Recipe: Ditch the turkey - Go the Salmon!

Brought to you by School of Mum, Keep Left PR and Tassal Salmon

I am a huge lover of salmon. There is so much GOODNESS in salmon. My husband is not a big fan though so I don't cook it much. That's why when I got the offer to cook up a Christmas recipe using Tassal Salmon's beautiful range I snapped it up!

Back to the goodness though. *CSIRO research shows that seafood, in particular Atlantic salmon has between 10 and 100 times higher levels of Omega 3 than beef, chicken or lamb, and lower levels of cholesterol. Omega 3 is essential for our brains, hearts and immune system. Check out more of the amazing benefits here.

* Nutrition data sourced from http://nutritiondata.self.com, http://www.calorieking.com.au, http://www.tassal.com.au, http://www.omega-3centre.com

I think if you want something that's 'meaty' then salmon is the ultimate 'meaty' fish. That's why I decided to serve it the way I have. It's full of protein and just as filling as red or white meat. Also I tried to add some green and red elements to give it a Christmas 'vibe'.



I've fleshed out the ingredients and the steps for the stuffed tomato as it needed the most explanation but the other elements for the dish are really simple! The asparagus went beautifully with the saltiness of the fetta and the salmon and the hollandaise were just divine.

Enjoy!.

Tassal Salmon - canned, smoked or fresh can be found at all Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. There's also a couple of nifty Salmon shops I would love to visit. They sound amazing!

Stuffed Tomato and Asparagus - Makes 4 servings

Ingredients.
1. four vine-ripened tomatoes
2. 1kg Danish Fetta cheese (I love it for its creaminess, but if you find it too rich, lessen the amount and mix in some cottage cheese)
3. 1 bunch of parsley
4. 2 bunches of asparagus
5. Olive oil and spray olive oil.

Steps.
1. Slice the top of the tomato, ensuring the stem stays on. Set to one side.
2. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the tomato until you are left with a tomato shell.
3. Finely chop parsley into a bowl and add fetta. Add some olive oil and mash with a fork until it's smooth.
4. Spoon the fetta mixture into the tomato shells, ensuring there is some extra above the shell.
5. Carefully place the tomato 'lid' onto the top of the fetta.
6. Spray with olive oil and put in oven at 220 degrees for 15 minutes or until tomato looks cooked.
7. While tomatoes are baking, blanch asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Roast Potatoes

Steps.
Ensure you have about 4-5 chat potatoes per person. Put them in a bowl and coat with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary. Place on baking tray and bake in oven with the tomatoes. Too easy! It should take about 30 minutes. Poke one with a fork to ensure they are soft and cooked on the inside.

Salmon

Steps.
I would suggest about 200g of salmon per person. I chose salmon fillets, but if you prefer to have no skin you can buy salmon portions. I didn't mess with the salmon. It was as simple as some sea salt and popping in a hot pan with some olive oil. Keep turning salmon until golden on the outside and pale pink on the inside. It should take about 5-10 minutes on medium to high heat.

Sauce

A basic hollandaise sauce was added using this recipe. Or you could just add some squeezed lemon! Delish!

PS. It got the little man's approval too!

Are you breaking out of the turkey tradition this Christmas? What are you making?