Sugar-glazed Salmon fillets with Rice & sauteed Bell Peppers

Have I ever mentioned Bernhard’s Magic Toe?

No? Well, his left big-toe is magical. It tells him when he’s consumed too much rich food and/or alcohol, thus warning him to exercise moderation and restraint when partaking in the pleasures of the kitchen and bar.

This is because my darling, proletarian man, has Gout. This puts him in the illustrious and infamous company of the likes of King Henry VIII, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and dictator Kim Jong Un. It also means that red meat and alcohol are no longer his friends.

So we’re trying to come up with vegetarian or fish-based dishes which are still delicious and interesting.

Enter: Sugar-glazed salmon fillets with rice & sauteed bell peppers. It’s a recipe Bernhard came up with, and surprised us both with its excellent flavour and texture: the sugar gives the fillets a crunchy crust, and the chilli makes it lovely and punchy.

You will need (for 2 people):

4 salmon fillets

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp demerara sugar

½ tsp crushed dry chilli

3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

A pinch of sweet paprika

I/2 cup of long-grain rice

1 tbsp oil, salt

2-3 bell peppers, preferably of different colours, cut into cubes or strips

1-2 crushed garlic cloves

½ onion, chopped

1 heaped tsp of demerara sugar

Olive oil

First make the rice: My fool-proof method (I didn’t invent it, but can’t remember who taught me):

Put a tbsp of oil in a smallish pot, add salt, and stir on a medium flame for a moment, coating all the grains in oil. Then add a cup of boiling water, and move to the smallest flame and tunn it low. Close the pot and let it simmer quietly for 15 minutes exactly. Do Not open the pot. When 15 minutes have passed, turn off the heat, but leave the pot closed for a few more minutes – to let the rice absorb the steam. Then break up the rice gently with a fork. You’ll get fragrant, beautiful, non-sticky rice.

Another Rice option: use Venus black rice. It takes longer to make, but has a slight nutty flavour and looks fantastic on the plate: shiny-black. I’ll post a pic next time we make it (here it’s with white rice).

While the rice is steaming away, prepare the salmon and the veg:

Place the fillets on a sheet of tin foil

Thoroughly mix the oil, sugar, chilli, garlic, and paprika in a small dish, then coat the fillets.

Make a little tray out of the tin foil, and put the salmon in a preheated oven (180*c) for 15 minutes (20 if they’re very thick; but do not overcook, dry salmon is a sad affair)

While that’s going on, Sautee (slowly fry in not-very-hot oil) the peppers, onion, and garlic in the oil and sugar till they are tender, but still a bit crunchy