Do you ever start out cooking one thing but end up cooking another? I’m notorious for just winging it in the kitchen and not planning ahead, with mixed results. I had a favourite recipe growing up which was chicken in white wine with apricots … that probably sounds very weird and 1980s, but it was so good! I made it on repeat as an adult too, but one night realised I didn’t have any apricots and switched them for blueberries instead. Big mistake, the chicken looked grey and it was all very unappetising!

However last night, I went to bake salmon in a sweet chilli sauce — and realised I didn’t have any sauce. Kinda fundamental. I had some Harissa though and decided to use it as a base and make my own sweet chilli alternative. Boom, it was amazing. Harissa is a North African red chilli paste with a more smoky flavour. It’s so good — and very versatile too as it turns out. I usually use it for shakshuka so I’ll share a recipe to that too on social, so you can try both.

As with many of my recipes, the key to making this whole dish healthy is portion size. You need to pick the right kind of carb, too. How do you do that? Well, it’s easy.

First, your goal is to serve this as quarter-plate protein (the salmon), quarter-plate carbs (the rice) and half-plate non-starchy green vegetables. I’ve suggested broccoli and asparagus below but you can easily switch these up. If you need a cheaper option, try frozen peas and spinach.

Second, you want to pick a healthy carb. Now usually I make a fuss about brown vs white rice, but when you pick Basmati rice, it doesn’t really matter which you pick. The glycemic index of brown basmati ranges from 45 to 52. The index of white basmati ranges from 50 to 58 so it’s not a huge difference. Jasmine rice has an index of 89, instant white rice about 87 and long grain white rice about 73 so these are less healthy alternatives. (If you are wondering what the glycemic index is, it’s a ranking system from 0-100 that measures how quickly carbohydrates raise blood sugar. Higher GI numbers spike blood sugar more easily so are best avoided, although you can help buffer this by eating vegetables/protein first and keeping portions small.)

So, as long as you choose Basmati rice, it doesn’t really matter whether you choose white or brown. You do get extra points for eating your green vegetables first though. The fibre also helps down sugar release from the carbs … so it’s an easy habit to get into.

Have a great weekend and enjoy!

Baked salmon with sweet Harissa sauce

Ingredients per person:

Salmon fillet, skin removed

Basmati rice (white or brown), ¾ cup, cooked

Broccoli florets, 1 cup, steamed

Asparagus, 6 spears, steamed

Sweet Harissa sauce:

Juice of one lemon

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup agave

3 tbsp Mina Harissa (or similar)

1 tsp finely minced fresh ginger or a few drops ginger oil

1 tsp tamari sauce (GF soy sauce)

2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water

Method:

1, Bring the salmon to room temperature.

2, Prep the sauce by placing all ingredients except the cornstarch into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.

3, Lower the heat to a simmer. Add in the cornstarch and stir continually until thickened — takes less than a minute. If storing extra, let the sauce cool completely and then store in a glass jar in the fridge for 7-10 days.

4, Preheat the oven to 400F. Cook your rice and steam your broccoli. Keep the veggies warm.

5, Meanwhile, place your salmon in a baking dish and brush on the sweet Harissa sauce liberally. If you have time to do this earlier and let it marinate, even better. Bake for 15 minutes and then checked it’s cooked through. Brush over a little more sauce.

6, Serve with the rice and the veggies.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda