The Tropical Treat

Gluten free

Citrus sea bass with avocado

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Fresh zesty pan fried sea bass with tangerines and avocado. The sea bass fillets are seasoned with salt and pepper then marinated in the zest and juice of tangerines (can use clementines or oranges too), lemon juice and spring onion. A very quick, colourful and easy dish to make : )

Serves 2
Prep 15 mins + 30 mins to marinate
Cook 10 mins
Total 55 mins

Ingredients

2 sea bass fillets 
1/4 tsp salt and peppery @cornishsea_salt 
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, de-seeded and finely chopped
A few mint leaves (optional)

Dressing

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tangerines, zest and juice of 1 and the other thinly sliced into rounds
A couple of spring onions, finely chopped
A drizzle of extra-virgin olive o

Method

Make the dressing first. In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, the juice of 1 tangerine, zest and spring onion.

Season the sea bass with salt and pepper and cover with the dressing ensuring it is all coated evenly. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.

Meanwhile, assemble the tangerine slices onto a plate. Finely dice the avocado and cucumber and sprinkle over a little salt.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is fairly hot put in the sea bass  fillets and cover with the dressing. Turn them over once after a couple of minutes and cook for 5 -10 minutes.

Place the sea bass on top of the sliced tangerines and pour over the dressing from the pan. Spoon the avocado and cucumber onto the sea bass and scatter over some mint leaves. Enjoy!

Watermelon, tomato and chilli salad

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A real sunshine salad – fresh, zingy and sweet. Refreshing watermelon works a treat in a salad but with juicy baby plum tomatoes, red onion, chilli and toasted peanuts it’s even better! This salad would be a great vegan starter, side dish at a summer garden party or main with some feta cheese and grilled white fish.

I’m a huge fan of plant based eating despite not being vegan or vegetarian. I also like to make food that pairs really well with meat or fish but is equally delicious by itself – this salad is definitely it.

I was inspired to make a fruity tropical salad that brings together sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Watermelon reminds everyone of the sunshine, native to West Africa (although the exact origin is widely speculated), it has spread across the world cooling us all down on the hottest of days.

Make by arranging your watermelon strips first, baby plum tomatoes/red onion/chilli next followed by toasted peanuts and coriander. You’re good to go!

Serves 2
Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Total 20 mins

Ingredients

2 tbsp blanched peanuts, toasted
400g watermelon, cut into thin strips
250g baby plum tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
A handful of fresh coriander leaves, (optional)

Method

First toast the peanuts in a large dry pan over a medium heat and set aside.

Cut the watermelon into slices, de-seed and then into thin strips, carefully remove the rind. 

Put the tomatoes, red onion, chilli (keep the seeds for a really spicy salad) in a bowl. Pour over the lime juice, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Arrange the watermelon strips on a plate and spoon over the tomatoes, red onion and chilli. Sprinkle over toasted peanuts and fresh coriander leaves. It’s ready to serve!

Notes

* Buy pre-packaged melon slices to make this salad to speed up the process. Add some cooked quinoa and feta to make it a veggie main or grilled fish or chicken for meat eaters. 

Green plantain crisps

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Deliciously crispy green plantain crisps with a sweet, fruity mango salsa and spicy pico de gallo ( a traditional Mexican salsa) are the perfect combination. Plantain crisps are a hugely popular side or snack in Latin America, West Africa and the Caribbean. Interestingly they taste very similar to potatoes and making crisps is just one of the many ways they can be prepared.

A very simple snack to make! Perhaps not the healthiest but incredibly delicious and something you’ll want to make time and time again. It’s ideal for yourself in front of your favourite Netflix show or be generous and make when you have friends over to nibble on.

I adapted Cookie and Kate’s gorgeous recipe for the mango salsa and Epicurious’ spicy offering for the pico de gallo. If you don’t like any of those then guacamole works perfectly well too and I have very easy recipe here.

This has got to be one of the speediest recipes I’ve put together and yet one of the most delicious. Serve the salted green plantain crisps on big platter with mango salsa and pico de gallo.

Green plantain crisps

Green plantain crisps are a classic, moreish and delicious tropical snack or side. They can be eaten on their own, with a sprinkling of sea salt or paired with a fruity salsa or chunky guacamole. Often found as a starter in West African, Latin American and Caribbean cuisines ,they taste very similar to potato crisps and are naturally gluten free. Make a batch and eat them in front of your favourite Netflix show or when you have friends over and want to be fancy!

