The Dark Side... and yet delicious

Today I find myself preparing for the onslaught that is the curse of the Christmas pounds.  By this, I mean one caused by too many glasses of Champagne and the Christmas meat-fest.  Make no mistake I know when to stop, it’s just that sometimes I decide not to.

So for the next couple of days we are heading to the dark side and going healthy.  This, for me, means fish and Thai flavours. 

For supper tonight it’s a fish dish.  Although not completely virtuous it does have a lot less fat than some other dishes.  It also makes a very good starter and would provide the perfect stress free ‘wow’ for those celebration dinners coming up.

Think creamy Prawn Mousse with a Salmon confit marinated in citrus fruits and pink peppercorns and finished with Dijon Mustard and Dill.  Serve with Cucumber salad, a few leaves and some fresh Brown Bread.  Not only gorgeous but positively healthy with all that Omega 3!

And for lunch tomorrow (and if I am lucky the next day too) it is a seriously good Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken and Prawns. 

Prawn Mousse and Confit of Salmon (serves 4 supper or 6 for a starter)

Marinated Salmon

Olive Oil (enough to have 3" in your chosen pan)

Zest of 1 Lime and 1 Lemon

½ Echalion or Banana Shallot (finely diced)

1 tsp Pink Peppercorns

1 tsp fresh ground Sea Salt

1 tsp Caster Sugar

½ kg Fresh Salmon Fillet (skinned and pin boned)

Large handful of Dill

3 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Combine the zest of the lemon and lime, the shallot, the peppercorns, salt, a sprig of dill and the sugar together press onto the salmon.  Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours.  Wash off the marinade and pat dry. 

Heat the olive oil in a pan until finger touch warm.  Place the salmon in the olive oil, remove from the heat and leave to sit in the oil for 15 minutes.  Gently remove from the pan, drain and remove oil with a kitchen towel.  Using a pastry brush (or something similar) brush over the mustard and sprinkle over the dill pressing onto the salmon.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

When ready to serve, slice the salmon.

Prawn Mousse

300g Large Prawns (I like the meatiness of the Tiger Prawns but smaller ones work well too)

250g Mascarpone Cream

1 dsp Horseradish Cream

1 tbsp Dill

Squeeze of Lemon Juice and Black Pepper

In a food processor, combine the prawns, mascarpone, horseradish cream, dill, lemon juice and black pepper and blend to combine until smooth.  Season to taste and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cucumber Salad

½ Cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced

50g Caster Sugar

3 tbsp Chardonnay Wine Vinegar

125 ml Water

In a saucepan, heat up the 3 tbsp of wine vinegar, the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour over the cucumber and stir to combine.  Place in a plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.  Drain before serving.

Lay all the wonderful dishes you have just made on a platter alongside some brown bread and butter and let everyone help themselves.

And now for lunch...

Chicken and Prawn Thai Noodle Salad

For the Salad

180g Ramen Noodles

4 tbsp Sesame Oil

150g Spouting Broccoli

50g Cashew Nuts

¼ Cucumber (halved, deseeded and sliced)

4 Spring Onions cut into 1cm pieces

150g Asparagus

2 Chicken Thighs (cut into 1 cm slices)

150g Tiger King Prawns

Small bunch of Coriander and Flat Leaf Parsley (roughly chopped)

1/2 inch fresh Ginger finely chopped

2 clove Garlic finely chopped

½ tsp dried Chilli Flakes (more depending on how spicy you like it)

For the Dressing

2 tablespoons Lime Juice

2 tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)

4 tablespoons Sesame oil

2 teaspoons White Sugar

First of all combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.

Pour the sesame oil in a sauté pan and add the chicken, cook for a few minutes turning to get all sides lightly browned.  Add the ginger and garlic and continue to cook for a couple of minutes then add the broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, spring onions and chilli flakes.  Continue to cook for a few more minutes and then add the prawns and cashew nuts.

Pour in the dressing and heat through to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, place the ramen noodles in boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes.  Drain and mix into the other ingredients.  Leave for a few minutes until its cool enough to combine with your hands, add the chopped parsley and coriander and gently combine the salad and noodles with your fingertips.

Season to taste with pepper (you will probably not need salt due to the Nam Pla).  

At this point you can either eat it hot or place in the refrigerator to eat cold as a salad later. 

The flavours intensify and continue to infuse as it sits.  The best thing is that it will be perfectly happy in the fridge for a couple of days meaning it just gets better as you continue to dip in!