The Sweet and Spicy Salmon

Day 2


Then: 220 lbs (15st 10lbs) 
Now: 218 lbs (15st 8lbs) 
Lost: 2lbs 

Result. After just one day, two pounds have disappeared. 

Well, I know, that doesn't really mean anything. It just means my body is quickly burning up or discarding whatever excess fluids (mostly alcoholic) I forced into it on Easter Day. 

But the scales did make me quite cheerful this morning. 

Breakfast was a fruyo yoghurt, without the nuts. Then, for lunch, as I was at work, I had cold chicken on a dry salad. It wasn't worth photographing. 

But dinner certainly was: 

Tom's salmon with sweet and spicy Pernod cabbage and wilted baby gem

I was in charge this time. 

I fried up two sliced shallots in some olive oil, added chilli flakes, four sliced garlic, one and a half thinly sliced fennel bulbs, and added one thinly sliced red pepper. 

I then sliced some white cabbage really thinly, and added this, with a squirt of Pernod (around 30ml). I put the lid on, then shook it around, until the Pernod and the vegetable juices had combined into the sweetest, most delicious jus. 

Meanwhile I seared the seasoned salmon, skin side down, quickly but thoroughly in a very hot frying pan, then turned it over and baked it in a hot oven for a few minutes. This gave the top of the salmon (which was now on the bottom) a very thin orange crust. 

After 4 or 5 minutes, I took the pan out of the oven and the salmon out of the pan, and threw in two halves of a red baby gem lettuce (cut down the middle), and caramelised them rapidly. The lettuce was bitter, which is what I needed against the sweetness of the vegetables. I poured some of the vegetable jus over it before I deskinned and put the fish, orange-side up on top. Sweet and spicy, orange, pink green, red and white. Perfect.