Pan Fried Salmon in Creamy Vermouth Sauce

I am slowly finding the motivation to lose the whole stone I have gained in the last 3 months since losing my mum. Everyone keeps telling me that it's ok to put on weight during this time, but it doesn't make you feel any better about yourself and my back is giving me trouble because I am so unfit. So it's back to Zumba for me and eating healthy but tasty to shift these excess lbs. I hope to start adding some more really tasty recipes to my food blog over the next few weeks.

At the moment the eating tasty part is absolutely crucial. I need to re-realise that with my style of cooking, following Weightwatchers means you do not miss out. I cooked this dish for the first time a few weeks ago for my husband and my father-in-law. At this time, my Father-in-law was ill and was staying with us. His 'mmms' meant that my dinner met his seal of approval, despite the fact his favourite meal was a nice pork chop or sirloin steak with a nice bit of fat around the meat. Sadly he passed away shortly after this (just 2 months after my mum). I'll always think of him when I carefully remove any fat from my meat in future, sadly now it will stay on the side of my plate and won't be on his.

This meal is based on a classic dish of fish in a creamy herb sauce, but it really is so simple to make it lower fat and WeightWatcher friendly with my little adaptations.

You'll need for 2:

• 2 x 115g salmon fillets, skin on
• Fry light spray
• 400g new potatoes
• Green beans / spinach / asparagus / kale / greens of your choice
• 1 tbsp dry vermouth
• 2-3 tbsp half fat creme fraiche
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• Squeeze of lemon
• Small handful of chopped chives / parsley / tarragon
• 1 cup chicken stock (made using cube or stock pot or concentrate)
• Seasoning

Method:

• Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Boil until tender. This should take about 20 minutes once boiling.
• After about 15 minutes, heat a non-stick frying pan. Spray with fry light. Pat dry the salmon fillets with some kitchen towel and season. Place the fillets skin side down in the frying pan and cook for 5 - 8 minutes. Turn and reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook. I like my salmon pink in the middle so 8-10 minutes should do it depending on the thickness. You can finish the salmon off in a hot oven for a few minutes to ensure it is cooked through if you prefer.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to steam dry for a few minutes
• Remove the salmon and keep warm on warmed plates whilst you make the sauce
• In the frying pan add the vermouth and after a few seconds add the chicken stock and boil away to reduce slightly. If using fine green beans or fine asparagus you can add these into the stock to cook for a couple of minutes so they maintain their bite. They will absorb the lovely flavours from the stock too. 

Asparagus cooking in the stock

• Remove the veg to the plates and season the sauce with plenty of black pepper and add the freshly chopped herbs. Take off the heat and add a squeeze of lemon and the half fat creme fraiche. Stir well and pour over the salmon and vegetables.
• Serve with the new potatoes

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 12

Salmon Teriyaki

I really do love Asian food.  Especially Chinese and Thai.  I have longed to perfect a handful of Asian dishes and think I’ve got this one pretty much down.  I’m a big fan of Ching He-Haung as I think she cooks wonderful Chinese food in a naturally healthy manner.  My recipes are very often based on hers, but of course I look to cut down on oil wherever possible to save valuable WeightWatchers ProPoints and up the veg content making it Slimming World friendly.

This teriyaki marinade works well not just with salmon but also with chicken, beef or prawns.  Marinade for a couple of hours if you can.  Tonight I had, er all of 5 minutes but the dish was still tasty. 

You’ll need for 2:

• 2 salmon fillets, each 110g
• 1 teaspoon Sesame or Groundnut oil
• 1 pack of baby corn and mangetout, sliced
• 1 pak Choi, sliced
• Handful of chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp dark soy
• 1 tbsp light soy
• Squeeze of lemon or few drops of concentrated lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Mirin (or you could use honey)
• 1 tsp lazy chopped garlic
• 1 tsp lazy chopped ginger
• Pinch chilli flakes (optional)
• 2 portions dried egg noodles, medium (60g each)

What to do:

Make up the marinade by combining the dark soy, mirin, garlic, lemon, ginger, chilli flakes.  Marinade the salmon for an hour or so if you can

The next few steps all happen simultaneously so get all your pans ready!

Simmer the egg noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and rinse in cold water until required.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan and fry the veggies on a high heat.

Heat a griddle pan and shake off any excess marinade and griddle for 3-4 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the salmon.  You can also bake the salmon on a foil lined tray or grill.

Add any excess marinade to the veggies along with 1 tbsp light soy sauce.

Add the noodles to the veggies and toss to coat evenly.

Plate up with the noodles / veggies first, then top with the cooked salmon.

WeightWatchers Propoints Per Seving: 13

Kedgeree

I love kedgeree and my favourite version is with salmon.  Whilst the oily fish has undeniable health benefits it also does add ProPoints, so in my book if I am cooking this mid-week, I will use a simple white fish like haddock or Pollock.  I could also save on Propoints by not adding egg or peas, but to me it’s not kedgeree.  This version is a compromise but if you did try my ultimate version with salmon and peas it would total 16 Propoints!

So here is my WeightWatcher friendly Kedgeree, a perfect mid-week meal that comes in at just 12 ProPoints.

You’ll need for 2:

• 2 white fish fillets approx 120g each

• 1 small onion
• Handful of green beans, chopped
• Small pack of baby corn, sliced into discs
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil or rapeseed oil
• 140g dry weight brown basmati rice, cooked then cooled
• 2 medium eggs, hard boiled
• 2 teaspoons mild curry paste, Pataks is good
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Handful of fresh coriander finely chopped
• A cupful of water
• Seasoning

What to do:
It’s best to cook the rice in advance so it’s cooled thoroughly before you stir fry it to prevent it going mushy.  Everything is cooked quite separately so it is just an assembly job at the end, but this also means you can prep a fair amount in advance based around your busy day.

Place the fish on a foil lined baking sheet and season.  Fold the foil up to create a loose parcel and bake for approx 7-10 minutes until just cooked through

At the same time, in a sauce pan boil your eggs for 7 minutes, drain and then cool in cold water.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan or wok and sauté the onion.  Add in your veg and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the curry paste and the water to help loosen the paste.  Cook on high for a minute or two.  Add some seasoning. Add the rice to your wok and stir continuously to coat and heat the rice through.

Everything ‘should’ come together at the same time.  Serve the rice mixture onto a plate.  Remove the fish from the oven.  I like to break the fish up into chunks and stir lightly through the rice but you can serve it as a fillet on top of the rice if you prefer.  Scatter some coriander, chop up and add your egg and finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Weight Watchers ProPoints: 12