One of the biggest problems in western culture is we have too few omega-3-fatty acids in our diet.  A study in the July 2008 Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the Japanese who, on average eat 100 grams of fish per day, have half as many heart attacks.  A diet rich in fish can also help prevent against Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Diabetes, Cancer, Depression, Arthritis and degenerative eye conditions.

A lot of people avoid cooking fish at home because they believe it is difficult to cook.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  To prove just how easy it is I have decided to share this simple but delicious recipe for Chilli Salmon that takes just twenty minutes to cook.

I also love to cook this recipe because it uses pak choi which is one of my favourite vegetables.  The texture of both leaves and stalks is crisp which makes it perfect for a stir fry, and the flavour is somewhere between mild cabbage and spinach.  It is also an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

This recipe will be sure to impress family and friends at any dinner party by giving the impression that you have spent ages in the kitchen when really it took no time at all.

Perfect if you are on a diet, as it’s low in fat but very tasty.  You will have to work very hard to make this recipe difficult, so there is no excuse not to cook fish now, is there?

Ingredients

Serves 4

560g boneless salmon fillets

Olive oil

4 tsp sweet chili dipping sauce

Juice of 1 lime

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 chili finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper

1tbsp soy sauce

200g broccoli

2 carrots

125g mushrooms

2 pak choi stems separated

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Preparation Method:

1) Mix the lime juice with the chili sauce in a non metallic-bowl.  Season with pepper.  Coat salmon fillets in the marinade.  Cover the bowl with cling film and chill the fillets and marinade for 30 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 200C/fan 180C/Gas 6.  Cover a baking tray with foil.  Lie the salmon fillets on the foil, skin side down and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  Set the remaining marinade to one side.

3) Remove salmon from the oven and brush with the remaining marinade.  Place back in the oven for another 6-8 minutes or until the fish is cooked.

4) While the salmon is cooking, cut the broccoli into small florets, use a peeler to cut long ribbons of carrot.  Separate the pak choi into individual stems and slice the mushrooms.

5) Heat the olive oil in the pan or wok and stir fry the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms for 2 minutes.  Add the pak choi and fry for another 2 minutes.  Scatter the garlic, chili and ground ginger into the pan and stir fry with the vegetables for another 1 minute.  Pour over the soy sauce and toss the vegetables until they are lightly coated.

7) Divide the vegetables between four plates.  Place a salmon fillet on top of each plate of vegetables and serve piping hot.  Delicious!