Tonight’s Supper: Thai Poached Salmon Bowl

This is a flavour-packed, high volume, low-calorie meal that I enjoy on fasting days. There’s no fuss to this dish – it’s prepared in under 15 minutes and loaded with super healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Pick and choose your veggies based on what you like, but remember they are high volume foods so you can’t really go wrong with loading up.

Serves 2

Fat: 25.3g
Protein: 40g
Carbs: 14.7g
Fibre: 9.1g
Kilocalories: 464

Ingredients
2 shallots, chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed, chopped, or 1 tbsp fresh lemongrass paste
1 tsp coconut oil
400ml fish, chicken or vegetable stock
2 salmon fillets (about 140g each), skin removed
1 bunch of pak choi (about 6 leaves)
150g beansprouts
1 carrot, julienned or very thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 courgette, julienned
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1 lime
1 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 small bunch of coriander, Thai basil and/or mint, roughly chopped

Method
In a mini chopper, whizz the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass (if using lemongrass paste, don’t add that at this stage) until you have a paste.

Heat the oil in a medium-large saucepan over a medium-low heat and fry the shallot paste for a few minutes to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the lemongrass paste now, if using. Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours. If you’re in a rush this isn’t necessary.

When you’re ready to poach the salmon, simply add the fillets to the hot stock and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes. For the last 2 minutes, add the pak choi and beansprouts.

Meanwhile, arrange the carrot, red pepper and courgette in a pile in the middle of 2 serving bowls.

Place the poached fish on top, then add the fish sauce to the stock, if using, before ladling the fragrant stock mixture over the dish. Add a squeeze of lime juice before serving and top with the sesame seeds and herbs.

Note If you don’t like the veg as crunchy, add them to the stock for the last minute to soften a little.

Extracted from How to Lose Weight Well: The Complete Diet Plans by Stacie Stewart (Quadrille, approx €17). Photography © Louise Hagger.