There’s a reason that the Mediterranean diet is regularly voted one of the healthiest diets to follow. People who live along the Mediterranean tend to live longer and have fewer incidences of cancer and heart problems. While there’s not an exact diet to follow, this diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses and olive oil. It features fish and poultry—lean sources of protein—rather than red meat, which contains more saturated fat. Another bonus? A glass of red wine or two a day is encouraged.
We regularly share healthy Mediterranean diet-inspired recipes you can make at home with you. This week a delicious and healthy summer recipe from Hotel Thalasso El Palasiet. With something from the sea of course….
Hake and chive tartar on a green pea cream
Green peas are very rich in antioxidants, and a rich source of isoflavones, which are known to protect against cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and some cancers.
Ingredients for 4 people:
For the hake tartar:
• 2 large pieces of hake
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt, parsley and coriander
For the toasted hazelnut vinaigrette
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
• 4 hazelnuts
• Salt and chives
For the pea cream
• 100 g. of green peas
• ½ medium potato
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Vegetable broth
• Salt
This is how you do it:
The hake tartar
Clean the hake and remove the skin. Chop the meat of the hake, the chives and the garlic. In a bowl mix everything well and add olive oil, parsley, coriander and salt. Let the tartar marinade so that it soaks up all that flavour.
For the toasted hazelnut vinaigrette:
Chop the hazelnuts and mix all the ingredients well. Let it marinade for at least 12 hours, so that it acquires all the flavour.
For the pea cream:
Clean and chop the potato. Add it to boiling water together with the peas in a casserole dish with a little olive oil. After a few minutes add the vegetable broth and let it cook. Once it is done you crush and blend it all together to obtain a cream and then strain it to get rid of any excess water. Add a pinch of salt.
Presentation:
Use the pea cream as a base on the plate and gently place the hake tartar on top. Sprinkle a little hazelnut vinaigrette over it. To add colour to the dish, a sliced cherry tomato can be added.
Enjoy your meal!
Most of the Wellness hotels in Spain we work with follow the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Among them the Thalasso Hotel El Palasiet in Benicassim, Castellon. Here the nutritional team has even written a whole cook book about the Mediterranean Diet and their most favourite recipes. Above recipe comes from this book.
Do you want to experience a week of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle at Thalasso Hotel El Palasiet? Have a look at this link for more information about the hotel and the programs.