Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Tacos are a family favourite around here with absolutely ANY filling but these prawn ones with zingy pineapple salsa and guacamole make for a really fresh and tasty change.

They are quick and simple to prepare so ideal for a midweek meal when there's less time. The below serves four and the salsa and guacamole can last in the fridge for a few days - but I doubt it'll last that long.

Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Here's how:

For the prawns:

• 350g king prawns
• Zest & juice of x1 lime
• x1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey
• Pinch salt and black pepper

Pineapple Salsa:

• 60g pineapple (fresh, frozen or tinned works)
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 large red chilli
• big handful coriander

Guacamole:

• 1-2 ripe avocados
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tomato
• handful coriander
• Salt
• Juice of x1 lime

x8 Mini tortilla wraps

Firstly marinate the prawns in all of the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside for ten minutes whilst you prepare the salsa and the guacamole.

For the salsa, I simply add all of the ingredients to my Nutribullet and blitz for a thin salsa. If you prefer a chunkier consistency you could just chop everything or grind in a pestle and mortar. 

For the guacamole, the avocados are added to a mortar (or just use a hardy bowl) and add a generous pinch of sea salt and the lime juice. Dice the tomato into small chunks and finely dice the red onion and add to the mortar. Mince in the garlic and then roughly chop the coriander before adding both to the mortar then grinding with the pestle. I like a thick and chunky consistency for guacamole so only do to combine everything, but if you prefer smooth just do for longer. You can do with a fork and bowl too if you don't have a pestle and mortar.

Now in a pan add a drizzle of oil (olive, vegetable, rapeseed works well) and add the marinated prawns. Cook for approximately one minute on each side or until pink all over and remove from the pan. It's really easy for prawns for overcook so as soon as they're pink get them out of there to avoid rubbery overcooked prawns!

The tortilla wraps, I like to warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, then place each one into a toast rack (or you can place folder over a sauce bottle) for a minute to get the 'taco' style shape. 

Then pop onto a plate and load up with the prawns and serve your salsa and guacamole on the side or over the top. Enjoy!

Over Tex Mex style recipes I have shared include:

• Lamb Tacos
• Speedy Chorizo Nachos
• Prawn & Chorizo Jambalaya 
• Spicy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Salad
• Easy Salmon Tacos
• Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

These Naked Mexican Burgers are easy to make, taste fantastic and are completely syn-free if you follow Slimming World like myself. 

If you do have the homemade guacamole; and I recommend you do as it is fabulous with the burger, this will bring the meal to 6 syns per portion even if you load up with the Slimming World Chips and have all of the burger trimmings including the green leaves, sliced tomato, red onions, pickled gherkins and if you like a fiery kick, jalopenos. I used my HEA for 30g Cheddar too. 

The below makes two big burgers (think quarter pounder size) as well as two smaller, children's ones. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

Here's how:

For the burgers:

• 700g lean steak mince (I use less than 5% fat)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp Ancho Chilli Paste (if you can't get this use Chipotle Paste instead)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried coriander
• 1/2 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• Handful fresh chives
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• Fry Light

To load up the burgers:

• Rocket leaves (or iceberg lettuce if you prefer)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• Pickled gherkins
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/4 jar of jalopenos
• Cheddar or burger cheese

For the guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• 1 lime
• Coriander leaves
• 2 chillies
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 garlic clove

Begin my making the burger patties. In a large bowl place the steak mince and add all of the herbs and spices, Ancho Chilli Paste or Chipotle Paste and tomato puree. 

Now roughly chop the onion and add to the mix, and peel and mince the garlic and add too. I snip the chives into the patty mix personally using kitchen scissors, but you can cut with a knife otherwise.

Now using your hands, work the meat together a bit like you would a dough, ensuring that all of the ingredients get distributed throughout the meat. 

Divide the meat into four burger patties of whichever size you prefer (you may wish to do x4 equal sized ones); and place onto a board or a plate. Take one at a time and work with your hands into a round, neat burger patty or of course you could use a burger press but I always use my hands. 

Once all of the patties are made, now wash and dry your hands, then tightly seal each burger with cling wrap and place into the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. This really helps the burger to keep it's shape and prevent it from falling apart on the BBQ or under the grill. 

