Few people realise that celeriac can be eaten raw. In many ways, that’s the nicest way to prepare it. Salads based solely on green leaves can sometimes feel a little anaemic. Micro-thin slices of this chewy root vegetable give a salad that all important ‘fill-factor’. This is a rarity for low-carb dishes, so I recommend you try it!

Because the celeriac is eaten raw (and cold), what little carbohydrate there is, is so slow release that diabetics can tuck in without fear of glucose-spikes or any impact to blood-sugar. But above all things; it’s incredibly delicious so give it a go! Perfect as a starter or light lunch, it’s always nice to do something that little bit different; and this dish is certainly that.

Peel your celeriac (the big ugly) then shave into micro-thin slices. You can either do this with a food-processor, mandolin-slicer, or simply just continue with the vegetable-peeler (my preferred option as less washing-up!). Put this into a mixing-bowl and glug on some good quality extra-virgin olive-oil, sufficient to amply coat. Season with rock salt and coarse-ground black pepper, then shave on a liberal quantity of parmesan. Finely chop some fresh basil and add this. Stir and leave to develop in flavour for a least half an hour.

Meanwhile, slice your peppers, olives & chilli, and de-shell your prawns. If you’re not a chilli-fan, feel free to leave it out. You could equally substitute the prawns for any fish, chicken or smoked ham.

Form a bed of lettuce in the bottom of your salad bowl, pile on your celeriac-mix, then scatter your peppers, olives, chilli and prawns over the top. Finish with a final glug of olive-oil and torn basil-leaves. Delectable!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

What this lacks in carbs, it certainly makes up for in taste! When it comes to Thai food, the hotter the better in my book; but you can naturally vary the level of chilli to your own taste.

Smoked fish can carry a lot of flavour; so to me, it works far better in oriental dishes than the unsmoked kind. Coconut & coriander go perfectly together. Complement the lot with a good squeeze of lime, to give it that all important ‘zing’!

Finely chop chilli, garlic, lemon-grass and coriander-stalk with a sharp knife (or blitz in a processor if it’s easier). Fry the mixture in hot oil for a minute, then pour in coconut milk, season and stir. Half a can for two people, a whole can for four. Depending how thick the coconut-milk is that you’re using, you may need to add some water. You want the texture to be like tomato-soup at this stage; not a thin broth! Add a stock cube for warmth of flavour (I always use chicken, even with fish); then reduce in the pan until you have the texture of thick pouring-cream.

Place the fish in a baking-tray with high-sides, then pour on your coconut mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until the fish is cooked through. Serve and garnish with chopped coriander, micro-thin slices of chilli and fresh lime.

This dish can also be done as either starter or main course. Steamed Chinese cabbage with toasted almonds would bulk it up and complement the flavour.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

High in the right kind of fats, super low in carbs, and wondrously quick and easy! The power of the scotch bonnets cuts perfectly through the richness of the mackerel and the dressing. Make sure you keep the beans nice and al dente, to make the most of the textual variation.

Boil a pan of water and blanch the ‘topped & tailed’ beans. 2 minutes max should do it. Plunge them into ice-cold water, so that they keep their colour & crunch.

Toss the beans in the dressing of your choice; I always opt for classic French vinaigrette as it is low carb & the the acidity of the vinegar provides a welcome tang against the oiliness of the fish.

Hard boil your eggs in the same boiling water as you had cooked the beans (economy of washing-up is a must!). After 5 mins, place into cold water until cool, then peel and halve.

Thinly slice some red pepper (I used the ‘pointed’ kind, as nice and sweet) and sprinkle over your beans. Do the same with the scotch-bonnets. Take care not to touch your eyes with chilli-fingers; it really does hurt!

De-skin your mackerel (or you can keep it on if you prefer) and position it on top of the salad. Add the eggs, drizzle a final amount of dressing over the top and sprinkle with paprika. Voila!

Thank you for reading and bon ap!

This dish was previously part of another post: a ‘starter & main course combo’. I was asked if I could separate the two, to make it easier to search the recipes. This seems like a very good idea, so thank you for the suggestion!

Fresh local crab and brown shrimps with avocado, vinaigrette, rocket & curled shavings of parmesan cheese! You couldn’t get a more delicious low-carb recipe than this! We had it as a starter, but it’s also a great lunchtime or main-course dish. Just throw in some green vegetables (mange tout, broccoli &tc) to bulk the whole thing up a bit.

Incredibly simple… pile a handful of rocket into the centre of your serving plate. Halve the avocado lengthways. Then twist out the stone by chopping into it with a kitchen knife & giving it a sharp turn anti-clockwise. With a soup-spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh and place it atop the rocket.

Flake the crab onto the avocado, then dress the whole thing with vinaigrette. Finally scatter the shrimp liberally, season and finish with parmesan shavings. Sublime!

Thanks for reading & bon ap!

Adam.