I BLAME BLOD.
I remember my education in two parts; the years Blod (yes, a real Welsh name) cooked my lunches and the years she didn’t. It breaks my heart that school dinners have a rep for being beige and bland when that was so far from the experience I had. Blod cooked the tastiest meals, nothing ground-breaking or exotic but every lunch guaranteed a heart-warming dish. It didn’t matter what had happened that morning (Sioned picked her nose and ate it, or that Mrs Jones bored us half to death) …Lunch was coming.
This was very much a collective love story too, at least 90% of my school joined me for school dinners, whilst a few kiddos unravelled their Babybells and Cheestrings next door. I never envied them, not until Blod retired that is! Rumour has it, Blod never followed the rules on how much sugar and salt was allowed in school dinners. She made food to taste scrumptious and we loved her for it. When the new dinner lady started so did the regulations. I painfully watched each child, one by one, move next door, Groovy Chick/ Hot Wheels lunchboxes clenched in tiny hands.
So much has changed since my days at Ysgol Gynradd Llanilar (10 points to anyone who can pronounce that) but one thing that has stayed a constant in my life is my insatiable need for a hot meal at lunch. I’m not a sandwich person and I blame Blod. Thankfully, my husband and I work from home with full access to our kitchen. Lunch these days isn’t just about something hot and tasty, it’s a precious pocket of time together on a busy day. Here’s a lunch we enjoy almost weekly, it comes together in less than 20mins and its great as a quick mid-week dinner too!
S T I C K Y S A L M O N W I T H E V E R Y T H I N G G R E E N B E A N S
Sticky Marinade:
1tbsp x sesame Oil
2 tbsp x siracha
2tbsp x sweet chilli Sauce
1tbsp x soy sauce
1tsp x honey
…
2 x Salmon Fillets
1 x packet of green beans trimmed
2 x cloves of garlic
1 x lemon
2 x Noodle nests (rice also works well with this fyi)
1000 x sesame seeds*
200 x coriander leaves*
*only joking, you don’t have to be that precise
Method:
1.) Boil the kettle.
2.) Mix the marinade together and spoon over the salmon (you can leave to marinade for a few hours, I get too hangry for this personally, but you do you, either is fine).
3.) Place boiling water into a saucepan. Add the noodles. Simmer for 4 mins.
4.) Pop some sesame oil into a frying pan, make sure the heat is medium – high. Once hot, place the salmon skin-side down with the marinade. Fry for 3 mins.
5.) Meanwhile in a different frying pan, heat some olive oil on a high heat. Once hot, add the green beans and keep stirring for 2 mins.
6.) Turn the Salmon onto a different side (turn 2-3 times to give each side a nice colour). Careful the salmon is delicate!
7.) Grate two garlic cloves into the green beans and season generously. Keep stirring. When you see the garlic has turned into a beautiful golden colour, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, avoiding the pips where you can, but remember, pips are a part of life, don’t sweat it if a few want to join in on the fun. Take off the heat, the lemon juice will reduce after a minute. The point with these is that they are slightly on the al dente side with a crunch, but even overdone they are sensational! (These are called my everything green beans, because they do in fact, go with everything, I am full of original names for things, don’t let me name your child).
8.) Set aside the salmon and cover with foil. Leave whatever is left of the marinade in pan.
9.) Drain the noodles and mix with marinade. Taste it, use your palette (what a gift amiright?!) does it need more sesame oil? more soy sauce? Adapt as you see (or taste) fit! You’ve got this!
10.) Plate up the noodles, salmon, and green beans. Generously sprinkle some sesame seeds (except you Rosanna!) and some coriander if you have any, go on, push the boat out!