Fish n Chips

Friday night is traditionally a fish night.  Every local town has it's favourite chippie and it's always a good sign when you see queues out the door on a Friday at 6pm.  There is nothing more delicious than a lovely piece of cod or haddock battered served with luscious big fat chips, salt & vinegar and peas.  I'm salavating at the thought!  However we know it is just not possible to eat like this all the time and maintain or lose weight.  This is my alternative for a healthier fish and chips which does not compromise on taste!

You'll need for 2:

• 2 x 130g fillet of white fish
• 4 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon
• Seasoning
• 1-2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500g potato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 160g frozen peas
• Handful of finely chopped fresh parsely.

What to do:
You can prepare the fish earlier in the day to save you time later on.  Get 3 plates / shallow bowls out.  In one beat an egg.  In the next place your flour and season it.  In the third place your breadcrumbs.  Season the breadcrumbs and add the zest of the lemon and the finely chopped parsely.  Give the breadcrumbs a good mix.

Dry the fish using a sheet or two of kitchen towel.  Dip into the flour first, shaking off any excess, next the egg, and lastly the breadcrumbs.  Ensure that every part of the fish is covered.  Place on a clean plate and repeat with the other fish fillet.

In a roasting tin spray the potato wedges with olive oil spray or low cal cooking spray and season.  Place in a hot oven (200 fan) for 30 - 40 mins turning occasionally.

In a frying pan heat the sunflower oil.  Place the fish fillet and allow to colour nicely.  Don't touch it for at least 2-3 minutes and it should be golden brown.  Turn it over and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side.  Depending on the thickness of your fish it will take 5-10 minutes.  If it is quite a thick piece say perhaps a loin fillet it will take longer and you can always pop it in the oven for a couple of minutes if you unsure if it is cooked through or not.

Boil the peas for a couple of minutes according to the pack instructions.

Serve with lemon wedges and tartare sauce.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving:  14

Asian Steamed Cod with Stir Fried Rice

Every so often I do a trip to an Asian supermarket and stock up on authentic storecupboard ingredients such as dark and light soy sauces, fish sauce, herbs & spices, Sake, noodles and pastes.  It's much cheaper then your local supermarket and these ingredients keep really well in your cupboard. 

The last time I went, I picked up a large bamboo steamer and I really do get my moneys worth from it!  If you don't have a bamboo steamer you can use a regular steamer or you can even bake in a foil parcel creating a steam effect in the oven.

You'll need for 2:

• 2 x 130g cod loin
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp lazy ginger
• 1 tsp lazy garlic
• 1 tsp groundnut oil, or oil of your choice
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Pack of pak choi
• Half a punnet chestnut mushrooms
• 125g brown basmatti rice, cooked and cooled

What to do:

On a plate place the cod loins.  Scatter over 1 tsp ginger, lime juice, sake, 1 tbsp soy sauce, a small handful of spring onions and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.  Place in the bamboo steamer over a pan of boiling water and steam for 7-8 minutes until the fish is opaque throughout.

At the same time as getting the fish on, heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the vegetables with the garlic, 1 tsp chopped ginger and chilli until beginning to colour.  Season using 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce.  Add the rice and stir continuously until the rice is fully heated through.  Sprinkle with the rest of the chopped coriander.

Carefully lift the cooked fish out and place on top of the rice.  Pour over any remaining juices from the steamer.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 11

Baked Smoked Haddock & Leek Risotto

Every now and then you cook something for the first time that just works.  Tonight’s dinner was sublime!  So easy to do and so satisfying. 

I’ve had a big fillet of un-dyed smoked haddock in the freezer  for a few weeks and was looking for an interesting, low fat, recipe to use it up.  Again I referred to my trusty BBC Good Food website and found this recipe.  I made a few minor changes to reduce the fat count and what a winner! 

I used asparagus in replacement of spinach and added a squeeze of lemon at the end.  Green beans or peas would also work well.  I delightfully tucked into my dinner, burning my mouth on the piping hot risotto!  The only thing I absolutely must remember to do tonight before I hit the sack, is to empty the bin as while I love the fresh smell of this dish, I cannot bear to wake up to a house ponging of fish tomorrow morning!

