Tom Kerridge: light lunches that pack a flavour punch

January always sparks a desire for healthy meals, so this week I bring you three low-calorie dishes that are not only healthy – but filling and super tasty, too.

They will hopefully stave off any cravings for snacks and other naughty treats you may be tempted to pick at.  They are just the sort of thing I cook at home at the weekend for the family. 

The chicken and pak choi broth is a hearty lunch, packed with loads of veggies and daily vitamins – and it’s also a great dish for using the Sunday leftovers.

Versatile mackerel is a firm favourite with me; it’s great either grilled, barbecued or pickled. I keep this dish simple: just add salt and oil and grill. The flatbread with hummus makes a great replacement for bread. 

Although I have an allergy to shellfish, we often have crab on the menus at the Flowers and the Coach, sometimes served as a ravioli with calcot onions or potted with cucumber chutney.

The dish is a play on potted crab as it has all the flavours I associate with the Hand and Flowers classic. Using the brown meat for the mayonnaise is a fab way of making the crab into more of a spreadable pâté. Served on warm toast, it delivers perfect crunch and acidity and is great either as a starter or a full flavoured light lunch.

Spice-crusted tuna salad with deep-fried anchovies

SERVES

2

INGREDIENTS

• Zest and juice of 1 orange

• 4 tbsp raspberry vinegar 

• 2 red chicory, leaves separated

• 200ml rapeseed oil

• 25g cornflour

• 40g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

• Iced sparkling water, enough to make batter paste

• Oil, for deep frying and cooking

• 12-15 cured anchovies in oil

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 2 tsp coriander seeds

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp dried sage

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• ½ tsp dried rosemary

•  2 tsp sea salt

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 2 x 200g tuna steaks 1 gem lettuce

• 50ml olive oil

• 1 white chicory, leaves separated

• Leaves picked from ½ bunch flat leaf parsley

• 100g feta, diced

• Knob of butter

• Juice of ½ lemon

METHOD

1.  Heat the orange juice and zest in a frying pan and reduce the liquid to a glaze. Add the raspberry vinegar and bring to the boil. Add the red chicory leaves and wilt them down in the pan for two to three minutes. Pour over the rapeseed oil, season, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Place in a container and put in the fridge. This will keep for up to two weeks.

2. Make a batter by mixing together the cornflour and self-raising flour then stirring in enough iced sparkling water to form a batter mix that will coat your finger.   Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 180C. 

3.  Drain the anchovies from their oil marinade and dust them with flour. Dip them in the batter and then deep-fry until crispy and brown. Remove from the fryer and drain on some kitchen paper. Keep warm until needed. 

4. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat for two to three minutes then grind them with a mortar and pestle along with the paprika, sage, thyme, rosemary, sea salt and garlic. When you have a paste, tip it on to a plate. Push the two tuna steaks into the rub and make sure they are coated heavily on one side.

5.  Cut the gem lettuce lengthways into quarters and place on a metal tray. Drizzle on a little oil then blowtorch them until charred. Place in a mixing bowl and add the white chicory leaves, parsley and feta. Lift the red chicory leaves from their orange, raspberry vinegar and rapeseed oil dressing, and toss into the salad. Dress with some of the dressing. Set aside to serve.

6.  Heat a non-stick pan over medium-hot heat and drizzle in a little oil. Sear the tuna steaks paste-side down until they are crispy and coloured. Add the butter and lemon juice, baste the steaks, then flip them over and cook for 30 seconds before removing them from the pan. 

7. Serve straight away with the salad and anchovies.

Pulled chicken, chilli and pak choi broth

This is a great way of using leftover chicken from your Sunday roast. It’s super healthy and filling, too. 

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp runny honey 

• 100ml soy sauce 

• 2 chicken stock cubes

• 2.5cm chunk root ginger, grated

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 x 225g tin sliced water chestnuts, drained

• 200g cooked chicken (such as your Sunday lunch leftovers), torn into flakes

• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 2cm pieces

• 3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

• Juice of 2 limes

• 4 pak choi, leaves separated and roughly chopped

• ½ bunch coriander, finely chopped, stalks and all

• 100g mange tout, sliced in half

METHOD

1. Heat the honey in a large saucepan over a medium heat for about five to six minutes, until it turns to a caramel.

2.  Add the soy sauce to the pan, to halt the cooking, then pour in a litre of water and crumble in the stock cubes, stirring to dissolve. 

3. Bring to a simmer then add the grated ginger, sliced garlic and water chestnuts, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Give it all a stir and simmer for three to four minutes (don’t let it boil), then serve immediately.

Grilled harissa-marinated mackerel with flatbreads and hummus

I have given instructions on how to make flatbreads and hummus, but for a speedier lunch, you can buy them and just prepare the fish.

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS

For the fish

• 2 tsp rose harissa

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 mackerel, filleted and “V” boned (with a sharp knife, slice along either side of the bone to create a slim, V-shaped gully, then remove the bone)

For the flatbreads

• 250g bread flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• ½ tsp powdered garlic

• 100ml warm water

• 4 tbsp olive oil

For the hummus

• 100g cooked chickpeas (drained if tinned)

• 50ml olive oil 

• Zest of ½ lemon

• 2 tbsp tahini 

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped Pinch of smoked paprika

To garnish

• Rocket leaves, to serve 

• 4 pickled chillies, finely chopped

• 4 good-quality, shop-bought chargrilled artichokes in olive oil, drained (optional)

• 2 tbsp chopped coriander

• Lemon zest, to taste

METHOD

1. Stir the harissa and oil together then cover the mackerel with the mixture and leave for one hour.

2. To make the flatbreads, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl then make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm water and oil, and bring the dough together with your hands. Leave it to stand for 30 minutes.

3. To make the hummus, blend the chickpeas, oil, lemon zest, tahini and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste with smoked paprika.

4. Divide the dough into four balls and roll each one out into a flat oval shape. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the breads one at a time – they will take about 30 seconds each side. Set them aside.

5. In the same pan, add the mackerel, skin-side down, and cook for a minute or so, then turn them over and remove from the heat.

6. Spread hummus over each flatbread then add a piece of mackerel. Top with rocket, the chopped pickled chillies, artichokes, coriander and lemon zest, roll each flatbread up and eat straight away.