Honey & Soy Salmon with Infused Coconut Rice

Posted by thesensitivefoodie on November 20, 2013 in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free | 12 Comments

Since giving up gluten, cows milk & eggs, I have felt pretty amazing. I find it sad that I spent most of my 20’s and half my 30’s in an exhausted, sick fog, and missed out on a lot of things I would have liked to do. I had no idea how badly it was affecting me, until I had the allergy tests done and gave up what was making me sick, and noticed the difference almost immediately. I wish Dr’s were more aware of what food issues can do to people, miraculously my 15yr battle with chronic fatigue, stomach problems, mild depression and weight issues disappeared within weeks of changing my diet.

But I am trying not to dwell on that, and am grateful that I finally found out. In the past few months, I’ve lost 12kg, feel so much happier and clear headed and I’m doing something I never thought I would do – I’ve started training for a 5km fun run in February. In my teens I was pretty fit, I was a rower and trained twice a day, and competed most weekends during the summer. I also kickboxed and played hockey & basketball (I was hopelessly terrible at both) but with all that training, I always HATED running. I would do anything to get out of it. There is a pretty popular running track, called the BayRun near where I used to row. I would run far enough to be out of sight, and then walk up doubling back in the block behind and come running back to the club from the other direction, timed perfectly. When my coach cottoned on, he tried chasing me, driving the car around and checking I was running, all to no avail, I would still find way, or ‘pull a hammie’. I would choose rowing until I couldn’t walk, or weight training for 2hrs, over a 7km run anyday.

When I was 20 I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and struggled to jut get out of bed and go to work, let alone do sport. I now realise, that it was also the time I met and moved in with my husband, and my eating habits changed, I started eating more pastas, pizza, cooked weekend breakfasts, etc, and it was really just that I started eating way too much gluten, dairy & eggs, and my body couldn’t cope. My weight crept up over the years and I got to the point where a couple of flights of stairs exhausted me. I would go on health kicks, but I just couldn’t lose weight and I was always so tired. In the past few months, that has completely gone away. I have heaps of energy, and I am losing weight without really trying. So deciding to do a fun run, is my way of showing myself that I can do it, all these years later, and push me out of my comfort zone. I thought I’d start off with the Color Run, and a group of friends have registered to join me –  if I have to run 5km, I can at least have fun doing it.

I’ve downloaded an iphone app, that slowly builds you up over 8 weeks from running a minute and a half at a time and then walking for a minute repeated several times, to eventually being able to run for 35 mins straight by week 8.  This is my first week, and I have to say, dragging my fat and very unfit butt around a sports ground in the morning, I have wondered why on earth I thought this was a good idea. I can’t understand how 90 seconds can take so long, and I spend the last 30 seconds arguing with myself to keep going. But I’m sure that when I am at the finish line in February, having managed my first 5km run ever, covered in brightly coloured powder, surrounded by friends; I’ll be feeling pretty happy with myself for accomplishing it (or possibly curled up in the foetal position, passed out on the curb).

Having to train over the Christmas & New Year period, will be a good way to keep me on the right track. Luckily healthy meals can still be super yummy. This dish will definitely be regular in our house, the flavour combination is amazing, and I’m thinking of trying freezing marinated salmon portions and rice, so I can quickly cook them up on a week night.

Suitable for – gluten, dairy, egg, nut & sugar free diets

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 salmon steaks, skin on with bones removed, or one large piece enough for 4. If using a large piece, score the skin side so that the marinade can soak in.
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free or normal)
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 sticks fresh lemon grass
• 1 bunch fresh coriander, stalks finely sliced, pick the leaves and keep separately
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 3 red chillies, 2 deseeded and finely sliced, 1 sliced in half down the centre and deseeded
• 4 green shallots,  finely sliced the green section, and keep the white part unsliced for the rice infusion
• 2 cups rice, cooked as per directions
• 1 cup coconut cream, stirred well
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (the double leaves, or 8 single leaves), squeeze the leaves to release the smell
• 2 limes

Method

1. Place the salmon in a dish or zip lock bag to marinate and sprinkle with white pepper. Place half the broken up lemongrass in the tray, and place the salmon on top. Mix the soy sauce, honey, coriander stems, ginger & garlic and pour over the salmon, and then place the remaining lemongrass on top. Cover all sides of the salmon and then refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. In a saucepan, add the coconut cream, shallot pieces, chilli halves and kaffir lime leaves and simmer on low heat for 5 mins. Let sit while rice is cooking. Remove the shallots, chilli & kaffir lime leaves from coconut cream. Add the cooked rice and stir through. Heat over low heat until absorbed.
3. In a grill pan, heat olive oil over medium/high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and cook for approx 4 minutes each side, or until blackened, with pink flesh, if you like your salmon well done, cook for a couple more minutes each side. Cook skin side up first, and then turn over onto the skin, cook until blackened and the skin is crispy.
4. To serve, squash the salmon with a fork, flesh side up, so that it falls apart. Sprinkle with the finely sliced shallots, chilli & coriander leaves and squeeze over the lime juice. Serve with the infused coconut rice.

Recipe Inspiration –  The salmon recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe found here. The infused coconut rice is my own recipe.

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