A Simple & Elegant Low-Calorie Lunch: Lemon & Herb Poached Salmon Recipe (5:2 Diet) (2024)

A Simple & Elegant Low-Calorie Lunch:

Lemon & Herb Poached Salmon Recipe

(5:2 Diet)

I LOVE salmon, I use salmon in my meal plans regularly and have a large and diverse selection of salmon recipes on Lavender and Lovage. I also find it perfect for simple low-calorie recipes on the 5:2 diet for fast days (low-calorie days, where I only eat 500 calories a day) as well as for family suppers too of course. Salmon is such a versatile fish – you can grill it, barbecue it, bake it, steam it, poach it, fry it and add it to fish pies, pasta, pizzasand fish cakes. I always have some in the freezer and many a time I have made a delicious family meal from just a couple of salmon steaks I have found lurking in the freezer. It’s also not as expensive as it used to be, although I always see salmon as a luxury fish! Basically, if you have a couple of packs of salmon in the freezer, then you have the makings of a tasty meal.

Today’s tasty, low-calorie uses some Norwegian salmon steaks I was sent recently to try, as part of a campaign by the Norwegian Seafood Council.I have bought Norwegian salmon before, but as regular readers will know I usually buy Scottish salmon, although they are both caught in the North Atlantic, but, I was keen to see if there were any similarities or differences!To give you a bit of background, Norwegian salmon is in year-round supply, sustainably harvested from strictly regulated farms spread throughout the country’s extensive coastal seawaters. Norway’s cold, clear waters are home to an abundance of salmon; a succulent fish with a fresh, smooth, rich flavour and a soft, red flesh and defined flakes.

The salmon I was sent was very red and it’s a shame that by poaching it you can’t see the lovely rich, salmon red colour that well. It had a lovely flake and was nicely prepared so it was ready to cook, which makes it very handy for busy mid-week meals! Was it any different to Scottish salmon? If I am honest, no it wasn’t! It was just as succulent and with a nice, firm flesh and flake, although I admit that there are many levels of salmon and the salmon I was sent was of a very high quality. It was delicious, and made a lovely light lunch the other day when served with a simple salad and a scattering of fresh herbs.

The recipe for my Lemon & Herb Poached Salmon is below and I think you will agree that to have a recipe in the table in ten minutes is pretty good, and makes a quick and delicious mid-week supper idea.All you have to do it serve the salmon for supper with some new or baby potatoes and/or salad and the children will love it too. The basic recipe is only 260 calories, so that makes a great main meal of healthy protein and with the added addition of salad, it still brings this meal to under 300 calories for a diet day. On a non-diet day I would serve this with a lovely beurre blanc sauce, with chopped chives and potatoes. With many thanks to The Norwegian Seafood Council for sending me some of their delicious salmon to try, and why don’t you try one of my salmon recipes for a supper one day this week! See you soon and have a great Wednesday, only half way to the weekend now! Karen

I am entering this recipe into my own cooking challenge,

Cooking with Herbs, as I have used herbs in this salmon recipe.

Disclaimer: I received some salmon from the Norwegian Seafood Council to try and review; all opinions are my own and I was not requited to write a review, whether it be favourable or otherwise. Karen S Burns-Booth