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Recipe: Pesto pasta with vegetables and fish
I love pesto on anything: pasta, warm salads, frittatas, etc. This pesto pasta with vegetables and fish is not only delicious but easy to make and highly nutritious. I recommend using pulse/legume pasta for added fibre and protein, and lower glycaemic index. As a bonus, it is gluten-free. There are a few different brands available in supermarkets (e.g. San Remo, Barilla). We have been using Slendier fettucine lately but choose the brand and shape you like. There are a few unorthodox ingredients in this pesto: baby spinach in addition to basil (a nod to Peruvian-style pesto), sunflower and pumpkin seeds instead of pinenuts, Pecorino instead of Parmesan and garlic powder…
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Recipe: Roasted cauliflower and capsicum salad with fish
Roasted vegetable salads are a great addition to your repertoire when you get bored of the same raw ingredients and/or when you want a meal that feels more substantial. This roasted cauliflower and capsicum salad with fish is the perfect Mediterranean-inspired weeknight lunch. Yes, there is a bit of work involved in roasting vegetables but in many cases the results are totally worth it. In addition, using canned fish saves you a lot of effort and potentially money. Lately, I have been using Sole Mare mackerel in olive oil (pictured below) or Sirena tuna in extra virgin olive oil (which comes in 2-serve glass jars). You can sub any other…
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Recipe: Lentil and radish salad with salmon and tahini dressing
This Middle Eastern-inspired lentil and radish salad with salmon and tahini dressing is packed with fibre, protein, and most importantly, flavour. The salad by itself is vegan, gluten-free and high in fibre. In addition, it has a decent amount of protein (18.6 g per serve) thanks to the lentils. With the salmon, the total protein content is about 45 grams per serve. I smoked the salmon using smoker boxes filled with cherry wood chips in my gas grill. As indicated in the recipe, you can pan-fry the salmon if you don’t have the gear to smoke it. Don’t eat salmon? You can substitute other protein source (e.g. grilled or roasted…
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Recipe: Teriyaki-glazed salmon with corn and broccoli
This teriyaki-glazed salmon with corn and broccoli is an easy and healthy meal you can have ready in less than thirty minutes. This dish is packed with protein and omega-3 healthy fats from the salmon and fibre from the vegetables. Salmon also contains vitamin D, among other nutrients. The teriyaki glaze has only 2 ingredients: soy sauce and mirin, which are available in major supermarkets and Asian grocers. I use gluten-free tamari, but any soy sauce will do. I served this dish with cooked basmati rice. Feel free to use a lower carbohydrate substitute (such as cauliflower rice or konjac rice).
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Recipe: My mum’s tuna croquettes
Another mum recipe! Tuna croquettes (“croquetas de atún”) was a weeknight dish that was on a semi-regular rotation at our house. I always looked forward to the next time we’d have them. Mum served the croquettes with a lot of rice and some veggies: green beans, peas and carrots that were first blanched in water and then fried in butter. I would always add a big dollop of tomato sauce on my rice. No wonder I was a fat kid! I’m not complaining but this was the hardest mum’s recipe for me to re-create because she did not give me even a remote approximation of quantities. I do know she…
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Product review: Safcol tuna pouches
Safcol produce a large percentage of the canned fish available in Australia. Their tuna is wild caught using sustainable fishing practices. Canned tuna is a cheap and convenient source of protein. When bought in brine or springwater is low in fat, some of which is in the form of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from the traditional cans, Safcol has recently launched a new line of tuna pouches. As the package reads, these are a good addition to salads, sandwiches, wraps and pasta (they also mention pizza but I’m not to sure about that one…) Pros Compact, light and portable No need to drain Some varieties contain very few healthy…
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Recipe: Salmon with roasted Brussel sprouts, fennel and pesto
This is an easy recipe that combines some of my favourite things: crispy skin salmon, Brussel sprouts and pesto. This is a meal packed with healthy fats, including omega-3 from the salmon and monounsaturated fats from the extra-virgin olive oil. This dish is gluten-free and low in carbs. Feel free to swap the vegetables for your favourite ones or whatever you have available. I used Pecorino cheese (made from sheep’s milk) instead of Parmigiano Reggiano because I prefer its sharp taste, but you can use regular Parmesan. I also left out the garlic – I prefer using roasted garlic instead of raw in sauces but wanted to keep this recipe…
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Recipe: Sudado de pescado (Peruvian steamed fish)
Sudado de pescado can be considered a soup or a stew. I guess it depends on how you serve it: with boiled cassava or with boiled cassava and rice. The verb sudar means “to sweat”… in this context, it means the fish is steamed on top of a bed of onions and tomatoes with a delicious broth. One of the broth ingredients is chicha de jora, a fermented beverage made from malted maize (corn), commonly used in Peruvian cuisine. It is also served as a drink in many towns in the highlands to children and adults, despite its alcoholic content. Back in the day, the fermentation was kickstarted by chewing…
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Recipe: Peruvian ceviche
Classic Peruvian ceviche (cebiche or seviche are the proper spellings that nobody uses anymore) consists of 4 ingredients: fish, lime juice, onions and chillies. It is normally served with sweet potato and choclo (Peruvian white corn). Less common accompaniments include potato, yuca (cassava), yuyo (seaweed), rice (!). Cancha is normally served as a snack, although some restaurants serve some as part of the dish. Buen provecho!
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Recipe: Pescado sudado (Peruvian steamed fish)
Pescado sudado is another Peruvian classic dish, very easy to make and very comforting. “Sudar” means to sweat, the name reflects the fact that the fish is cooked by the steam produced by the liquid at the bottom of the pan. The recipe calls for a couple of Peruvian ingredients (ají panca and chicha de jora), which can be found in a few stores in Sydney (contact me if you’re interested), but can be substituted if needed. While this dish is mainly made with fish only, my mum makes a killer version with fish and scallops, and a friend makes one with mussels.
