Chipotle Chilli Grilled Salmon Kebabs

August 7, 2017 / Claire / Leave a comment

Grilled salmon skewers with a smoky and spicy marinade. Served with a cooling mint and coriander yogurt dip, pita bread and salad. Perfect for hot and spicy summer nights!

Salmon kebabs2

All of my family love salmon, so these go down really well and can be cooked on a griddle pan, the barbecue, or even on a lined baking sheet in the oven. You can up the spice levels by adding more of the chipotle marinade. The coriander/cilantro used in the yogurt dip is entirely optional. I love it, but the rest of the family – not so much!

As a contact lens wearer, I always use disposable latex gloves when chopping, or using any kind of chilli in a marinade. So much pain and the chilli lasts on your skin for hours, despite washing like Lady McBeth!

Salad:
Baby salad leaves
Handful of black olives
Hothouse cucumber slices
Small handful of cherry tomatoes – halved
Feta cheese, crumbled
Lemon wedges and warm pita to serve

Chipotle marinade:
2tbs prepared chipotle paste
Juice of 1 small lime
2tsp olive oil

Kebabs:
Around 400g/14oz Salmon cut into large cubes – this is enough for 2 hungry people
1-2 Courgettes/zucchini, halved down the middle and cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into large squares
Salt and pepper to season

Yogurt dip/dressing:
6tbs Greek yogurt
Small bunch of chopped mint and coriander/cilantro
Zest and juice of a small lemon
Pinch of salt and pepper

Mix together the chipotle paste, lime juice and olive oil and add to the salmon, turning to coat. I use gloves and gently rub the marinade over the fish with my hands. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Method:
When you are ready to cook, pre-heat the griddle pan and assemble the salad ingredients on the plates. This is also a great barbecue recipe but just remember to soak any wooden skewers first. I use flat metal skewers so the salmon and vegetables don’t move around when I’m turning them.

Thread the fish and vegetables onto your skewers and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place onto the hot grill pan or barbecue. They will cook very quickly – around 2-3 minutes per side. If you are cooking in the oven. Cook at 200°C/400°F. They will take around 12 minutes, depending on the size of the chunks of salmon, but keep an eye on them so that the salmon doesn’t overcook.

salmon kebab closeup

Serve over the salads with the yogurt, warm pita and lemon wedges and a little coriander sprinkled over the top (or not if you don’t like it!)

Stichelton & Smoked Bacon Salad

August 5, 2017August 5, 2017 / Claire / Leave a comment

Stichelton is a delicious, unpasteurised blue cheese, made to the original Stilton recipe at the Welbeck Dairy in Nottinghamshire. I first tried this at the School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck estate, at one of their amazing lunches during a baking course.

Stilton and bacon salad plate

I bought my cheese from the Welbeck farm shop, where I can easily spend way too much money as there are so many good things to buy! I love it with the apple sourdough that I always buy a loaf of when I go there too.

Stilton and bacon salad

Blue cheese and bacon go so well together and with the addition of toasted pecans and a few tart, dried cranberries, this salad is one of my favourite lunches. Sometimes I add grilled chicken for a substantial warm salad that is good any time of the year. I serve this with a simple honey and mustard dressing

I usually use smoked streaky bacon for this salad, but I bought some black treacle cured, smoked back bacon today, which worked really well.

Stilton bacon salad closeup

This is enough for 1-2 people, but the quantities can easily be increased.

Ingredients:
Mixed salad leaves – baby leaves, spinach, Rocket/Arugula, Romaine – anything you like
4-6 slices of good quality smoked streaky bacon with the rind removed or 2-3 slices of black treacle cured smoky back bacon
Stichelton or Stilton blue cheese at room temperature with the rind removed
Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of pecans, toasted in the oven for 5 minutes
A few craisins (dried cranberries)

Dressing:
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tsp Wholegrain mustard
2tsp Runny honey
4tsp Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper if desired

Pre heat the oven to 220°C/430°F

Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bacon on the sheet. Cook for around 10 minutes or until crisp and chop into rough pieces.

Arrange the leaves, warm pecans, cranberries and tomatoes on the plate and whisk the ingredients for the dressing until you have a nice, slightly thickened consistency.

Stilton bacon closeup

Toss the salad gently in the dressing. Break the Stichelton into large crumbles and top with the hot bacon, toss gently once more and serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon, Jersey Royals and Asparagus Salad

July 3, 2017July 3, 2017 / Claire / Leave a comment

This salad says summer on a plate. A really simple to make salad, but delicious and substantial. Wild smoked salmon, with Jersey Royal new potatoes and asparagus, served with a honey, mustard and dill dressing.

Salmon potato salad2

The quantities here can be adjusted for as many people that you are serving. I normally serve around 200g of smoked salmon and 150g of potatoes per person.

Ingredients:
Wild Sockeye smoked salmon
Jersey Royal baby potatoes
Fresh asparagus, trimmed

Dressing:
1tbsp Dijon mustard
2tsp runny honey
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one small lemon
Small bunch of dill, stems removed and roughly chopped – leave a little for the top of the salad
Salt and pepper
Extra lemon slices to serve

Method:
Start by boiling the potatoes in salted water until they are tender. At the same time put the asparagus into boiling water for just one minute and then plunge into iced water to set the brilliant green colour.

Drain the potatoes and slice any larger ones, but leave the tiny ones whole.

To prepare the dressing, add the mustard, honey, a pinch of salt and pepper to a small bowl and using a fork – whisk in the lemon juice, followed by the oil. The mustard and oil will emulsify and thicken slightly. Stir in the dill.

While the potatoes are still warm, toss in the dressing, so they take on the flavour. You can either leave to cool at this point, or serve warm.

Salmon potato salad

Layer the salmon on a plate and pile the dressed potatoes over the top, with the asparagus and a little more dill, freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

This is a perfect summer salad combination and quantities can be increased as necessary to feed a crowd. Best served on a summer’s afternoon with a chilled white wine.