Sesame Crusted Salmon & Sushi Rice Bowl

Sesame salmon 5

Yesterday, at a surprise baby shower (a great success, by the way), I enjoyed the glorious English tradition of afternoon tea, with a slightly less traditional glass of fizz. Feasting on finger sandwiches, scones and clotted cream was an incredibly pleasant way to while away the hours before the long winter night set in. However, after all of that utter decadence my evening meal had to be something well behaved and virtuous.

Sesame salmon 2

When I’m after something tasty but virtuous my mind always turns to Japanese food. I am by no means an expert in this area, I’ve never been to Japan (although I’d love to go, if it didn’t involve being on a plane for a ridiculous amount of time) but I have eaten enough Japanese food to know that I love it!

Sesame salmon 3

This dish is not in any way authentic but it does bring together a few of my favourite flavours and ingredients in a way that is super tasty and incredibly easy to prepare after a hard day of jamming scones into your face. (continue reading…)

Sweetcorn Fritters with (Kinda) Guacamole

Sweetcorn fritters 1You get home from a hard day’s work and all you want is something quick and simple to eat, but you’ve had a mega unhealthy weekend and require some serious vegetable input, what do you do?

Corn 1

The answer for me almost always involves corn on the cob. Whether I use it as a base for an awesome charred corn salad (recipe to come at some point!), add some courgette and chilli and whip up a frittata, or stick it in a quinoa salad with veggies and feta, to my mind, it’s always perfection.

I also get a serious sense of satisfaction from cutting the little kernels off the cob. Little things… blah blah blah.

Corn 2

So this time I’ve decided to go with fritters. I’ve spiced them up with a little chilli and added some nice fresh spring onion. I like to use a little of the green part of the onion rather than just the white bit, the taste is milder and the colour looks marvellous in the fritters.

Tomato & Avocado

In addition to corn, I will also find any excuse to eat an avocado, definitely one of my top 5 foods. (I feel it’s very important to have a variety of constantly evolving top 5 lists in your life!)

Mashed onto toast, (pretty much every food bloggers favourite, as far as I can see!), chopped up in salads or, as in this recipe, fashioned into a highly unauthentic guacamole.

Kinda Guacamole

Of course, real guacamole would be amazing here, but I have no clue what the real deal involves and everyone seems to have their own formula anyway.

But if you ever use shop bought guacamole in this recipe, I will know and I will hunt you down and punch you in the neck. Mark my words.

Enough of my violent tendencies, on with the show!

Sweetcorn fritters 2

Sweetcorn Fritters with (Kinda) Guacamole
Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the guacamole:
1 avocado
2 small tomatoes
1 spring onion
1/2 red chilli
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper

For the fritters:
2 cobs of corn
1 red chilli
4 spring onions
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

1 tbsp rape seed oil

Start by making the guacamole. Deseed and finely chop 1/2 a red chilli (or a whole one if you want it a little more spicy) Make sure you take out the white membrane as apparently that’s the spiciest bit. Deseed and chop the tomatoes. Chop up the spring onion (so much chopping!)

In a small bowl, mash up the avocado, add the chopped veggies, squeeze in the juice of half a lime and mix it up. Season to taste and set it to one side while you make the fritters.

If your corn is still in it’s leaves, shuck it! (I love that word and just had to crowbar it in!)

Slice the kernels off the cob using a nice sharp knife. This can get a little messy but it’s definitely worth it. Chop the spring onions and deseed and finely chop the chilli. Pop all of the veggies into a medium sized bowl and mix in the flour, eggs, salt and pepper.

Put a large frying pan on a medium/high heat and add a tablespoon of rape seed oil (or olive oil if you can’t get hold of any yummy British rapeseed oil). Once the pan is nice and hot, pop in one tablespoon of the fritter mix at a time, leaving a space between each fritter, although they won’t spread much. You may have to cook the fritters in 2 batches but you can pop them in a warm oven temporarily to keep them warm.

Once the fritters are nicely browned on the bottom, flip them over and give them another couple of minutes on the other side. When they’re done remove them from the pan to some kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil.

Serve with the fake guacamole and enjoy! (I hope your inevitable baby fritter is as yummy and the one below!)

Baby Fritter