Spicy Baked Fish Tacos
Time: 20 minutes prep, 20 minutes marinating, 20 minutes cooking.
Serves: 4
Michelle Alston shares January recipes that show eating well needn’t be time-consuming or expensive
Ingredients
For the fish:
• 300g cod, cut into strips
• 1 lime, juiced
• pinch of sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 80g plain flour
• 2 medium eggs, whisked
• 50g panko breadcrumbs
• 50g polenta
• ½tsp dried oregano
• 1tsp cumin
• ½tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼tsp garlic salt (optional)
• 1tbsp rapeseed oil
For the red cabbage:
• 200g red cabbage, thinly sliced
• ½ lemon, juiced
• pinch of sea salt
For the coriander lime sauce:
• 170g Greek yogurt
• 1½tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ lime, juiced
• sea salt
• black pepper
For the tacos:
• 8 wholegrain tortillas
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• extra coriander leaves
• extra lime wedges
Directions:
1. First, place the sliced red cabbage in a bowl, add the lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt, give it a stir and put it in the fridge until you need it.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
3. Put the fish in a bowl, add the lime juice, a pinch of sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. Stir to make sure the fish has been covered in juice, then leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.
4. OK, now you need to set up a little workstation. You will need three bowls and a parchment paper-lined baking tray. In one bowl you will have the whisked eggs, in the second bowl the flour seasoned with a little sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper, and in the third bowl will be the panko breadcrumbs mixed with the polenta, herbs and spices. Dip the fish pieces into the flour (one at a time) making sure the fish is completely covered, then dip the fish into the egg and finally into the bread/spice mixture. Place the fish on the baking tray, giving each piece a little bit of space. Drizzle with the oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
5. Now for the sauce. Add the lime juice, chopped coriander and garlic to the yogurt and season with a little sea salt and ground black pepper.
6. When the fish is nearly ready heat the tortillas by putting them on a plate and popping them in the oven for about two minutes.
7. To assemble your tacos, start with the red cabbage, add a couple of slices of avocado, then add the fish and top with the yogurt sauce. Add extra coriander leaves and some chopped spring onion if you like, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes: If you have little ones who are not too keen on spicy food reduce the amount of cayenne pepper to ¼tsp and cumin to ½tsp. I use panko breadcrumbs as they give a crispier finish but you could also use regular breadcrumbs.
Mushroom Tart
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 for dinner, 6 for lunch
Ingredients
• 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
• 100g wild chanterelle mushrooms, wiped clean
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and roughly sliced
• 3 (120g) shallots, sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 2tsp olive oil
• 25g butter
• 1tbsp chopped parsley
• 3 sprigs lemon thyme, or regular thyme
• 50g Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative
• sea salt
• black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Roll out the pastry onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife score the pastry about 1½cm along the inside edge of the pastry. Then, using a fork prick the pastry a few times. Leave in the fridge to chill.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the shallots and sauté until they are really soft, this should take about 15–20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
4. In a large saucepan melt the butter then add the mushrooms and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, herbs, a pinch of sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper and cook for another five minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked and there is no liquid left in the pan add the Parmesan and stir well.
5. Now spread the cooked shallots over the pastry, then spread the mushrooms over the shallots. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg and place in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Serve with more chopped parsley and a little grated Parmesan if you like.
Sweet Potato & Broccoli Frittata
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
If you’re looking for a quick, tasty and healthy lunch that will keep you going till dinner, then look no further. This sweet potato and broccoli frittata is great hot or cold, as well as served on its own or with a nice green salad. Super easy to make, it is ideal for lunch but also works perfectly for dinner. Any leftovers are great for an early autumn picnic or for your packed lunch.
My Grandmother always told me that if you have some eggs in your fridge you’ll never go hungry, and boy was she right. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thrown together a tasty dinner or lunch by making a frittata. Using up leftovers or whatever’s hanging around in my fridge the day before shopping day, frittata has been a bit of a lifesaver for me and has become a regular in our house due to it being so quick and versatile.
I used sweet potatoes here but you could use any leftover potatoes, or even baby potatoes. You could also spice this up with some red chili flakes too. The options with frittatas are endless.
Ingredients
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 100g purple sprouting broccoli
• 8 free-range eggs
• 150g feta, plus 20g more for crumbling over
• 1tbsp thyme leaves
• 1tbsp rapeseed oil
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil, add the sweet potato and cook for about ten minutes, until the sweet potato is tender. Remove from the heat, drain and set aside.
3. Break the eggs into a large bowl, beat and season, crumble in the feta, mix well then stir in the thyme leaves.
4. Heat a large skillet or ovenproof pan, add the oil, tilt the pan around so it is covered in the oil. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat until soft, about five minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
5. When the onions are cooked, turn down the heat then add the sweet potato to the pan, give it a little mix and then add the broccoli. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables, tilting the pan to make sure it is even.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, checking it halfway through and giving it a little jiggle.
7. At this stage you can add that little bit of extra feta if you like, just crumble it over the top of the frittata.
8. Cut into wedges and serve with a green salad.
Notes: I used purple sprouting broccoli in this recipe but you could also use regular broccoli, just cut it into small pieces. I trimmed the woody stems off the broccoli. If you do this you can keep those stalks, chop them up and use them for making a home-made soup or vegetable casserole.
Roasted Squash and Goat’s Cheese Salad
Time: 20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking
Serves: 4
Ingredients
• 380g squash (I used coquina squash), peeled and sliced into wedges
• 1tsp (heaped) sumac
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion (180g), skin on and cut into wedges
• 180g goat’s cheese
• 1 bulb of garlic, halved width ways
• 2tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 40g dried cranberries
• 40g hazelnuts, halved
• 5 or 6 sage leaves
• 1 head of winter cos lettuce
For the dressing:
• 5tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Place the squash and red onion on a baking tray, add the sumac and olive oil and using your hands massage the vegetables with the oil and sumac. Add the garlic and sage and place in the middle of the oven to cook for 20 minutes.
3. While the squash is cooking make your dressing, add the oil, lemon, salt and pepper to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, give a good shake and set aside until you’re ready to use it.
4. Place the cranberries in a small bowl and cover with warm, recently boiled water. Leave them to soak until the squash is ready.
5. After 20 minutes, place the goat’s cheese on top of the squash so it doesn’t melt into the pan. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. On a serving plate arrange the lettuce leaves, top with everything from the baking tray, scatter over the hazelnuts and drained cranberries. Serve with the lemon dressing.
Notes: Coquina squash is a sweet variety of butternut squash. You can find sumac in the spice aisle of most large supermarkets.
Ely-based Michelle Alston writes The Last Food Blog, where she showcases recipes which prove that eating well needn’t mean time-consuming and expensive recipes. A trained dietary coach, she launched her blog with a goal of sharing knowledge, helping people to make healthier food choices and encouraging the use of great quality, local and seasonal ingredients. We love the gorgeous photography on her blog, and how achievable all
the dishes seem!
