad with it, using up some of the copious potatoes hiding under the earth in our garden. All the items came together as I walked around two aisles (veg and dairy) and needed little prep at home; essential for me on a Tuesday night!

A quick pick-up from the supermarket

Honey-roast salmon salad – serves 2 adults, 1 child
1 pack honey-roast salmon (hot smoked salmon would work here too)
Pack watercress
a little oil and vinegar
2 spring onions
200g new potatoes
Greek yoghurt and chopped dill to top

• Cook new potatoes (half if large) in boiling salted water for 15-20 mins – check by sticking in a fork to see if they’re cooked – drain and leave to cool slightly
• Remove the large stems from the watercress and place in 3 pasta bowls or on 3 plates – drizzle with a little oil and vinegar and toss gently
• Break the salmon up into flakes and add to each plate
• Share out the potatoes between plates
• Thinly slice the spring onions and sprinkle over the salad
• Top with a dollop of greek yoghurt and a small sprinkle of finely chopped dill

An easy mid-week meal

As you can see we also had a side dish of fresh peas… I would add peas to this salad another time, for a bit of added sweetness.

.... and a happy diner!

King prawns with garlic and chilli – so good I made it twice!

Ready, steady, cook! The basic ingredients…

Tonight had to be a quick one….. I am exhausted…. Jon was out running a debate…. Abbie now in bed…..Tesco have delivered…. washing is in machine….. need wine asap!  I went for an old stand-by, ‘Chilli and garlic prawn’ beacuse it is delicious and primarily quick!  Jon came in about 45mins after I’d cooked and eaten mine and looked so forlorn that I made it again!  As Abbie would say… ‘Two thumbs up, times two!!’

Ingredients for one – splash of cold-pressed rapeseed oil (or olive oil), 1/2 red chilli, big squeeze of garlic puree, 8 huge, frozen raw king prawns, slosh of dry white wine, pinch of Maldon salt, sprinkle of finely chopped corriander (cilantro).

• Heat oil, add chopped chilli, garlic and stir, add frozen prawns (fine to cook from frozen as long as they are raw)
• Keep stirring until the prawns start to turn pink on both side and add a slug of white wine (I use dry vermouth if I am out of wine)
• Add a pinch of salt, stir and let it bubble down until the prawns are pink and cooked. Pour into a bowl and serve, sprinkling over the corriander (parsley would also do here)
• Accompany with a nice, crusty bit of bread, drizzled with a little oil, to soak up the juices

a little bit of prep - chop the chilli

add the wine and let it bubble down...

served with a piece of toasted sourdough (courtesy of my Mum)

A quickly knocked-together paella-esque supper…

Wednesday night is often leftovers night… tonight was no exception! I had spring onions and a bag of sugar snaps in the veggie draw which looked like they would go off in the next 24hours…..
Instead of the hard chorizo sausages you can buy from the supermarket, I use chorizos which are textured more like normal sausages. My butcher’s make them, but you can also get them in packs from Costco…. they are called ‘goikoa’ fresh chorizos. These are great for introducing children to chorizo as the texture is more familiar and the spice is more subtle. They can also be frozen and then defrosted when needed – in cases like today!
Anyway, the recipe – vary the veg to what you have…
3 small fresh chorizos (1/2 ‘hard’ chorizo) – cut into thin rounds
3 spring onions – chopped
75-100g basmati rice
200ml water
1-2 handfuls frozen sweetcorn
1-2 handfuls sugar snaps

1) dry fry the chorizo – when the amber oil seeps out add the spring onions – cook for minutes until the chorizo is crispy on the outside
2) add rice and stir to coat in the lovely chorizo-y oil and juices before adding the water and frozen sweetcorn
3) if not already boiling, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes with a lid on – check and stir occasionally, add more water if too dry
4) add sugar snaps, stir, lid on – cook for 3 minutes.

 

I was suprised how well Abbie ate, considering the amount of icing she had eaten earlier - this dish got two thumbs up!