You’ll need for 2:

·         1 large or 2 medium leeks, sliced

·         1 tsp butter

·         150g Arborio risotto rice

·         350ml veg stock.  I use the Knorr liquid stock concentrate

·         125ml skimmed milk

·         Bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut into pieces

·         250-300g un-dyed smoked haddock, cut into 2 – 3 pieces

·         Squeeze of lemon

·         Black pepper

·         2 tbsp low fat crème fraiche, I used the WeightWatchers one

·         Handful chopped parsely

What to do:

Preheat your fan oven to 180 c.  In an oven proof saucepan melt the butter gently.  Add the leeks and soften for a few minutes.  Add the rice and stir to allow the rice to toast for a minute or two.

Add the milk and the stock and bring to the boil.  Boil for 4-5 minutes.  Throw in the asparagus and stir.  Remove from the heat and put the haddock in the pan.  Cover with a lid or with foil and bake for 18-20 minutes.  (DS1 begged for 1 more story, so mine had 25 minutes and this was still fine!)

Remove from the oven and stir in the crème fraiche, parsley, black pepper and squeeze of lemon.  The haddock will break up into chunks as you stir.  Serve up and watch the roof of your mouth as it’s hot!!

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 12

Linguine Nero Di Sepia con Gamberoni & Capesante

Black squid ink linguine with king prawns & scallops

It was our 7^th wedding anniversary on Sunday so a celebratory meal was in order.  My hubby decided to continue with his latest desire to master the Italian cuisine.  It’s very fitting he should choose this particular dish which is so reminiscent of the wonderful times we have spent in Sicily eating fresh seafood, but more so as it was on this day 7 years ago that we tied the knot with the beautiful mountainous countryside of Sicily and our backdrop as we feasted on a 7 course meal which includes some of the best seafood we have ever tasted.

A bit about the produce:

When DH decides to do something, he does it to perfection so it is no surprise that he selected one of Italy’s finest variety of tomato to use in his fresh pasta sauce, the datterini.  These sweet, almost grape like tomatoes are available from Italian importers but do not come cheap at around £9 a kilo.  To get the most from this speciality tomato, he scored, blanched and peeled each baby plum tomato to create a wonderful sauce.  This was an afternoon’s work on its own!  Any good ripe, vine tomato would suffice if you do not have the inclination to use the datterini, however you can source them from Natoora

The fish was purchased from our favourite fishmonger; Chelsea Fishmongers in Guildford.  You can be guaranteed that what you find here has not been farmed or preserved in a warehouse only to reach our plates 3 weeks later.  The fish here is the freshest, often line caught or wild and off the boat within the last 48 hours.

The last ingredient that needs a special mention is the wonderful Linguine Nero di Sepia.  This black pasta gains its colour from squid ink which is of course, black. The injection of colour also adds as a flavour enhancer, making it the perfect accompaniment to seafood.  You can find squid ink pasta in specialist Italian delis such as Camisa

You’ll need for 2 adults:

• 150 – 200g linguine nero di sepia
• 500g datterini tomatoes, skinned and crushed, juice discarded
• 20g parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 8 king prawns, middle legs removed and middle peeled.  Head and tail not removed
• 6 large scallops, cut into 2 or 3
• ½ red chilli finely chopped.  Seeds added or not – to your liking
• Seasoning

What to do:

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and chilli.  Fry gently for about 30 seconds.  Add the prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until they start to go lightly pink.  Remove to a plate.

Add the tomatoes and parsley and cook for around 7 minutes on a medium heat.  Add the wine and allow to evaporate for a minute or two.   Add the prawns back in and add the scallops too.  Season using plenty of black pepper and salt to your taste.

Drain the pasta and retain some of the cooking water.  Add to the sauce.  Toss together and serve.  Add some of the pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce at all.

When eating, you can remove the prawn heads and let all the wonderful juice from the head fall into the plate to add even more flavour and depth to this most delicious dish.