Sometimes it seems that the whole world is obsessed with diets like Atkins, South Beach, low GI etc. Sweden is certainly no exception. I, always having been on the chubby side, was intrigued when I first heard of it, but I haven't given it a shot. I don't really believe in diets. Sure, you should eat healthy, but I think that if you eat in moderation, that goes a long way. Omitting things completely? Well, that just doesn't go with my general philosophy of having a good time. So, I'll keep both my carbs, my fat and my sugars. Thanks.
That said, I couldn't resist buying the South Beach Cookbook when I was in California last time. It's not a bad book - quite nice actually. And I've found a fair amount of recipes that I want to try. Here's the first one I tried - a simple dish of salmon rubbed with five-spice, that amazing chinese spice blend. Very aromatic, and very good with the salmon. (Which would have been nice with some potatoes, too, but in the name of South Beach..) Five-spice contains fennel, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and Szechuan pepper!
They served this with spinach, but that doesn't go over very well in our home, so I made a sauté of haricot verts and zucchini instead.
Five Spice Salmon
Serves 2
1 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice
pinch of sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 salmon fillets
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
large handful haricot verts
1/2 zucchini, sliced into half moons
Mix the lime peel, lime juice, oil, ginger, five spice and sugar in a bowl. Marinade the salmon for half an hour. Remove, and fry or grill in a grill pan. (Or by all means, use an actual barbecue.) Brush with the leftover marinade, and add some more five-spice if you want to. (I did.)
Meanwhile, flash-boil the beans for a minute in salted boiling water, than sauté them with the zucchini, and the garlic.
6 comments:
What a great idea. I definitely have five spice in my kitchen and it looks delicious plus healthy too.
Why do I go food blogging when I'm hungry? Why? And while I'm at it, why am I not eating dinner at your house every night? Yum! : )
Great use of 5-spice! This looks very good!
Just discovered this post although you wrote it a while back. I lost 40 pounds on South Beach (while eating quite well!). I have this cookbook so I was happy to read your comments on the recipe. It was one I had thought of trying, but never did. Thanks.
what kind of spices are "5-spice"?
Anonymous - it's usually star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and sichuan pepper but there are many varieties. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-spice_powder
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