In the meantime, to make the guacamole; slice the ripe avocado in half, you will know it's ripe from it feeling soft to the touch through the skin. If it's rock hard, it won't work well for guacamole. A trick for this, is to place into a brown paper bag with an apple which will speed up the ripening process. 

Once halved, and the stone is removed, place the flesh into a mortar, then add the handful of coriander leaves, the pinch of sea salt (it's good to use sea salt as it is abrasive and helps to break down the flesh), mince in the garlic clove then roughly chop the tomato and red onion. Finally squeeze over the juice of one lime. Now use the pestle to grind up. I prefer a slightly chunky texture but if you prefer puree, you could of course use a blender, food processor or a Nutribullet. 

When you are ready to cook the burgers, place the grill onto a medium heat. Remove the clingfilm from each burger and place under the grill for exactly 8 minutes with just 1 spray of Fry Light per burger on each side. 

After 8 minutes, use tongs to turn the burgers over, and cook for a further 8 minutes. If you want melted cheese, add this for the last four minutes of cooking. 

It's really important to rest these burgers for 4-5 minutes when they come out of the grill; as the juices will run and return to the meat and it will be tastier and more tender to eat than if you dig in straight away. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

While they rest, load up the plate with some guacamole, the green leaves of your choice, tomatoes, gherkins, red onions, jalopenos and anything else you fancy. Enjoy!

Speedy Chorizo Nachos

Nachos are always glorious, whichever toppings you throw on top so long as there is melted cheese; but if you're looking for a quick thrown together, fun lunch that is super simple, these nachos with a chorizo and tomato base will really hit the spot. 

If you want to add a delicious guacamole topping, you can get the recipe here. 

Speedy Chorizo Nachos

Here's how:

• 1 pack tortilla chips
• 100g cooking chorizo
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 red jalapeno chilli
• 50g Cheddar

To top once baked:

• 2 tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche
• 1/2 jar of jalapenos 
• 2 tbsp jarred salsa

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Roughly chop the cooking chorizo and add to a non-stick pan on a medium heat. 

Finely slice the red chilli and add to the pan. 

Once the chorizo is cooked on both sides, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and chipotle paste, stir and cook for a few minutes.

In the meantime, grate the cheese and spread the tortilla chips out on a baking sheet.

Now spoon over the tomatoey chorizo sauce all over the tortillas and then scatter over the grated cheese. Place into the oven and bake for ten minutes or until the cheese is all melted.

Remove from the oven, and carefully move onto a plate, board or platter. 

Spoon over the salsa all over the nachos, then layer up with the sour cream, and finally scatter over the jalapenos and serve. Enjoy!

For some other Tex-Mex inspired recipes see below:

• Slow Cooked Mexican Beef
• Spicy Beef Quesadilla with Avocado Salad
• Easy Salmon Tacos
• Thomasina Mier's Fruity Chilli
• Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers
• Mexican Mushroom Soup

El Guaca, Clacton-on-Sea

We recently visited Clacton-on-Sea, Essex for a weekend full of dance competitions with Bridget’s dance school, and on the Saturday afternoon we found ourselves with a few hours to kill and so headed to the seafront, a place I spent lots of time at during my own childhood. Following a couple of hours spent on the pier and the fun fair, we looked for something to eat.

We stumbled upon El Guaca and were enticed by the sound of the Mexican menu and then even more so once we saw that the children would eat a free 3-course menu with each full meal purchased by an adult – definitely the decider.

Accustomed to some great standard Mexican restaurants in London, I admit we wondered if this would meet those exacting standards, but was actually pleasantly surprised in that El Guaca actually surpassed some places that we frequent regularly.

We ordered some tortilla chips with guacamole to start over some Coronas, and these were a great start – freshly made guacamole really offset with a squeeze of lime.

El Guaca Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Kiddie Nachos

The girls had some nachos which were simply baked with a little grated cheese – perhaps a bit bland but perfect for young taste buds and they devoured the lot.

The mains were an actual triumph all round though.

For the kids, we played it safe and opted for the chicken strips which came with chips and salad – the chicken was actually not the usual breaded situation, but instead deliciously marinated and tender slices of cooked chicken – much better than we anticipated.

Children's Chicken Strips, El Guaca

Also the kids menu is great – they had a good range of main courses from the likes of quesadilla, fajitas, burritos and paella; which I think is great – stepping outside of the ‘norm’ for children’s menus and much less patronising. It’s reasonably priced at £6.95 got three courses and includes juice in that price which is great compared to a lot of chain restaurants where the add ons for a juice mean you’re looking at £10-12 for a 3 year old’s meal.

