We have just returned from an awesome food and wine weekend in the Hunter Valley. My favourite place we ate at was definitely Leaves and Fishes. It is such a cute little boathouse overlooking a dam with comfy cushion covered benches, a nice wine list and an even better menu.

I started with the zucchini and prawn fritters with spicy house made tomato sauce ($19) which were lovely. I could have eaten a platter of these.

Whenever there is oysters on the menu, Brett always orders them ($16). He also ordered the pork belly with papaya, chilli and lime ($21).

We ordered the same mains, which was the daily fish special: Grilled Salmon, potatoes, seeded mustard, capers, chorizo and baby spinach ($34). I gave my chorizo to Brett which he was pretty happy about. This was our first meal of the foodie weekend and for the rest of the weekend Brett kept referring to this Salmon. He loved it! I thought it was pretty good too.

I had the chocolate brownie, cookies and cream icecream and honeycomb for dessert ($14). It was A-MA-ZING!!! The presentation was beautiful too.

If you are going to the Hunter Valley I highly recommend having lunch here. They are also open for dinner but I thought lunch was nice with the sun streaming in through the window and the light glistening off the water.

Leaves and Fishes

737 Lovedale Rd, Lovedale NSW Australia

02 4930-7400

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1. Chocolate and zucchini cake
2. Oatmeal, cranberry and chocolate cookies
3. Kube, Niseko, Japan

In September last year when a weekend trip down to Perisher fell through we decided we wanted one last big holiday overseas before we have kids. So we decided another trip to snowboarding heaven, Niseko, was the best choice. Within about 2 weeks from making this decision we had convinced my 2 sisters and their partners to join us, had booked and paid. It all happened so quickly and we were lucky that the hotel we stayed in last time, the Niseko Scot hotel, was also available. So we were lucky to have ski in/ski out accomoodation with a rooftop onsen and one of our favourite restaurants in Niseko, Kube,  right in the hotel.

This restaurant has everything and it’s all so reasonably priced. We dined here quite a few times and by the end of the trip we were wearing our Japanese PJ’s with our Ski Japan hoodies over the top. I don’t think that is really relevant but we thought it was funny. Early in the week after an onsen and massage I was considering wearing the Japanese PJ’s to dinner but not knowing Japanese customers I thought it may be offensive or be rude but then at dinner we saw some Japanese men wearing the classic blue PJ’s. Oh Joy! How could this holiday get any better!

Kube is a small cozy restaurant with an extensive menu ranging from Nabe’s, which are hotpots, to a nice selection of sushi and tempura. One of our favourite things to order was the California roll. Since it was so massive we renamed it the Cali Log. They were awesome!

We also loved the salmon nabe’s. How cute are the hotpots! After the salmon was cooked and we had eaten most of the pot some beaten eggs were added. Delicious and so nutritious!

The mixed tempura was another hit.

as was the agedashi tofu.

I was in foodie heaven in Japan and armed with my new camera, a Canon 550D, I took quite a few photos. Mostly food photos but a few touristy snaps too. I have quite a selection of photos so I’ll be posting some more soon. Hopefully it won’t be another month between posts. Although we have been busy researching and planning our foodie business which we will be sharing more info about soon. Hopefully you can join us on our foodie adventure.

xx

Related posts:

1. Salmon en croute (December Daring Cooks challenge)
2. Seared Salmon with Flying Fish chilli salt and black pepper caramel

Another favourite dish I’ve been making recently has been this salmon using some products I bought at Masterchef live, Flying Fish chilli salt and Flying Fish Black pepper caramel. When we went to the restaurant last year they used Tuna instead of Salmon, but since my local fishmonger rarely has sashimi grade tuna and since I like Salmon more this is what I have been making.

It is truly a taste sensation and the salmon simply melts in your mouth. The chilli salt along with the grapefruit adds a nice tang and the black pepper caramel adds a sweetness that complements it perfectly.

Flying Fish Salmon (Serves 2-4)

200g fillet sashimi grade salmon, skinned and boned

Flying Fish chilli salt

Flying Fish black pepper caramel

red grapefruit

Method

1. Thinly slice the grapefruit. Set aside

2. Sprinkle chilli salt onto a plate. Put salmon fillet on top and rub more salt along each edge.

3. Spray a frypan with oil and when hot sear each side of the salmon for 10-15 seconds. Use tongs to hold it up on the skinny edges.

4. Slice the salmon with a sharp knife.

5. Assemble on plate by alternating layers of salmon and grapfruit.

6. Drizzle with black pepper caramel.

Related posts:

1. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa
2. Black bean and Quinoa chilli
3. Chilli & Coriander Salmon

This has become a regular meal at our place and I have taken it to a few friends place’s and made it for Christmas day too. Each time it has been a hit. Since there is no cooking involved, simply chopping some veggies, it is quite easy.

