Sticky Asian Salmon

Yesterday this was a bit of a thrown together meal with some Egg Fried Rice, as our original dinner plan was off when we unwrapped it, but it's something I do make regularly and it's absolutely delicious. 

It's super low-maintenance and can be on the table from preparations in less than 30 minutes. This is a family-orientated meal so I omit from cranking up the chilli heat, but if you like your food spicy, add a chopped red chilli to the sticky sauce, and more sriracha. 

If you want to make the Egg Fried Rice below is a quick and easy version of this.

Simply heat some sesame oil in a wok, add chopped spring onions, ginger and garlic and gently soften, then add any chopped vegetables you wish - I only added a chopped green pepper yesterday. Now add just one egg into a small area of the wok that you've made clear, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix it around as it cooks, almost as if you would with scrambled egg. Now add some soy sauce and if you have it a drop of Shaoxing wine before adding cooked rice (I always use microwave rice pouches for fried rice) and stirring well. If you have fresh chives, snip them over before serving. You can put pretty much anything you life in a fried rice, chopped ham, mushrooms, peppers, prawns, leftover meats; use whatever you have to hand.

Half a side of salmon is a perfect amount for our family of four, but you could of course use four fillets of salmon or however much you need for your household.

Sticky Asian Salmon

Here's how:

• Half a side of salmon
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 drop of fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 spring onions
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• Pinch of salt and black pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and get a decent sized oven-proof dish ready to easily fit the salmon.

Now place a piece of tin foil into the dish long ways, and the other way so that you can carefully, and loosely wrap up the salmon once it's in the dish.

Now to prepare the sticky sauce. In a bowl, add the soy sauce, sriracha, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey and seasoning (salt, pepper, Chinese Five Spice). Now mince in the garlic and grate or add the ginger. Do not discard the ginger skin that you've peeled off, instead place all on the bottom of the oven proof dish. Cut the lime in half and squeeze in the juice to the sticky sauce. Give it a good stir. 

Now place the salmon on top of the ginger peelings in the dish. Take a sharp knife, and make long, incisions across the fish, 3-4 will do, to allow the sticky sauce to get right into the fish as it cooks. They should be no deeper than 1/2 cm-1cm. 

Now finely slice the spring onions.

Pour the sauce all over the top of the salmon, use the knife or a spoon to open up each incision as you pour, so sauce gets in all over. 

Scatter over the sliced spring onions, and then the sesame seeds, and if you are using, a sliced red chilli too. 

Now loosely cover the salmon up with the foil, it shouldn't be all scrunched up close to the fish. 

Place into the hot oven and cook for 14 minutes exactly. Remove from the oven and serve with your Egg Fried Rice or whatever you are having alongside the Sticky Asian Salmon. Any remaining juices in the dish, you should spoon over the salmon too. Enjoy!

If you love a salmon recipe you may like some of these:
Smoked Salmon Carbonara
Thai Salmon Fishcakes
Quick Thai Salmon Noodle Soup
Salmon and Jersey Royals Traybake with Walnut and Basil Pesto
Easy Salmon Tacos
Salmon and Dill Potato Pancakes
Salmon and Dilly Gnocchi Bake
Mexican Style Salmon Fishcakes

Quick Spicy Beef Fried Rice #MeatMatters

This is my second #MeatMatters cookery challenge entry to the BritMums and Simply Beef and Lamb competition and is so super quick and simple, but tastes great.

It's a go-to for me when time is short, but I'm craving some Asian flavours and lots and lots of heat.

I use beef mince in this recipe - although traditionally in fried rice, it's usually leftover cooked meats which are quick-fried, and you could just as easily use leftover cooked steak or beef from another recipe. Also you can use practically any vegetables in fried rice - so use whatever you have to hand.

Most people would love some egg in their fried rice - but being the egg-hater that I am, I usually dish mine up then quickly throw in an egg for Glen or the girls as it cooks so quick - just be sure to move it around loads in the dish as you do - it will enrich the rice for sure.

Beef mince, versatile as ever, and a really great carrier of flavour too - absorbs the 'holy trinity' of base flavours in the wok - ginger, garlic and chilli, as well as the Chinese five spice beautifully.

I always use leftover cooked rice or a packet of wholegrain microwave rice for any fried rice recipe and this can literally be from start to finish complete and on the table within ten minutes.

The below serves two for a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Quick Spicy Beef Fried Rice #MeatMatters

Here's how:

• 250g steak or beef mince
• 250g cooked rice - I use wholegrain
• 3 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• Thumbnail piece of ginger
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 2 handfuls peas
• 3 mushrooms
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Firstly pop the sesame oil into a wok and place on a medium heat.

Finely slice the spring onion and chilli and add to the pan. Peel and mince the garlic and grate the ginger and add to the pan too to create the base flavours.

Now prepare the vegetables - chop the peppers into small squares, roughly chop the mushrooms and measure out the peas ready.

The peppers can go into the wok now and allow them to gently cook.

Once the base of the pan is sizzling away, add the mince, and season quickly. Add the Chinese five spice at this point and use a spatula to move the meat around and break up a little in the pan, and ensure it all takes on some of the lovely flavours in the pan.

Now add the rice, mushrooms and peas and stir well and at this point add the soy, fish sauce and honey and allow it cook through for a few minutes. For a final blast of flavour and heat add the sriracha - to your taste. We love it really spicy so I'd go in with a tablespoon, then taste and adjust accordingly; remember you can always add more but you can't take it away. Enjoy!

This post is an entry for the #MeatMatters Challenge, sponsored by Simply Beef and Lamb. Learn more about the benefits of cooking and eating beef and lamb along with recipe ideas and inspiration here! https://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/