Tuna Patties

I invented this recipe whilst thinking of ways to use up tins of tuna in my cupboard. These are full of protein, so perfect after a morning of Zumba! I love my Zumba classes, but I come out of them ravenous. I have 2 patties with some salad for lunch, and they are very filling. My kids love them too, which is a bonus. You could swap the tuna for tinned salmon, you could also add finely diced peppers or sweetcorn to the mix as well. Delicious hot or cold.

1 180g tin of tuna, drained very well
2 spring onions, chopped
40g grated cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 beaten egg
Salt & pepper to season

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Form into 2 patties. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan to a medium heat. Add the patties, and leave for 6/7 minutes. Do not move the patties during this time! They need to form a crispy crust on the underside so that they keep their shape. Flip over and fry the other side for 5/6 minutes. They should be golden on both sides. Remove to a plate and serve.

Prawn Cocktail Salad

This was our starter at Christmas. Simple, traditional (old fashioned maybe?) but to me, lovely!

I love having this for lunch, sometimes swapping the prawns for crayfish tails.

Prawns
1 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tblsp tomato ketchup
Tiny pinch paprika

Mix the mayo, tomato sauce & paprika and mix with the prawns, Serve on a bed of salad.

Thai Salmon Parcels

These are based on a recipe from the Lorraine Pascale cookbook called "tinfoil trout". I couldnt get trout, so I used salmon instead. It still tasted amazing. Serve with some noodles tossed in sesame oil with a few beansprouts chucked in, or a nice rice dish. Wrap the foil with a tight seal, but loose around the fish to let the steam circulate. I have more salmon fillets in the fridge, so looking forward to making this again soon.

4 salmon fillets
8 spring onions
1 red pepper
1 garlic clove
1 piece of ginger, finger size
1 red chilli
Handful coriander leaves
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 200c. Cut the spring onions into thin julienne strips (fine strips). repeat with the ginger & red pepper. Finely chop the garlic and chilli. Mix all these together. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil & lime juice together. Place a salmon fillet on a square of tinfoil, then top with a quarter of the vegetable mix and then a quarter of the sauce mix. Seal each parcel, place on a baking tray & cook for 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Seared Tuna & Cucumber Relish

I fancied a light dinner tonight, after having had some creamy, rich meals this week! I picked up a tuna steak in Morrisons, and made this light relish to go with it. You could add some boiled new potatoes too, or maybe a rice salad. I used the very last of my fresh parsley making this, I don't think I'll have much more grow now before spring :( I maybe have to buy a pot to keep on my windowsill until the garden flourishes again. Do any of you grow your own herbs?

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
4 tuna steaks , about 140g/5oz each
½ cucumber
2 spring onions , finely chopped
1 medium tomato , finely chopped
½ large red chilli , seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice

 Put the oil into a food bag and add the tuna steaks. Rub well together and leave for 30 mins while you make the relish. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Chop the flesh into a small dice. Mix with the rest of the ingredients, seasoning to taste. Set aside.
Heat the pan to hot, then cook the steaks, turning after 2 mins, and cooking for another 2 mins each side depending on the thickness of the steaks. Remove the steaks from the heat allow to stand for 3-5 mins, then spoon over the relish and serve.

Salmon Saltimbocca

Another recipe from the great Lorraine Pascale TV show, Fast, Fresh & Easy Food. This looked so simple that I had to try it, so had it for lunch today with a rocket side salad. The classic combination of salty prosciutto and salmon is a winner. I am really enjoying her recipes right now, I have a few more to try out in the next few days. You could also use pancetta.

Allow 1 salmon fillet (approx 175g) and 3/4 slices of prosciutto per person.
3 sage leaves per portion
Oil for frying.

Lay 3/4 slices of prosciutto ham, overlapping slightly, on a plate. Place the salmon on top and season. Lay the sage leaves on top, then wrap in the ham.

Heat the oil in a frying  pan. When sizzling, add the salmon parcels. Let them crisp on each side, and until the salmon has cooked through. Serve with potatoes and rocket salad.

Tuna Fried Rice

The kids had some friends over for dinner, so I wanted something easy, cheap and tasty to feed them all. The good thing about this recipe is that it is made from storecupboard & freezer items. Its a great stand-by meal for children. Make sure to completely cool the rice before frying it, otherwise it will clump and go gooey! If I have just cooked the rice, I rinse it in a sieve under cold water then let it dry. Serves 4.