I had the pork pibil enchilada and it was fantastic. The pork was juicy, tender and had a fiery chipotle heat running through it, it really packed a punch. The creamy, cheesy topping on top of the rolled and pork-filled tortilla was generous and helped make this a real comfort dish and despite it being a generous portion it was served on a bed of Mexican rice too and had a little heap of guacamole there too. I didn’t manage the rice, but the enchilada was just great. I’d return for that in a heartbeat.

Enchillada, El Guaca

Glen chose the beef Chimichanga; basically for the un-initiated, this is a burrito filled with all of the delicious things you would expect in a burrito – cheese, peppers, refried beans, rice and salsa and then deep fried and topped with more salsa, sour cream and guacamole. In a word – epic.Served with Mexican rice and demolished.

Chimichanga, El Guaca

The girls had an ice cream included with their meal or they could have had churros with chocolate sauce, a brownie or buenelos. It was a hot day though so the ice cream went down a treat.

El Guaca was such a great find in Clacton, if we return next year for the competitions, I’m sure we’d head back. The staff were super friendly, especially with the children, the location is great – right on the seafront, overlooking the comings and goings and there’s seating both inside and out. The place is bright and airy and has some of the kitsch Mexican items you’d expect, from sombreros for picture opportunities to the décor with skulls etc. Apparently there are several El Guaca restaurants dotted around Essex and one in Wiltshire and one is Suffolk, if they’re anything like the Clacton outpost I’d give it a try.

The offer we enjoyed – the kids eat free - is apparently available every Saturday and Sunday and I would highly recommend it. It's a great family restaurant with something for everyone.

We paid around £45 plus tip for our meal and that was with a couple of rounds of Corona. They also have a ton of cocktails on the menu that looked very appetising – maybe next time we’ll go without the kids.

Mexican Mushroom Soup

This is a gorgeously moreish and filling soup - intense in mushroom flavour with a warm smoky spiced punch cutting through. 

This recipe is very loosely based on Thomasina Mier's 'Herby Mushroom Soup from the book 'Mexican Food Made Simple'. I've adapted it due to ingredient substitutions according to what I had in stock, and also out of convenience. I decided to inject some smoky charred flavour with chipotle paste and paprika, rather than first dry roasting the tomatoes, chilli and onion for speed, and I cooked everything in the one pan rather than three, mainly to reduce the clearing up process after a long day with my two girls. The final soup was utterly delicious but I will try the original at one point.

I also used a scotch bonnet chilli rather than jalopeno - not conventionally Mexican but it is Caribbean in origin and it did work. 

Mexican /Mushroom Soup

This makes x4 adult portions as a main meal. 

Here's how:

• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 scotch bonnet
• 3 tomatoes
• 600g mushrooms (try and use a variety if you can)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1.2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground anise
• 1.5 tsp chipotle paste
• Small bunch coriander leaves and stalks
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 litre vegetable stock

Optional:

• Sour cream or creme fraiche

Firstly pour the oil into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan. Carefully chop the scotch bonnet, removing the seeds unless you're an absolute chilli fiend and add to the pan. Make sure to wash your hands after handling these.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan. Throw in the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, anise and chipotle and allow to cook down for a few minutes, stirring gently. This will provide the base flavour for your soup.

In the meantime rough chop the mushrooms and add to the pan. Pour over the stock and add the coriander leaves and stalks too. 

Slowly cook until the soup comes to the boil, then simmer for ten minutes and remove from the heat. 

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes and then blitz with a blender. 

Re-heat until warmed through and serve with a teaspoon full of creme fraiche or sour cream and some buttered bread. Enjoy!

If you're keen on more soup recipes here are a few more:

Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi
Vegetable Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup
Skinny Broccoli and Fennel Soup
Creamy Mushroom Soup with No Cream
Quick Pork Noodle Soup
Leek Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers

It's been a while since I've shared a Meat Free Monday post - family life dictates that this doesn't always happen on a Monday, but we do try to eat meat-free or vegetarian at least one day a week.

