Oh I know, I’m a fancy bastard sometimes. After yesterday’s encounter with Countess Canestan-Extra and her silly dismissal of Paul as classless and uncouth, I thought I’d make a geet proper posh tea of orange glazed salmon with spicy butterbean salad. Then I shelved that idea and hoyed a bit of fish and some butterbeans on a chopping board. I did act ‘all posh’ by not farting my way through dinner at least.

So, just a recipe to post tonight because you don’t normally get a recipe a day, but hey, today’s been a good day so why not. Yes, you’ll need to use your syns for this dinner so that probably means the majority of you lot won’t bother, but remember, syns are there to be used! Also, save for a couple of dishes way back when, this is a very rare dish indeed because it contains fish. I don’t like fish. I’m sorry, I don’t, and whilst that normally garners the same response from everyone I mention it to where they list every fish they can think of as if I’m telling a fib and I secretely crave and desire fish, let me assure you I’m not kidding. I might stomach a tin of tuna and I always swallow, but that’s about the only ingesting of anything that swims that I manage.

Paul likes it though, so this is for you babezzz 4EVA IN MI HARTS 

You might not want to bother with the butterbean salad or you might want to skip the fish. Just adjust the dish accordingly and I’ll see you in the morning. Let’s go! This makes a hearty meal for two. I’ve adapted the salad idea from an old Rose Elliott recipe. I’ve tried to marry them so that both recipes use similar ingredients. BECAUSE I’M NICE.

to make the orange glazed salmon with spicy butterbean salad, you’ll need:

• for the salmon
  • two tablespoons of honey (5 syns)
  • three tablespoons of soy sauce, but for goodness sake go low sodium, think of that ticker, let’s be frank you’re already working it hard
  • one tablespoon of rice vinegar 
  • two tablespoons of pure orange juice (we use the Trop50 Tropicano orange juice which is 1 syn for 100ml, but you’re using nowhere near that, so don’t bother synning it)
  • one tsp of sesame oil (2 syns)
  • a couple of cloves of garlic, minced finely, and yeah you know where I’m going with this, buy a bloody mincer – I know, I’m the only cheap mincer you need, but seriously, get one, it’ll make your life better
  • a little knob of ginger no bigger than your thumb or what hangs between the legs of those nobheads on the motorway who drive up your arse like they want to park on your teeth, minced finely, you know, using your mincer
  • few drops of hot tabasco sauce if you like to feel your dinner both going into your body and tumbling out later
  • a couple of good sized salmon fillets
  • some foil

So that’s 7 syns in total, but between two, only 3.5 syns.

• for the salad
  • two tins of butterbeans – you’re better off getting a slightly better brand so they’re not too mushy and falling apart, drained and washed
  • a good grind of dried red chilli peppers
  • two tablespoons of maple syrup (4 syns) or use honey (5 syns)
  • two tablespoons of rice vinegar
  • one tsp of sesame oil (2 syns)
  • one tsp of reduced salt soy sauce
  • two spring onions cut as finely as you possibly can
  • a good handful of rocket, cut up, but not too fine
  • 10g of Tesco salted peanuts, smashed up with a rolling pin (3 syns) (optional)

That’s 9 syns in total, and you can drop it down to 6 if you leave out the peanuts, but they add crunch. Between two is only 4.5 syns maximum.

to make the orange glazed salmon with spicy butterbean salad, you should:

• for the salmon
  • slap your fish down onto a foiled baking tray skin-side down and put the oven onto 200 degrees
  • make sure there is enough foil to wrap around the fish to form a parcel
  • mix together all the other ingredients and brush gently onto the salmon flesh
  • wrap the foil up around the fish so it’s fully enclosed 
  • cook in the oven for around twenty minutes
  • making sure it’s almost cooked, take it out, scoop the sauce up (use a spoon, not your fingers, unless you never want to play the piano again) and glaze the fish with it once more
  • chuck it under a grill for three or four minutes to colour off the top
  • I chucked on a few sesame seeds I had kicking about, you don’t need to, but a tiny pinch is less than a syn so…
  • serve with the salad, which follows below…

• for the salad
  • see, I told you it was coming, and I don’t normally, I like the element of surprise see
  • OK, if you’ve rinsed off your butter beans, pop them into a bowl, and whisk together all the other ingredients bar the rocket, peanuts and spring onion
  • drizzle the dressing over the beans and mix it gently, you’re not trying to clap out an oil fire
  • about five minutes before your fish is ready, add the cut up rocket and sliced spring onion, and mix again, like you did last summer
  • when serving, scatter on the smashed up peanuts to add a bit of crunch.

Sorted! Fancy dinner or what. You don’t need to serve it on an ostentatious chopping board like me, but sometimes it’s good to let your hair down. 

Enjoy!

J

This Slimming World friendly dish of orange glazed salmon with spicy butterbean salad uses a few syns but makes for a delicious dinner that looks good but is very easy to prepare!