Sardines Two Ways

This is the final week of our 4 week oily fish challenge with Fish is The Dish. For this week I chose to cook with sardines, and bought tins of boneless sardines in tomato sauce. They're not quite the same as fresh sardines but they are very versatile and good for quick and easy meals.

I made the sardine rarebit for myself but it's definitely one that my husband will love, so I will have to put it on the menu for him soon. The pasta bake doesn't really have much fish in for 5 people but I didn't want to make it too fishy and put Sam off, as I wanted him to eat at least one of my fish dishes. The good news is that, despite smelling the fish, and then being able to taste it, he still ate it, AND he liked it!

I've actually quite enjoyed our challenge, and I will definitely be adding more fish to my shopping basket in the future.

Sardine Rarebit - serves 1

95g tin boneless sardines in tomato sauce
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
handful of grated mature cheddar cheese
crusty bread slices or ciabatta

• Mash the sardines with a fork
• Mix in the worcestershire sauce and cheese (reserving a little for the top)
• Spread over the bread or ciabatta
• Place on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 15-20 mins - adding the remaining grated cheese for the last couple of minutes of cooking time

Mexican Sardine Pasta Bake - serves 5

olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
Knorr mexican Flavour Pot
95g tin boneless sardines in tomato sauce
1 red pepper, chopped

400g tin chopped tomatoes

can of baked beans

100g sweetcorn
300g dried pasta
200g half fat creme fraiche
150g mature cheddar cheese, grated

• Heat the olive oil in a pan
• Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes until softened
• Add the mexican flavour pot, the sardines and pepper
• Cook for a few minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent sticking
• Add the tomatoes, beans and sweetcorn
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes
• In the meantime, cook the pasta for 10 minutes in lots of boiling water
• Drain the pasts and add to the sauce, mix well
• Pour everything into a large baking dish
• Top with the creme fraiche and then the grated cheese
• Bake in a 200C oven for approx 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Salmon Two Ways

This is the third post for Fish is the Dish, with the first being Smoked Mackerel Two Ways, and the second being Trout Two ways.  This week it's the turn of the salmon, which is one fish I will buy if I had to buy any (other than a tin of tuna or some pre battered cod).

My favourite way to cook a fillet of salmon is to bake it with a crust on. This can be made with nuts, breadcrumbs and cheese, but I went for a crunchy coconut crust, spiced up with some chilli. The second version was a simple fried salmon fillet, served in a ciabatta with salad and a yogurt dressing. Both dishes were really quick and simple to cook - fast food doesn't have to be unhealthy.

Salmon with chilli & lemon coconut crust - serves 2

2 salmon fillets
4 tbsp shredded coconut
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp chilli flakes
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

• Lay the salmon fillets in a lightly oiled baking dish, skin side down
• Mix the coconut, mayonnaise, chilli flakes, lemon zest and coriander together
• Spread over the salmon fillets
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes

so simple but so tasty. I am converted and could eat this every day of the week!

Simple Salmon Ciabatta Burger - serves 2

olive oil
2 salmon fillets
handful fresh parsley, chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tbsp Natural Greek Yogurt
salt & pepper
2 square Ciabattas
lettuce

• Heat a little olive oil in a pan
• Lay the salmon in the pan, skin side down
• Fry for 4-5 minutes 
• Season the salmon with salt & pepper before turning it over & frying again for approx 4 minutes, until cooked through
• Mix the the parsley with the onion & yogurt & season
• Slice the ciabatta
• Add some lettuce leaves to the bottom half of the ciabatta
• Lay on the salmon and top with the yogurt & top half of ciabatta

Serve as it is for lunch, or with a side of fries for a main meal

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Trout Two Ways

Last week I shared my smoked mackerel recipes for the start of our October challenge to eat more oily fish. The mackerel was a complete success and I have been converted. This week we have tried trout, which I felt a little daunted by as I would actually have to cook it, unlike the smoked mackerel.

I bought some ready prepared trout (minus the head and guts), and I simply stuffed them and baked them. It was so quick and easy, and tasted absolutely lovely and made me wonder why I have never eaten it before! The husband and two out of three children loved it too - surprise, surprise teenager Sam (who refused to eat the mackerel because of the smell) also refused to try the trout.

Trout with Cream Cheese & Basil - serves 2

2 prepared small trout
150g cream cheese
handful of basil, chopped
salt & pepper

• Mix the cream cheese & basil together
• Season with salt & pepper
• Smear inside the trout
• Wrap the trout tightly in foil
• Place into an ovenproof dish & bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15-20 minutes

Trout with Red Pesto - serves 2

2 prepared small trout
4-6 tbsp Red pesto

• Smear the pesto inside the trout
• Wrap the trout tightly in foil
• Place into an ovenproof dish & bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15-20 minutes

You can find more trout recipes on Fish is The Dish here.

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Smoked Mackerel Two Ways

I've mentioned before on this blog about my lack of love for fish. I like a bit of chip shop fish but not much more than that, and for that reason the rest of the family don't eat it much either. I do love a challenge though, so when I was challenged to get the family eating more oily fish this month I was happy to give it a go. I promised myself that would also try eating it too, especially as I'm currently experiencing some joint problems and I'm hoping that the addition of some oily fish in my diet may help with this.

This week we have tried smoked mackerel two ways, first as a pate and second in wraps. The husband absolutely loved both, as did Hanna who has always liked her fish. Jack was willing to give it a try but couldn't quite make up his mind whether he liked it or not, and Sam (who used to love fish and seafood when he was a toddler) refused to try it and complained about the smell!

I surprised myself and loved it too, and will definitely be adding smoked mackerel to the shopping list again.

I adapted the recipes from the Fish is the Dish website here and here.

Smoked Mackerel & Chilli Pate - serves 2 as a lunch or 4 as a starter

100g smoked mackerel fillets

100g cream cheese

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 red chilli

• Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth
• Serve with crusty bread and green salad leaves

Smoked Mackerel Wraps - serves 2 

100g smoked mackerel fillets, shredded

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

strips of cucumber

2 tbsp natural yogurt

2 tortilla wraps

• lay out the wraps and divide the mackerel between them
• add the spring onion and cucumber on top, followed by the yogurt
• Roll the wraps up and slice in half on a diagonal

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Pasta Fish Bake

The family is divided on fish, 2 like it, 2 don't (unless it's white & covered in batter & served next to a pile of chips wrapped in paper) and the other one hasn't really decided yet. From time to time I like to please the fish loving pair and thought a fish pie would do the trick. As Candy Crush has pretty much taken over my life I was snowed under with work I opted to use pasta instead of all that faffing with peeling, boiling and mashing of the potatoes.

It did the trick anyway and the fish lovers loved it, the non fish lovers were not so keen on the after smell. Thank heavens for Yankee Candles..

Pasta Fish Bake - Serves 3/4

350g Dried Pasta

355g Mixed Fish (I used haddock, smoked haddock and salmon)

100ml Milk

200g Cream Cheese (low fat onion & chive)

100g Frozen Peas

100g Frozen Sweetcorn

1 tsp Cornflour

Dash of milk

2 Hard boiled Eggs, each cut into 8 pieces

85g Cheddar Cheese, grated

• Put the pasta on to boil as per directions on the pack
• Bring the milk to a boil in a lidded pan (suitable for oven use)
• Add the fish to the milk, turn down heat, place the lid on for 7-8 minutes
• Stir in the cream cheese, peas and sweetcorn
• Mix the cornflour to a paste with the milk and stir into the pan
• Once the pasta is cooked stir it into the pan & add the eggs
• Cover with grated cheese and bake in a 200 C oven for approximately 15-20 minutes until golden brown