Perfect salmon with white sauce
This was an instant favorite when I found the perfect combination. It took some trial and error, especially with the sauce, but I’ve found it.
Since I never measure spices exactly, it might take a couple of tries to get this perfect, but this recipe is a great starting point for a perfect fish meal.
I’m going to skip vegetables for this dish, as it works with a lot of different stuff. I used steamed vegetables. Rice works great too.
Ingredients (2 persons)
- 2 salmon fillets (100-150g each)
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Milk (4dl)
- Cream (1dl)
- Lemon juice
- Butter (150g)
- Mild cheese (20g, grated. I used Tine Norvegia)
- Parmesan cheese (20g, grated)
- Flour (2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube
- Spices (fish spice mix, garlic powder, pepper, salt)
Recipe
Marinade for the fillets
Make a marinade for the fish: 3/5 parts olive oil, 1/5 part soy sauce, 1/5 parts lemon juice. Season richly with salt and pepper. Brush the marinade on all sides of the fillets and pour the rest over the top. Turn the fish in the marinade every few minutes while you prepare and cook the vegetables.
Sauce
Melt the butter in a kettle and add the flour. Stir until mixed. Add a little milk and cream and stir. Keep adding a little bit at a time and let it boil in between until the consistency is how you like your sauce.
Add the grated cheese, parmesan, 1/2 stock cube and seasoning. For the seasoning, you should have about two teaspoons of fish spice mix, one teaspoon garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. More salt than pepper.
Keep adding seasoning and other ingredients until it tastes great.
Frying the fillets
This may be a little different depending if you have skin on your fillets or not. I prefer having skin on my fillets because it is easier to cook and cheaper. Warm a pan up to medium /high heat (I use heat setting 7 out of 9).
Fry the fish on each side for almost 2 minutes (fried but not burned). Keep turning the fish until all sides are done. If you have skin on your fish you can let it rest on the skin for a little while longer when the other sides are done.
The end result should look something like my picture above, and taste wonderful. Good luck.
Sunset from a family restaurant in Platanias
I’m back from a week in Greece. I chose not to tell you beforehand because of insurance reasons. I had a great time, both relaxing and getting much inspiration for food and drinks. I’m experimenting my way to the perfect frozen strawberry daiquiri and much more.
Being away from technology for week was easier and more refreshing than I’d expected. Getting back to my web habits will likely take some days, but I’ll hopefully throw up some articles and recipes soon. I’m also looking forward to my new iPhone project together with Kristian Hjelle. In his words:
Kristian Hjelle and Thomas Sunde Nielsen (That’s me) = awesome little application. In the meantime, enjoy your tea!
Staying fit doesn’t need to be a hassle. In fact, just a few easy tips can get you well on the way to stay in shape with minor changes to your everyday life.
- Walk more.
Walk to the store, to work or just take a walk. There are probably many nice places in your neighborhood you haven’t seen. Check them out. Try to get at least two kilometres (1,25 miles) each day, preferably more. When you feel comfortable walking often, you can try to take a jog. This is even better exercise. - Cut down on the unhealthy fat.
Use more oil and less butter in your food. Olive oil has many health benefits. Sunflower oil is nice for frying. - Eat more pork, fish and chicken and vegetables, less sugary and fatty food.
Eat less sugar, chips, deep fried stuff and fast food. Use unprocessed food in your cooking. Learn to cook healthy food. Cooking can be fun and relaxes you after a long day at work. Pork, fish and chicken are all really healthy. Together with vegetables they are a perfect dinner. Beef you can reserve for the weekends. - Eat 5 fruit/vegetables every day.
A dinner should be 2/3 vegetables and 1/3 meat/fish. Eat an apple or a banana for snack instead of chocolate or chips. - Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
This together with less sugar and fat made me drop 5 kg/10 pounds in 6 weeks (My office is on the 7th floor and I often walk to other offices on lower floors during the day to help people).
The results
If you follow some of or all these tips you will gain a better health, more energy and a better mood.
Bonus tips:
- If you smoke, stop. This will be the single most effective thing you can do.
