Saturday, September 19, 2009

Quick Fish and Greens

I have never been a big fish fan. As a child, Mum could usually force me to eat fishfingers so long as they were crumbed, baked and tasted very little like fish. Sometimes she would make a salted cod white-sauce pasta dish, this was less pleasant and I usually spent the meal time eating around the fish and managing to pick out each individual pea and corn kernel without hitting the icky sea creatures.

As I grew older, and wiser, my palate changed. I began to enjoy tuna (in oil from a can of course) and smoked salmon. Indeed the smoked salmon almost became an addiction and if it wasn't so expensive I would eat it everyday. I like raw fish too, as you saw in this post. I even eat the same salted cod dish these days and scoop up bits of fish along with the veggies. Cooked fish is still not really my scene, but a salmon fillet or tuna fillet will never be turned away (though it does always lead me to wonder why did anyone bother cook such a delicate fish when you could just eat it raw???)

Last month I posted about the Smoked salmon terrine I made for my two favourite boys, and the fact I had to eat leftovers of it the following night. While it was delicious it was laden with butter, a big no no for those who are concerned about bad fats and waistlines. While the cookiemonster's cookies have now been labelled a sometimes food, smoked slamon terrine is more of a once or twice in a lifetime food. I think I have now stumbled upon a slightly healthier alternative! I had some daikon that needed using, and I put it with some carrots and greens from the balcony garden. I could have just chopped the avocado and smoked salmon and placed it on top, but that would be kind of boring. Instead, I decided to rework the terrine, using an avocado mix instead of the butter. Swap bad fats for good fats. I added some finely chopped lemon thyme to the mix to add a depth of flavour.



The avocado mix looked kind of like the pea soup in the exorcist, but at least it tasted good.



I then layered it between smoked salmon and left it in the fridge for a few hours. It turned out like this.



Add a salad, mostly sourced from the balcony garden.



Slightly less set that its buttery companion and it didn't present overly well. It was difficult to cut but it tasted amazing!



This brings the smoked salmon terrine to a whole new level, from a once or twice in a lifetime food to a sometimes food. The good oils from the salmon and avocado, alongside the greens of the salad and the digestive qualities of the daikon make this a really good-for-you meal. Alas its consumption is only limited by the budget.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So now you've legitimized yourself as a would-be cookbook author. Altering non healthy recipes to more body friendly versions is kind of the rage right now. I say go for it. :]

Min said...

Hi Prue,

I have been reading your blog to get inspiration for balcony gardening, it's very impressive! I am soon to be confined to a balcony garden myself.
What are your tips for storage and managing mess in regards to soil/potting/water runoff from pots etc? My partner is skeptical I can keep the new balcony from getting stained/messy!

PJ said...

Grace - hehe oh how I would love to write a cookbook rather than this PhD thesis! I also know how to make healthy recipes really unhealthy :)

Hi Melinda - welcome onboard the balcony gardening train! Allay your partner's fears, mess on the balcony can certainly be contained. I am a little lazy when it comes to keeping the mess at bay but self watering containers are great because they have a drip tray but the plant is elevated above it so it is never left sitting in a pile of water. Drip trays are good too but because the plant is in the tray it sometimes gets a little waterlogged. You can also get plastic mats to go underneath which help keep soil away from tiles etc. In fact I think I'll post on this matter soon to give more details! Plus a little floor cleaner always helps remove the stains! I mop the balcony a few times a year and sweep in dry days.