250g  rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Large handful frozen peas, thawed
Large handful sweetcorn
200g tin tuna in brine drained
2 ripe tomato, deseeded and cut into thin wedges
2 tbsp soy sauce
A small handful roughly chopped parsley

Cook the rice according to packet instructions, cool completely and then set aside.Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and stir-fry the rice on a high heat for 1-2 mins. Add the peas, sweetcorn, tuna and tomato and stir-fry for a further 2 mins. Stir in the soy sauce and parsley and heat through. Serve in bowls.

Tuna Pasta Bake

One of the classics that my kids love! This is my store-cupboard meal than I can always rely on. Simple, quick & tasty - perfect for the kids tea on a busy evening! I served it with a green salad. Clean bowls all round!

Serves 4

400g pasta
Tablespoon cornflour
600ml milk
200g strong cheddar , grated plus an extra handful to scatter on top
2 x 160g cans tuna drained
Large handful frozen sweetcorn
Large handful frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Boil the pasta, but remove from the heat 2 minutes before the cooking time and drain.

In a saucepan, warm the milk & season. Mix the cheese with the cornflour & mix to coat. Add to the warming milk a bit at a time, letting it melt before adding more.

Pour the drained pasta into a baking dish. Add the tuna and then the sweetcorn & peas.  Pour over the sauce, and mix. Scatter the extra cheese on top before putting into the oven for about 15 minutes.

Tuna balls with pea & sweetcorn pasta

This is a lovely yet simple kid's dinner! I like it especially as it uses mostly store cupboard items. All my children love tuna, and this was something a bit different using it. A nice change from fish fingers.

Serves 4 children

200g can tuna in oil
85g fresh breadcrumbs
50g cheddar , finely grated
1 large egg , lightly beaten
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil , for frying
100g small pasta shapes
a handful of frozen peas& sweetcorn
2 tablespoons creme fraiche

To make the tuna balls, tip the tuna and its oil into a large bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Add the beaten egg and chives, then season with a pinch of salt and stir again until everything is well mixed.
 Form into 12 balls the size of ping-pong balls, then chill until you're ready to cook. 
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, dropping in the peas & sweetcorn for the last couple of minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the balls for 8-10 minutes, turning often, until they're golden brown. Drain them on kitchen paper and keep warm. 
Drain the pasta, return to the pan and add the creme fraiche. Heat gently for a minute, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Tuna Crunch Lettuce Wraps

It's a lovely sunny day today, so we had a picnic in the garden. The Wee Man had a friend over for the afternoon, so they had a tray of picky things while I enjoyed these tuna wraps. I am quite fed up of bread/bread type things just now, so these cos lettuce leaves were perfect. I think they are more delicious this way, and surprisingly filling. I am going to serve these next time I have friends over for lunch :)

To make 4/5 wraps -

1 tin of tuna, drained
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 inch piece of cucumber, chopped into small dices
1 3 inch strip of red pepper, cut into small dices
2 spring onions, chopped
5 lettuce leaves for wraps

Mix the tuna, mayo, lemon juice, cucumber, pepper & spring onion. Spoon onto the lettuce leaves & serve immediately.

Lemon & Parsley Crusted Haddock

I always like a bargain, and this week Lidl had haddock fillets on special so I snapped a pack up. I had no idea what I was going to do with them until I remember a commentor on my blog mentioned breading fish with breadcrumbs & lemon zest. I had some Panko breadcrumbs left to use, but you could use any sort of breadcrumbs that you like. We had our fish with chips, peas & sweetcorn - yummy!

Serves 2

2 haddock pieces
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water added
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt/pepper for seasoning
zest of 1 lemon
olive oil for drizzling

Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon zest & season. Dip the haddock into the flour, tap off the excess, then dip into the beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumb mix, pressing on the crumbs to completely coat the fish. Repeat with the second fillet. Arrange on a bakingtray & drizzle with olive oil. Cook at 200C for about 20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden & crispy.

Tuna & Sweetcorn Slice

We just wanted a light dinner tonight, as we have a verytasty pudding for after! I can never manage a proper meal and puddings in one sitting, so we tend to have soup/sandwiches/something light on Pudding Nights. This is very quick & simple to make, and the ingredients are also simple. It would make a very tasty lunch and would also be great as part of a buffet.

