April 2020 – The Tropical Treat

A vibrant and lovely dish. There are lots of flavours at play here but it works really well.

The hardest part is the chopping. To be fair there is a lot of chopping in this recipe but it’s worth it. Make sure to marinate the fish over night, you can definitely taste the difference.

You could definitely use this recipe for tacos. Flake the salmon into bits, top with the pineapple salsa and finish off with sour cream or crumbled feta. Enjoy!

Serves 2
Prep 15 mins + overnight marinating
Cook 30 mins
Total 45 mins

Ingredients

For the salmon

1 tsp chipotle chill flakes or paste
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lime and zest
2x 240g skinless salmon fillets
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
A handful of coriander leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the pineapple salsa

350g fresh pineapple, cut into slices
2 fresh chillies, finely diced
1 medium sized pointed red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Juice of one lime and zest
Extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Marinate the salmon overnight. In a small bowl, mix chipotle chilli, olive oil, lime juice and zest. Add the salmon fillets. Put in the fridge overnight or for at least a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 200C / Gas Mark 6. Cut two large squares of baking paper and place one salmon fillet on a sheet. Top with sliced red onion and coriander leaves, season well with salt and pepper. Fold the sheet over and tightly fold and pinch the edges in to create a square parcel. Repeat with the second salmon fillet and place on a baking tray.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the salmon is tender and flakes easily.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Place the sliced pineapple in the pan and turn over occasionally until charred. Leave aside to cool.

Finely chop the slices of pineapple and add to a medium sized bowl. Add finely chopped chillies, red onion and red pepper. Squeeze over lime juice and drizzle olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.

Spoon over the juices from the baking sheet parcel onto the salmon and then place on a plate. Serve with the pineapple salsa. Eat straightaway!

So crispy on the outside and proper gooey in the middle. These are good…If you want a break from baking banana bread whilst you’re quarantining why not try making these quesadillas.

A classic Mexican staple, these ones are made with avocado, sweet potato and black bean with a sprinkling of mature cheddar cheese . They’re flavoursome, simple and so good together (one of the nicest combinations in my opinion). Make mini ones for snacking or bigger ones for lunch or dinner.

We all need a bit of comfort food during this lockdown and yes we are all probably going to put on a little weight. So we may as well get eating!

I have made these refried black beans in a few recipes on the blog. Not only are they delicious in quesadillas, they work well with sweetcorn fritters and cornbread. Make a batch and freeze : )

Enjoy these quesadillas for breakfast, brunch, lunch etc. or whenever you like to be honest!

Serves 4
Prep 15 mins
Cook 60 mins
Total 75 mins

Ingredients

For the sweet potato

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed and stringy bits removed
Knob of butter
4 large tortillas
100g mature cheddar, grated

For the refried black beans

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin/carton black beans, rinsed and drained and roughly mashed
1/2 tsp chipotle chilli powder
125ml organic vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the avocado

1 ripe medium avocado, halved and diced
Juice of one lime and zest
Small bunch of coriander chopped and some whole leaves left
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Soured cream, to serve

Method

Bake the sweet potatoes first. Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 200C / Gas Mark 6. Wash the sweet potatoes and remove any eyes or stringy bits and then prick all over with a fork. Bake in the oven for an hour or until a knife can go all the way through easily.

Once cooled scoop out the sweet potato into a medium size bowl and mix with a knob of butter and half of the grated cheese. Cover and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins. Add the beans, chilli and stock, stirring and mashing over a low heat until you have a chunky consistency. Season with salt and pepper and leave aside.

Scoop the flesh out of the avocado and dice, transfer into a small bowl. Combine with lime juice, zest and coriander. Season and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over a low heat. Place a tortilla on a chopping board and brush with a little oil. Transfer it to the pan (oily side down) and spoon sweet potato, black beans, avocado and some of the remaining cheese onto one half of the tortilla. Fold over the other half to make a semi circle and press down gently.

Cook for a couple of minutes and then flip the tortilla over, cook for a few minutes further or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the pan and keep warm and repeat with the remaining quesadillas.

Slice into quarters, serve with lime wedges, soured cream and scattered coriander leaves. Eat straightaway!