I've experimented countless times with varying degrees of success, a range of vegetarian burgers, but these are my best yet - the beans are the main base, but with the addition of cooked sweet potato and grated carrot, there's no denying there's lots of goodness to be found inside these. To avoid a bland mass of mushed beans, my favourite version of these is to add some typically Mexican flavours to the mix, cumin, paprika, lime, lots of coriander, mint and of course some chilli.

This is 100% a family dish here, and I even served them to my 7 month old this week, mini versions at least, and she fully enjoyed these as part of her baby led weaning. She had the same version as us, but if your baby isn't used to spice you could of course omit from throwing in as much chilli, paprika etc. 

I served with brioche buns, a quick chipotle yoghurt dip and some salad for me, with chips for Bridget and Glen - definite crowd pleaser; everyone loves burgers in my house.

Mexican Veggie Burgers

If serving as a weaning finger food as I have, serve alongside some other finger food such as cucumber sticks, some cheese and tomato.

Weaning Mexican Veggie Burger Bites

The below makes four good sized burgers.

Here's how:

• 1 tin red kidney beans
• 1 tin butter beans
• Bunch spring onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 lime
• 1 egg
• Olive oil
• Big handful coriander leaves and stalks
• Handful mint leaves
• 2 slices of bread
• 1 carrot
• 2 tbsp cooked sweet potato

• x4 brioche burger buns
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 heaped tsp chipotle paste
• Optional:
• Grated cheddar
• jalopeno chillies
• salsa

Salad of your choice

To assemble the burgers, first use your blender to make breadcrumbs out of the slices of bread. Remove from the blender and set aside. 

Now open the cans of beans and drain, retaining a little of the water in each. Place both cans into a blender. 

Finely slice the spring onions, chilli and garlic and add to the blender. Throw in the herbs and spices. 

Grate the carrot and add to the blender along with the juice of the full lime, the cooked sweet potato and the egg. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and then blitz until combined. 

You should be left with a rather wet concoction, and may wonder how this is going to turn into burgers - be patient. Now add a little of the breadcrumbs at a time, and mix in thoroughly. When you're satisfied that you can mould burgers out of the mixture stop adding the breadcrumbs - you may need all of them, or a little less.

Now drizzle in a little olive oil or rapeseed oil into a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat. 

Mould the burgers into pattys and place directly into the hot pan. 

Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers

Use an egg slice to move the burgers around a little to avoid sticking to the bottom, and use this with a spoon for guidance, to turn the burgers over after about five minutes of cooking - they should be golden brown. Now cook on the other side for five-six minutes until that is golden brown too. 

In the meantime assemble your salad and create your Mexican burger sauce from the natural yoghurt and chipotle and spread over the bottom layer of the burger buns. 

Once the burgers are cooked through serve immediately and top with your choice of cheese, jalopenos and salsa. Enjoy!

If you're looking for further vegetarian meal ideas a few are included below:
Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie
Bean and Pepper Chilli
Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne
Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts
Mushroom Risotto with Cauliflower Rice
Tomato and Vegetable Pasta Bake
Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
Spinach, Ricotta and Courgette Pasta Lasagne

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

I'm a real advocate of cooking things low and slow, either on the hob or in the oven; it can really yield some fantastic results and this beef dish, was an experimental triumph.

I used braising steak here - an economical cut, but you could use skirt, shin or any other tougher cut that benefits from slow cooking.

I served this with a quick homemade guacamole, a dollop of sour cream, some sliced jalapenos and a simple salad, but it would go equally well with rice or a filling for a tortilla.

The below serves 3-4 adults.

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Here's how:

• 350g braising steak
• 1 white onion
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
• Tin of good quality plum tomatoes (I use Cirio)
• 150ml chicken stock (I use Knorr)
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the quick guacamole:

• 1 ripe avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red chilli
• Pinch sea salt

Place the oven on at 180 degrees for the moment to pre-heat.

Now prepare all of the vegetables - slice the onions and peppers and place into a casserole dish with the tomatoes.

Add all the seasonings and set aside for the minute.

Now drizzle just a little oil in a pan, and quick-fry the braising steak to just sear and brown the meat.

Once browned, place into the casserole dish, and cover with the chicken stock.

Give a good stir, place the lid (or some foil) on top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

Now remove from the oven and stir, then place the lid back on and return to the oven. In the meantime turn the oven down to 150-160 degrees and set a timer for 3 hours.

If possible, check the dish every 30 minutes and stir, to ensure the meat is still immersed in the liquid and avoid it drying out at all.