Last month I went to Masterchef Live and was given a pamphlet with some recipes on it from Huon. I modified the dressing as I thought the one given was way too salty and had too much soy sauce. Huon are in Tasmania and farm delicious Salmon. Hot smoked Salmon is usually in supermarkets next to the smoked Salmon. It is more opaque than smoked Salmon and comes in regular as well as Sweet Chilli. Tassal is another brand that makes hot smoked Salmon. They have a creole flavour which is awesome. I recommend both brands.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 x 150g hot smoked Salmon portions, flaked with a fork

1 red capsicum, 1 carrot & 1 cucumber, all julienned

1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced

handful of bean shoots

handful of snow pea sprouts

1/2 bunch coriander

1/2 cup spicy peanuts

1 teaspoon chilli powder

Dressing:

3 tablespoons Lime juice

1 Tablespoon tamari

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 small red chilli, finely sliced

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar

Method:

1. In a dry frypan heat the peanuts with the chilli powder until coated. Set aside.

2. Place all ingredients into a bowl except the peanuts and toss with the dressing.

3. Place into a serving bowl and garnish with some extra coriander and spiced peanuts.

Related posts:

1. Super healthy salmon and salad
2. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa
3. Chilli & Coriander Salmon

I used all fresh and delicious ingredients and a few staples such as broccoli, tomato, soy sauce, and chilli. This was super easy for a mid-week dinner and high in omega-3 thanks to my friend the salmon fillet.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 2 Salmon fillets
• handful of sugar snap peas
• handful of broccoli
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1 large tomato, seeds removed and chopped
• ½ avocado, sliced
• small handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Spring onions, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced

Method:

1. Marinate salmon in soy sauce and lemon juice for 20 minutes, then grill to your preference.
2. Blanch the broccoli and sugar snap peas for 1 minute in boiling water, then refresh under cold water and shake to dry.
3. Combine with rest of salad ingredients.
4. Make dressing with soy sauce, spring onions, chilli and lemon juice and toss with salad.
5. Serve with salmon on side.

Related posts:

1. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa
2. Chilli & Coriander Salmon
3. Thai style steamed fish

I absolutely love love love Salmon. Knowing that it is packed full of Omega 3’s somehow makes it taste better knowing that it is good for me too. For a quick weeknight meal after a PUMP class when I want to have some protein to rebuild my tired muscles I cook this. I use a chilli coriander sauce from Costi’s to make it really quick. If it isn’t a school night and I have more time I sometimes make my own sauce but this marinade/ sauce is awesome. It tastes great and saves a lot of time.

Chilli Coriander Salmon (Serves 2) 

2 salmon fillets

¼ cup Chilli coriander sauce from Costi’s (pictured above)

 Preheat oven to 180°C. Lay salmon fillets on a big piece of foil, shiny side up, that is on top of a baking tray.

 Spoon sauce over the top of each fillet.

Seal foil package tightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how you like your salmon. Serve with whatever vege’s take your fancy.  This time I made a cheesy broccoli and cauliflower bake, which BRW loved. Usually I bake some red capsicum, zucchini and squash at the same time so it’s nice and colourful and very healthy.

I like my salmon well done so I bake mine for 20 minutes. I use the white juices as an indicator for when it’s ready.

Related posts:

1. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa
2. Salmon en croute (December Daring Cooks challenge)
3. Thai style steamed fish

Happy new year! I know it’s been awhile but its been a busy few months with family visiting, my hens, my wedding, Christmas and New Years. I’m about to leave for our honeymoon on Monday so I thought I’d squeeze in a quick blog which is VERY late, as you can see from the title.

I found this recipe very easy and tasty. I would definitely make it again, especially considering I love Salmon and it’s always my first choice on a restaurant menu. Salmon was also one of the main’s served at our wedding. Stay tuned for the blog about the food from our wedding, which was amazing.

The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

Salmon en croute (Serves 2)

Ingredients

• Cream cheese 90g
• Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach – 70g
• Shortcrust pastry – 1 frozen sheet
• Salmon fillet (skinless)- 300g
• Egg – 1 medium sized

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.

   

2. Lay the pastry out on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon. Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.

   

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test whether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.

   

Related posts:

1. Vietnamese Chicken Pho & Chocolate wontons (October Daring Cooks challenge)
2. Vegan Indian Dosa’s (September Daring Cooks Challenge)
3. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa

As I had made the tasty coriander and lime fajitas the previous night, I still had some left over ingredients such as half a can of black beans , coriander, spring onions and the mango seed. Curious to see if these flavours would work with the wild salmon, I followed a similar recipe to the chicken fajitas.

Marinate as before:

• Zest of 2 limes, juice of 1 lime (save the juice of the second lime for the salsa)
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp crushed chilli flakes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• handful fresh coriander, chopped
• 2 wild Alaskan salmon fillets

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then cover the salmon fillets and leave in fridge for a few hours before grilling for about 15 minutes.

Mango and Black Bean Salsa:

• ½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 mango, peeled and chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 big red chilli, chopped (seeds removed)
• Handful fresh coriander, chopped
• ½ tsp cumin
• Juice of the second lime

Peel and chop the mango. Rinse and drain the black beans. Chop the spring onions, chilli and coriander. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice and cumin until well mixed. Place the mango, black beans, spring onions, coriander, and chilli in a large bowl. Pour the lime/cumin mixture over and mix gently. Taste – add more lime juice if needed.

Plate up and enjoy! I got excited and decided to use my metal rings to arrange the salsa in a neat pile.

Related posts:

1. Coriander and Lime Fajitas with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa and homemade Guacamole
2. Chilli prawn dumplings
3. Mystery box challenge: Red curry prawns and vege”s