  • 4 medium green plantains
  • Groundut oil*
  • Sea Salt

For the mango salsa

  • 1 medium ripe mango, finely diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 1 small red pepper, finely diced
  • Juice of one lime and zest
  • Sea salt to tase

For the pico de gallo

  • 2 salad tomatoes, finely diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 1 medium white onion, finely diced
  • 1 small jalapeño or green chilli pepper, finely sliced
  • 1/2 juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

  1. Make the plantain crisps first. Peel the green plantains, they can be tricky to peel so run them under hot water before slicing. Slice the top and bottom first then peel the skin off.

  2. Slice the plantains thinly into rounds or lengths using a thin knife or mandolin. Heat the oil to 180 – 200C, over a medium heat in a deep pan or wok, using a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have one put the end of a wooden spoon into the oil and if it starts to bubble it should be hot enough.

  3. Add the plantains to the hot oil in small batches and fry until golden brown.

  4. Remove the crisps from the oil and place on paper towels. Sprinkle over sea salt and leave to cool.

  5. For the mango salsa, slice the mango away from the stone. Finely dice the mango, red onion, red pepper and chop the coriander leaves. Mix together in a bowl and squeeze over lime juice and season with salt.

  6. For the pico de gallo finely dice the tomatoes, onions and jalapeño. Mix together in a bowl and squeeze over lime juice and season with salt.

  7. Serve the green plantain crisps on big platter with the mango salsa and pico de gallo.

*Ensure you use an oil with a high smoking point to prepare the green plantain crisps.

Carrot, sugar snap and cashew buckwheat noodle salad

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Vibrant carrot, sugar snap and cashew buckwheat noodles tossed in a citrusy dressing is the perfect warm day dish. As the sun makes an appearance lighter, fresher flavours are definitely needed plus carrots, sugar snap peas and cashews are pretty easy to get hold of. 

Japanese soba or buckwheat noodles have a lighter texture than most, will keep you fuller for longer and are typically eaten cold.  This recipe adapted from Melissa and Jasmine Hemsley is a hot version but eaten either way it’s really good.

Soba is wheat free made from buckwheat seeds and taste great in soups or with a mixture of veggies  like in this recipe. Ensure you get the 100% soba noodles, I used these ones here. 

I like this dish because it’s very easy to make and lots of different variations could be tried here depending on what you can get your hands on. Swap out carrots for peppers or the cashew nuts for peanuts or the sugar snap peas for broccoli. The bright colours in this dish make a great addition for the table at gatherings or parties and served on a big platter where everyone can help themselves.

I first discovered buckwheat noodles at a Hemsley and Hemsley supper club a few years ago. I’ve made them ever since then by adapting their recipe as I go along. To go totally tropical there’s also an amazing mango and aubergine soba noodle recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, an unusual combo that just works very well. 

Prepping all the fresh ingredients first and then putting everything together will make this dish super speedy. You could grate the carrots instead of shaving into ribbons if you haven’t got much time. Serve up on a big platter or bowls and finish off by sprinkling over toasted cashews. 

Carrot, sugar snap and cashew buckwheat noodle salad

These buckwheat noodles are fresh, nutritious and flavoursome. The warming ginger complements the sweetness of the carrot and cashew, throw in some sugar snap peas and red cabbage for added crunch. Buckwheat noodles also known as Japanese Soba make this dish low fat and gluten free. Perfect on a warm day in the sun, prep and make the noodles for a healthy veggie main or just serve up as a side dish for Teriyaki salmon or chicken. 

  • 250g soba (buckwhea)t noodles
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 50g unsalted cashew nuts, toasted
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 large carrots, shaved into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
  • 1/2 red cabbage, finely shredded
  • 200g sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut diagonally
  • 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

For the dressing

  • Juice of 1 lime and zest
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Salt and white pepper, to taste

  1. Make the dressing first and toast the cashews. In a small bowl mix lime juice and zest, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and salt and white pepper. Toast the cashew nuts in a pan over a medium heat and set aside. Take half the cashew nuts, salt and black pepper and finely chop together. 

  2. Cook the buckwheat noodles in salted water following the packet instructions. Drain and add a little oil to stop the noodles sticking together.

  3. Heat coconut oil over a medium heat and add the red onion, garlic and sugar snap peas. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add the carrots, red cabbage and the chopped cashews (for crunchier vegetables don’t fry for more than a few minutes). 

  4. Add the cooked noodles ensuring they tossed through the vegetables well. Add the ginger and pour over the dressing.

  5. Serve the noodles on a large platter or bowls and top with the rest of the toasted cashews.