When you remove the dish from the oven, check the meat with a fork and spoon to see if it will easily fall apart; if not return to the oven for a further thirty minutes. Then remove from the oven and leave to stand with the lid on for a few minutes.

Whilst standing, this is the time to prepare your salad and any other accompaniments.

If preparing the guacamole, simply slice the avocado and use a pestle and mortar to bash up a bit. Crush in the garlic and slice the chilli as fine as you can, then squeeze over the lime juice and stir. Garnish with sea salt before serving.

Enjoy!

Tip: if you have more time, make a chunkier guacamole with chopped red onion, tomatoes and coriander - the one above is a quick one that can be ready in two minutes.

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

After making my Lower Calorie Chicken Fajitas a couple of weeks back, I got to thinking about how this method of cooking would work really well with my latest favourite cut of meat - pork cheeks.

The lean cheeks need gentle and slow cooking for 2-3 hours to really come into their own and so this makes a great weekend dinner or one to pop into your slow cooker mid-week. They carry flavour really well and with long cooking, become soft, tender and melt-in-the-mouth delicious, so I thought this would be a great dish and happily wasn’t disappointed.

As I’ve raved about before, pork cheeks are incredibly economical – I picked up 300g which is more than sufficient for two people for less than £1.50 – perfect for January when most are feeling the pinch.

This is a great warming winter dish with a smoky spice – serve with some romaine lettuce leaves rather than a wrap and this comes in at just under 450 calories for half of the below. I added 50g of cauliflower rice (coarsely grated cauliflower) fried in the tiniest bit of coconut oil with spring onions and coriander to bring the calorie count up to 510.

I served this with some coriander and spring onion fried cauliflower rice and some romaine lettuce leaves – but if you’re not in fat-fighting mode, this would be great in a wrap or a bun. 

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

Here's how:

• 4 pork cheeks
• 1 packet Old El Paso Smoky Barbecue Fajita Seasoning
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves 
• Selection of 2 different coloured bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli
• 100g mushrooms
• Tin of tomatoes
• 1 tsp Chipotle paste
• 100ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper

Firstly pop the oven on at around 160 degrees and place a non-stick pan on a low heat. Season the pork with half of the Old El Paso seasoning and dry fry to seal each piece of meat then place into a casserole dish.

Now finely slice the onions, mushrooms, garlic, peppers and chilli and add to the pan with the tinned tomatoes, chipotle, cinnamon, remaining Old El Paso, bay leaves and seasoning. Pour over the chicken stock and give a good stir then cover with a lid or some foil.

Now place the dish into the oven for three hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. The longer you cook this dish for the more tender and delicious the pork cheeks will be – after three hours it will fall apart at the gentlest of touches – not dissimilar to pulled pork.

Tip: If you’re in a huge rush, pop the casserole dish into the microwave for fifteen minutes before placing into the oven and this should shave off 30-45 minutes off of the cooking time.

Baby Bites Mexican Style Salmon Fishcakes

The beauty of reaching a stage during traditional weaning where finger foods are de rigeur, is you no longer have to faff around making purees or indeed making an entirely different dish to what you are making for the rest of the family.

These Mexican style salmon fishcakes are a great meal for the adults made with fresh chopped chilli added and served in a wrap with all the Mexican trimmings – salad, sour cream, salsa – guacamole even. For baby I make to the exact same recipe minus the chill and serve simply with some cherry tomatoes and slices of cucumber and she absolutely loves them.

They have a lovely zing from the lime and coriander and a gentle smoke of paprika so if you haven’t yet introduced bolder flavours to your little one, maybe err on the side of caution and go gently.

These do freeze well too so if you did want to, make a batch, shape them into the fishcakes first and pop into a sandwich bag and once completely cooled pop into the freezer – I tend to just add the extra to our batch though!

Here’s how:

• 2-3 new potatoes
• Small fillet of salmon
• 2 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Good squeeze of fresh lime juice
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 slice of brown or granary bread
• 1 egg
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Cherry tomatoes and cucumber to serve

Firstly clean the potatoes and place into the microwave for 6 minutes. Whilst these are cooking, finely slice the spring onions and mince the garlic and place into a bowl.

Chop the coriander and add to the bowl.

Blitz the slice of bread in a blender or crumble with your hands if you don’t have a blender. Add half the breadcrumbs to the bowl and keep the rest to one side, on a plate or in another small bowl.

