Donal Skehan - Home Cooked

Meanwhile, prepare the gremolata by combining the lemon zest, garlic and parsley in a bowl and set aside.

When the fish is cooked, squeeze lemon juice over the roasting tin and then sprinkle each fillet with the gremolata and add a few fresh basil leaves. Serve straight away.

HARISSA FISH WITH CARROT & MINT SALAD

Proper healthy fast food for me must be packed with flavour and texture. Some rather healthy ingredients can easily be pumped up with the addition of heat and spice. Harissa is a north African spicy paste that can be made at home easily enough, but for a speedy supper, a jar from the local shops does nicely. The salad is incredibly simple to prepare, just grate the carrot and mix the dressing.

SERVES 2

2 tbsp harissa paste

2 small haddock fillets, skin removed

½ lemon

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to serve

FOR THE SALAD

1 tsp harissa paste

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 carrots, peeled and grated

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

To prepare the fish, spread the harissa paste on the flesh side of the fish fillets and set aside.

For the salad, whisk together the harissa paste, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a salad bowl and then toss in the carrots, spring onions and mint until combined.

Place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and drizzle with a little oil if needed. Add the fish fillets, skin-side down, and fry for 2 minutes, then turn over and fry for a further 2 minutes or until cooked through. When you turn the fish, squeeze lemon juice over the top. Season the fish fillets and serve alongside the carrot salad and tuck in!

ZA’ATAR PORK FILLET WITH JEWELLED HERBY POMEGRANATE COUSCOUS

Za’atar is my latest discovery in the kitchen and I just can’t get enough of it. It’s a blend of fresh yet earthy Middle Eastern spices that can be sprinkled over meat and fish and is wonderful scattered over flatbreads drizzled with a little oil. For the couscous you can use any type you like, but if you can get your hands on Israeli couscous it’s much bigger and has a meatier bite than the regular smaller grain.

SERVES 4

2 pork fillets

2 tbsp olive oil

5 tbsp natural yoghurt, to serve

FOR THE COUSCOUS

250g Israeli couscous

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large handfuls of mint, coriander, flat-leaf parsley and oregano leaves, roughly chopped

1 × 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Seeds and juice of 1 pomegranate

1 lemon, zest grated and the fruit cut in half

Sea salt and ground black pepper

FOR THE ZA’ATAR

2 tbsp sesame seeds

4 tsp cumin seeds

4 tsp ground sumac

1 tsp sea salt

Good handful of oregano leaves, chopped

Soak the couscous in twice its volume of boiling water and cover with a plate. It’s ready when it has soaked up all the water.

For the za’atar, toast the sesame and cumin seeds in a dry pan with an ovenproof handle placed over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until they are golden. Place the toasted seeds in a pestle and mortar with the sumac, salt and oregano and bash until you have a fine, fragrant and slightly moist powder.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Sprinkle the pork fillets with half the za’atar powder and press it into the flesh.

Place the frying pan back over a high heat and add a little oil. Sear the meat for a few minutes until it turns golden brown on all sides. Add a few tablespoons of water and place the pan in the oven to cook for 15 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

While the meat is in the oven, fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the oil, herbs, chickpeas, pomegranate juice and seeds and the lemon juice and zest. Squeeze over plenty of lemon juice and season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Remove the pork from the oven and slice in 1cm thick rounds. Serve on top of the couscous with a generous sprinkling of the remaining za’atar powder.

LIME & COCONUT CHICKEN

There is something altogether soothing about this recipe. The usual heat you’d expect from an Asian-inspired recipe bows out to make way for the more aromatic and fragrant coriander, lime zest and lemongrass, which is wrapped together by a creamy coconut broth. You could replace the chicken with prawns or sturdy vegetables like sweet potato.

SERVES 4

2 limes, zest grated and the fruit cut in half

Good handful of coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 × 400ml tin of light coconut milk

2 large chicken breasts, finely sliced

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Rice, to serve

Lime wedges, to serve

Good handful of coriander leaves, torn, to serve

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced, to serve

1 spring onion, finely sliced, to serve

Blitz the lime zest, coriander stalks and lemongrass in a small hand blender until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large wok over a high heat. Add the paste and fry for 1–2 minutes until it is aromatic. Add the coconut milk and mix through, then stir in the chicken strips and allow to cook on a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish and soy sauces and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Squeeze over plenty of lime juice and mix through with the sesame oil.

Serve with rice, lime wedges and scatter over the coriander leaves, chilli and spring onions.

MARGARITA CHICKEN WITH SMOKY AVOCADO CORN SALSA

This recipe is all about big bold flavours and is one of my absolute favourite summer dishes. It’s perfect for the BBQ, but if the weather doesn’t hold up, a griddle pan will do just fine. This is lovely on a plate, but if you wanted, you could toast up some tortilla wraps in the pan and then serve slices of the chicken with the salsa and a generous dollop of sour cream.

SERVES 4

4 chicken breasts

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 lime, zest grated and the fruit cut in half

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1 tbsp sunflower oil

3 tbsp tequila

FOR THE SMOKY AVOCADO CORN SALSA

2 large corn on the cob

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

2 large avocados, stoned and quartered

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp smoky Tabasco sauce

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped

Good handful of coriander leaves

Lime wedges, to serve

Place the chicken on a sheet of baking parchment and spread each one with the garlic. Sprinkle over the cumin, chilli flakes, dried oregano and lime zest and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Cover with another sheet of baking parchment and, using a rolling pin, bash the breasts until they are about 2cm thick.

Place the breasts on a plate and pour over the sunflower oil, tequila and a good squeeze of lime juice. Turn to coat and then allow to marinate while you prepare the salsa. If you have time, place the breasts in a resealable bag with the sunflower oil, tequila and lime juice and leave them to sit for an hour in the fridge.