320g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
185g can tuna drained and flaked
325g can sweetcorn , drained
3 tbsp crème fraîche
50g cheddar , grated
a few chives , snipped to 1cm lengths

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Lay the pastry out on a baking sheet. Pinch up the edges to form a border, pressing firmly into the corners. Prick the centre all over with a fork and pop in the oven for 10-15 mins.
Meanwhile, mix the tuna and sweetcorn in a bowl and season.  
Remove the pastry from the oven, pressing the centre down with the back of a fork, as it will have puffed up a bit. Spread the crème fraîche across centre, spoon the tuna mix on top, then sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for 10-15 mins more, until golden, puffed up and cooked though. Sprinkle with chives and cut into quarters

Fish Goujon Wraps & Tartare Sauce

Basically, fish finger sandwiches! I defrosted a block of haddock, then decided I didnt fancy having it afterall so decided to make these wraps for the kids tea tonight. I think I need a different batter recipe - this one was too stodgy! I didnt like it, but the kids were ahppy with it. If anyone has a recipe for a nice crisp, light batter then please do share. There was salad leaves leftover from yesterday, and I made a quick tartare sauce. I do love homemade tartare sauce! It is just a basic recipe (no capers in it) but we all like this version better than jarred versions.

Batter

120g plain flour
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts salt
120ml water
1 tb vinegar
1 egg

Add the water to the flour/salt/baking powder & whisk into a thick batter. Add the vinegar & egg and combine thoroughly.

Slice your haddock (or any fish fillet) into chunky fingers. Coat in seasoned plain flour, tap off teh excess, then dip into the batter until thoroughly coated. Fry in very hot oil (if it is not hot enough, it is just very greasy) for about 5 minutes until golden & crispy. Add to wraps with salad and tartare sauce..

Tartare Sauce

60 ml mayonaise
1/2 ts lemon juice
1/2 ts finely chopped onion
1 tb finely chopped gherkin

Combine all the ingredients, and chill in the fridge for 2 hours to let the flavour develop.

After trying to "finely chop" onion & gherkin, I have decided I need a mini chopper!

Caribbean Fish Pie

Wow. That's all I can say about this dish - I absolutely loved it! I don't know about you, but I get so bored with the usual fish pie, that I rarely make it these days. I was reading a forum where fish pies were being discussed, and all were based on a white/parsley sauce until someone mentioned this one and it caught my attention. They didn't give a recipe, just a rough idea of what went in it so I had to play about a bit. It was perfect though, I cannot wait to have it again! There are no spices in it, so the kids all enjoyed it too. Let me know what you think, if you try this recipe! Id love to know.

About 500g of fish (I used salmon, haddock & coley)
600ml milk
Carton of coconut cream (I found it in Morrisons in the Chinese section)
90g baby spinach
Thyme leaves
Chopped coriander
75g butter
2 tablespoons flour
800g sweet potatoes
Teaspoon lime juice
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Peel & chop the sweet potatoes, then boil for around 10 minutes until they are ready to mash. Add about 30g butter and the pinch of nutmeg and mash.

Warm the milk & thyme in a saucepan, when it starts to bubble add the fish & turn off the heat. After 5 minutes, remove the fish from the milk and put into a pie dish/casserole dish.

Melt 25g butter and then add the flour to make a roux, cook for a few mins on a low heat, then add the milk a little at a time until its all mixed in. Add the coconut cream, coriander, lime juice, and spinach. Warm until the spinach wilts, then pour all the mixture over the fish. Top with the mashed sweet potato, dot with butter and put in the oven at 180c for around 20/25 mins. I served it with baby corn & mange tout.

Tuna sweetcorn burgers

My children all love tuna and they all love sweetcorn, so this seemed ideal to make. We all had them for lunch, and everyone wanted more! Definitely on the "make again" list. Perfect store cupboard recipe too, I only had to nip to the shop for some spring onions.

• 85g white bread , torn into pieces
• 198g can sweetcorn , drained
• 2 x 185g cans tuna in water, drained well
• 25g grated cheddar
• 3 spring onions , finely chopped
• 1 egg , beaten
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• wholegrain bread rolls, lettuce, to serve 

1. Whizz the bread in a food processor to crumbs, tip into a bowl, then whizz half the sweetcorn until finely chopped. Add the chopped corn, remaining whole corn, tuna, cheese, spring onions and some seasoning into the bowl with the bread and mix well. Add the egg, bit by bit (you may not need it all), until the mixture is sticky enough to be shaped into four even-size burgers.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then cook the burgers for 5 mins on each side until golden and hot through the middle. Stuff into wholemeal buns with your favourite lettuce. Recipe found here.

Prawn, mango & spring onion pakoras

I was browsing the Good Food website looking for inspiration for my upcoming Chinese dinner party when I found this recipe. It sounded unusual, and I had the ingredients in the cupboard/fridge. I have made pakoras in the past, so I have a large bag of gram flour (the best type for pakoras) already. These were tasty, if unusual tasting. I didnt make the dip, I served them as a side dish to our curry last night.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3188/prawn-mango-and-spring-onion-pakoras


I swapped the spring onion for finely chopped onion though. Not sure what difference that would have made, but I loved them anyway!