Middle cut Fishcakes, Quinoa salad and Smoked Paprika mayonnaise

I did not even know about middle cut until my friend told me about it and then the freshly blogged challenge had lucky star as one of its items, I bought a tin to try. Yesterday I also received a wonderful VIP invite to the launch of Pick 'n Pay Waterfront and it was a basket filled with foodie goodies and decided to use the Shogun Tricolour Quinoa as the accompaniment to my Lucky Star Middle cut.

Quinoa is a super food if I have ever heard of one, not every body's taste, a little bit of a weird texture but I treat it like cous cous, you really can add anything to it, and even eat it in place of oats for breakfast or as a pasta topped with your favorite sauce. It is a super food because you can live on Quinoa alone as it is a complete protein containing all 9 amino acids, it is a classified as a seed and not a grain so may be eaten with all meals on all diets. Normally I buy the white one which is fluffy but I received the tricolour in my gift pack which I found much nuttier than the white version, if you have not tried quinoa before I would go with the white one.

Paired with Mackerel middle cut fishcakes for their omega 3 and calcium properties very important to my no dairy diet.

Middle cut Fishcakes and Quinoa salad
serves 2

Tricolour Quinoa Salad
serves 2

2 cups boiling water
1 cup Shogun Tricolour quinoa
salt and pepper
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 stick celery finely diced
1 small carrot finely diced
1/2 chilli seeded and chopped
1 lime juiced
20ml extra virgin olive oil

Simmer the quinoa in the boiling water with 1/4tsp salt for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
Dice the other ingredients and add to cooked quinoa, season and add the olive oil and lime juice to taste.
Serve with fishcakes and mayonnaise

Middle cut Fishcakes
serves 2

1 tin Lucky Star Middle cut
2 slices brown low GI bread soaked in water
1/2 onion chopped
piece of ginger chopped
celery leaves chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
grind of pepper

In a bowl squeeze the water from the bread and place in a bowl, clean the fish by draining off the water and removing the central bone and the skin if you feel you want it removed.
Fry the onion and ginger in a little oil.
Add to the fish mix with the other ingredients and shape into fishcakes.
Fry both sides in as little oil as possible in a non stick pan until golden on both sides.
Serve with quinoa salad and smoked paprika mayonnaise.

Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise
serves 4

1 egg yolk
10ml Dijon mustard
10ml white vinegar
125ml olive oil blend
salt
smoked paprika
lemon juice

Using a hand blender, add the egg, mustard and vinegar, blending continuously add the oil drop by drop until all has been combined. Season with other ingredients and add a little water if it is too thick.
Serve with fishcakes as above.

Pictures and recipes copyright by Tamsyn Wells