- Keep sweets and alcohol for the weekends only.
- Try to eat varied food. Fish at least once, preferably twice, a week.
Good example of homemade fries. Not mine, they're always eaten before I can get the camera out.
Oh yes. Perfect homemade french fries. No, you don’t need fancy equipment or a lot of time. You just need some guidance. And I’m here to give it to you.
What you need:
- Saucepan
- Knife
- Potatoes
- Sunflower oil
Steps
- Fill the saucepan 2/3 with water and heat to the boil while you:
- Peel the potatoes.
- Cut them into french fries size.
- Boil the fries for 10 minutes. Should be almost eating ready in consistency. When done, let them dry on some paper.
- Pour out all the water of the saucepan and make sure it is 100% dry.
- Fill the saucepan with 1/2 with sunflower oil.
- Put the saucepan back on the heat. Keep a lid close in case of fire. Don’t use full heat, but above medium.
- Put in one potato slice as your control.
- If you have a thermometer that can take the heat and oil, make sure you stay around 180 degrees centigrade.
- When the control slice is golden, take it out and carefully put in the rest of your fries.
- Use tongs to lift out fries when they’re done. Or use a slotted spoon if you have one. Let them dry on some paper.
Tips:
- If you’re making a lot, finished fries can be kept at 200 degrees centigrade in your owen while you make the rest.
- Season with french fries spice mix or salt before serving. Serve with ketchup. Perfect with all kinds of meat or fish.
- Don’t settle for the tiny size of McDonald’s fries. Double that is a good start.
- Experiment with different sizes and forms. Creative fries are well received at parties.
- You can reuse the sunflower oil. Just let it cool down and pour it into an empty bottle. Be sure to filter out any leftovers of the fries.
Enjoy!
Different peppers
Wondering what to get when buying spices? Here is a short list of spices and uses. I’ve got way more spices than this (over twice as much), but I consider these the essentials.
Essentials:
- Black pepper: use for almost anything, especially meat. Use as much as you feel like
- Salt: use for almost anything, use just enough to get the flavor you want (as little as possible)
- Red pepper powder: Perfect for rice, home made spice mixes, chicken and more
- Thyme: Great for pork, chicken and lamb. I use this many times every week.
- Oregano: The pizza spice! Perfect for italian food. Smell it and you should recognize it’s uses.
- Basil: Use in pizza and pasta sauces, pesto and more. Strong flavor, use with caution.
- Cardamom: Used in all sorts of baked goods, like wafles, muffins, buns and cinnamon rolls.
- Cinnamon: Many uses, but I use mainly for baking and rice porridge topping. See cinnamon rolls.
- Curry: The rice and chicken spice. Indian food.
Less used but great to have:
- Ginger powder: Used in much eastern food
- Cumin: The secret behind kebab meat. Together with ginger powder, red pepper powder and garlic this will rock you.
- Rosemary: Lamb, chicken and pork. I often use this one together with thyme
You should also have these spices in fresh or processed form:
Garlic
- Chili (use mild chili if you aren’t too fond of spicy stuff): gives your dish that extra “oomph”. Mexican food essential.
- Garlic: Really really healthy and tasty. Makes any meat stand out, use with rice and in stews and more. Essential in italian food.
- Onion: Used in almost all italian dishes, many more. Don’t be afraid to use a lot.
- Lemon: Gives you that fresh, bitter taste. Use with fish and pork on the grill. Perfect for drinks too.
Inspirational spice examples:
Beef
Spice richly with salt and pepper, rub a garlic clove over (it doesn’t seem to do much, but it really makes a difference). Rub the spices in together with olive oil before frying on high heat.
Lamb dish
Salmon
Mix 1/3 lemon juice and 2/3 olive oil. Add salt and pepper, coat with the mix. Let it sit for as long as possible up to 24 hours in your fridge before grilling or frying. A touch of soy sauce and chili doesn’t hurt, either.
Chicken
Salt, pepper, curry and red pepper powder. The same spices can also be used in a sauce based on chicken stock and cream.
Salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.
Check out thomassnielsen.com/food for more inspiration.
