34 Skidoo

Edging ever closer to the finish line, we bring you the final instalment of the fish meals, and the first challenge meal of springtime! This week we enjoyed the delicious Crispy Salmon, Jazzed-up Rice, Baby Courgette Salad, Gorgeous Guacamole and Berry Spritzer! Its always nice to go out with a bang and this meal was a great way to bring an end to our seafood adventures. It was fresh, flavoursome, and had a hint of Mexican flair to it (which pretty much cements it on my favourites list - I love anything Mexican inspired!). So, here is how the week played out for us...

We moved challenge dinner to Saturday nights (in case you were wondering about the big gap between posts), it just fits a little bit better with the household schedule, and also makes for a far more relaxed shopping and preparing experience - an afternoon dash to the fish market and trying desperately to find substitutes for things before rushing home to cook does not always make for the most peaceful or enjoyable of cooking styles. Anyway, this week was disgustingly easy to prepare for. I managed to get absolutely everything at the one shop (thank you supermarket, for stocking everything I needed!!) and by the time we got around to cooking it felt a little like we were just standing around waiting for things to be done. There was no rush, no panic, we took plenty of time getting everything ready and it all worked out great! No disasters for us this week!!

The salmon was so delicious, its difficult to really explain it. The flavours from the chives, capsicum, lemon, chilli and olive oil help to make it really tasty, the fish just absorbs all of the flavours as it cooks in the roasting tray. To make the 'crispy' part, you need to cook the salmon a bit, then cut off the skin and flip it over, cook it some more, then flip it back over again and cook it a little longer. It is a little bit fiddly and mine didn't crisp up as well as I had hoped it might - but the fish still tasted great. 

The rice and the salad were, as expected, both completely simple to make. The most effort required was just for the dressings, which just takes the chopping of a few herbs and vegetables which are then thrown in a bowl with some olive oil and other additives. Really, really easy to make and turned up two great side dishes! You could easily knock these out in a few minutes, so I'd be willing to bet that this week was one of the closest to 30 minutes that we've experienced (adding up total time spent actually preparing and cooking that is, not total time spent in the kitchen. We take things at a lazy pace in our household when we know we have the time for it, there is no race against the clock!). Both side dishes came up nice and flavoursome, lovely and fresh, just a little bit different from your average salad or rice dish. I recommend you give them a try, they really are yummy!

The guacamole was indeed gorgeous, probably one of the better ones I have had in my time (and I take great pride in my own guacamole recipe, so that is a big call coming from me!). It really needs no explanation and aside from needing perhaps a touch of pepper it is awesome. If you like guacamole, try this recipe. You won't regret it! 

And finally the berry spritzer. It was light and refreshing and dead easy to make (are you surprised?).  All you need is a blender, some berries, some ice cubes and a bit of sparkling water (and a little something extra for the grown-ups, should the mood strike!). Blend, pour and serve!

So there you go, spring has sprung and we are ready to get into some really yummy roasts and other awesome beef dishes. Next week we'll be serving up Roast Beef, Baby Yorkies, Little Carrots, Crispy Potatoes and Super-Quick Gravy for a few people who are brand new to the challenge night experience (though they have enjoyed some leftovers and contributed a wine suggestion or two!).

Til next week - Bon Appetit!