Every now and again we like to have a special dinner, just the two of us, while we enjoy our private time together. This dish fits the bill! It is very trendy to combine savoury and sweet flavours. This dish is the perfect marriage.
A little sea-salty with the fish, and sweet with the figs; throw in the crunch of the nuts, and some fresh-tasting coriander and lime, and it is more than sublime!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 x 250 g portions fresh salmon fillets
- Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli; remove seeds and slice thinly
- 150 ml fig preserve cut into quarters
- 60 ml macadamia nuts or almonds, chopped
- 60 ml fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 lemon or lime, cut into wedges
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/Gas mark 6.
- Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper, and place onto a greased, aluminium-foil-lined baking sheet, which has a small edge to catch the juices.
- Melt butter over medium-heat in a small saucepan. Add ginger and chilli, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add fig preserve to butter and ginger. Mix well. Cook over a moderate heat for 2 – 3 minutes, until well combined. Remove from heat.
- Top each fillet with fig mixture.
- Sprinkle the macadamia nuts or almonds over the figs.
- Bake in oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.
- Serve with coriander leaves, and lemon or lime wedges.
- Accompanied by some salad greens and steamed baby potatoes, this makes a memorable meal.
Tips:
Figs are packed with fibre. They are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. They provide us with phytonutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. Figs are widely found in Mediterranean diets, which we know to be good for our health.