Chop the salmon into small pieces and add to the spring onion, garlic and coriander.

Once the new potatoes have cooked, use a fork to mash them up completely – they should still retain some shape and not become mush. Add to the salmon mix. Now add the paprika, pepper, squeeze of lime and use a fork to stir and try to evenly distribute each of the ingredients.

Beat the egg into a cup or bowl and then add to the salmon mixture and mix well. If, once mixed, the mixture looks too wet to shape into fishcakes, add some more breadcrumbs until it looks pliable (if so you will need some more breadcrumbs made).

Drizzle the oil into a pan and place on a medium to low heat.

Now using your hands, pull out about a tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a small, round, fishcake. Dip into the breadcrumbs so it’s covered on both sides and place straight into the heated pan. Do the same with the remaining mixture – or place some into freezer bags as you wish.

You want to cook them until they are enticingly golden brown on both sides and the salmon is cooked through – four minutes on each side should be more than sufficient – but ensure the salmon is all cooked through for baby.

Serve with cherry tomatoes and cucumber or some other salad items and allow to cool enough for baby to handle.

A London Lunch No. 10: Wahaca – Mexican Street Food

So I’m heading to Mexico this weekend for this first time and on a recent holiday retail jaunt to Westfield Stratford with the boyf, we decided to get in the mood for the Mexican cuisine by heading to Wahaca.

The rapidly expanding chain has Thomasina Miers' name to it, and has been a firm casual favourite of mine for a few years – having spent many a lunch hour in the Covent Garden branch. This was the boyfriend’s first time at Wahaca and he has been quickly converted to this style of eating small plates as and when they arrive at the table, according to the varying cooking times.

We ordered some Guacamole with Tortillas and a Citrus Fizz each whilst we mulled over the menu. The guacamole was chunky, flavourful, citrusy and with that all-important chilli kick – absolutely delicious. The Citrus Fizz is like an innocent version of a mojito – sparkling water over crushed mint and lime – utterly refreshing and moreish.

We chose six small dishes – all priced very reasonably under the £4.50 mark. The first is my favourite – I cannot enter Wahaca without ordering it – the Pork Pibil Tacos. You get three mini soft corn tacos topped with the most delicious slow-cooked pork which is in a salty, smoky and meaty juice and topped with sweet, pickled pink onions and zingy coriander. It is completely unpretentious but one of the most satisfying little plates of food. We also had the Chicken Tinga Tacos – these again were topped with shredded, slow-cooked chicken in a barbecue style sauce topped with chilli and crema – and it was sensational.

 

We tried the Ceviche Tostadas as well, a first for me at Wahaca, and whilst it was pleasant enough, I probably wouldn’t repeat. Fresh and fragrant it was, but having eaten such great alternatives at Ceviche and Lima recently, it just didn’t live up to those standards. There was very little flavour from the scallops which was disappointing – Glen loved it though, so maybe give it a try.

Another first for me was the Potato and Chorizo Quesadilla. This had a lovely smoky taste running through from the chorizo and the melted cheese made it feel quite naughty but very, very nice. I have to say this, like a good slice of pizza, tastes oh so much better if eaten with your hands – it’s one of those kind of dishes.

Our final two dishes were the Marinated Chicken Taquitos and the Green Rice – both of which were good. The taquitos had the most fragrant, moist and tasty chicken inside and were topped with a refreshing citrusy green salad and a generous topping of crumbly and delicious Lancashire cheese – gorgeous. The rice is a beautiful looking little plate; blitzed coriander and onion make for the unmistakable flavours and colours of Mexican cuisine – once again showing that a simple dish can be so, so good. 

‘Simple yet satisfying’ is the mainstay of Wahaca and it never disappoints for me. I have enjoyed many a lunch at the various outposts and I’m sure I will continue to do so. There are tons of Mexican restaurants and burrito bars in London these days and I have tried a good selection, but what Wahaca has above most that I’ve tried, is you don’t come away with that awful bloated feeling and I think this had a lot to do with the quality of the ingredients and the freshness of everything used. Oh and with change from £30 for a very enjoyable and filling lunch for two I just don’t think you can go wrong.

If anybody has any recommendations for foodie or otherwise things to do in Cancun or the Riviera Maya in Mexico please do comment below.