Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the yogurt and tortillas are additive-free. I make my own tortillas with masa harina flour, salt and water.

Prepare onion, chile and yogurt

Form fish mixture into round cakes and fry

Cook for about three minutes per side

Place fish cake on tortilla and top with yogurt, onion and chile

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 g) sustainably sourced plaice fillets (or similar white fish), skinned, pin-boned and cut into 1-inch (2-3cm) chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 egg
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed
4 limes, zest finely grated, then cut into halves, to serve
Salt
1 cup (20 g) coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ cup (125 g) Greek-style yogurt
½ red onion, peeled and very finely sliced (use a mandolin, ideally)
⅓ mango, peeled and cut into julienne strips
1 red chile, deseeded and cut into julienne strips
3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas (6-inch/15cm-wide ones)

Preparation:

Put the fish, garlic and egg in the bowl of a food processor with a teaspoon (5 ml) of cumin, three-quarters of the lime zest and three-quarters (3.75 ml) of a teaspoon of salt. Blitz briefly to a rough paste, then tip into a medium bowl. Stir in half the coriander, then form the mix into 12 round fishcakes. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (and up to four hours), to firm up.

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the remaining half-teaspoon (2.5 ml) of cumin, the remaining lime zest and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt (0.6 ml).

In a second small bowl, combine the onion, mango and chile.

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the fishcakes in batches for two to three minutes a side, until golden-brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Warm the tacos in a dry frying pan or in the oven and cut the fishcakes in half. Top each taco with two fishcake halves and a spoonful each of the yoghurt and the mango salsa, and sprinkle with coriander. Serve with a lime half. Makes 12 tacos.

From Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

The currants, pine nuts, capers, olives and saffron may contain additives or colour, so check the labels. No-Name currents and pine nuts are additive free. I use Unico capers and President’s Choice garlic-stuffed green olives. I often substitute turmeric for saffron, as the latter, depending on the source, can contain colour.

This salmon is topped with a pine nut salsa

Bridget Jones's Pan-Fried Salmon with Pine Nut Salsa

Ingredients:

¾ cup (100 g) currants

4 salmon fillets, skin on and pin-boned (1 lb, 2 oz/500g)

7 tbsp (100 ml) olive oil

4 celery sticks (1 ¾ cups/180 g),  cut into ½ inch (1 cm) dice, leaves removed but kept for garnish

¼ cup (60 ml) pine nuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) capers, plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) of their brine

Large green olives, pitted and cut into ½ inch (1cm) dice (about 8/60 ml)

1 good pinch of saffron threads (¼ tsp/1 ml), mixed with 1 tbsp (15 ml) hot water

1 cup (250 ml) parsley, roughly chopped

1 lemon: finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp (5 ml), then juice to get 1 tsp (5 ml)

Salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes while you prep the salmon and make the salsa.

Mix the salmon with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of oil, 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt and a good grind of pepper. Set aside while you make the salsa.

Put 5 tbsp (75 ml) of olive oil into a large sauté pan and place on a high heat. Add the celery and pine nuts and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts begin to brown (don’t take your eyes off them, as they can easily burn). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water and a pinch of salt. Drain the currants and add these, along with the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil into a large frying pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and fry for 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Reduce the heat to medium, then flip the fillets over and continue to fry for 2–4 minutes (depending on how much you like the salmon cooked). Remove from the pan and set aside.

Arrange the salmon on four plates and spoon over the salsa. If you have any celery leaves reserved, scatter these on top.

From Simple, by Yotam Ottolenghi