Experts agree that the easiest way to burn fat while improving your well-being is to consume at least 30g of protein and 10g of fibre at each meal. The former promotes muscle growth and repair, while the latter tames hunger and cravings. We’ve crunched the numbers to give you the perfect macro-balanced recipe, fish in orange sauce with ’shrooms and rice, which as well as featuring 30g of protein and 10g of fibre also contains generous quantities of another ingredient: flavour.
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30g of Protein
White fish cooks quickly and becomes flaky and tender on the grill. Go with red snapper (or sea bass) for 26g of protein and 146kcal per 110g serving.
How to Buy It
Ask the person behind the counter to scale, gut and clean the fish, but leave the head on for presentation value. Fresh fish should have a clear eye, a clean (not fishy) smell, and no slick of slime on the skin.
How to Cook It: Fish in Orange Sauce
Skin-on fish is notorious for sticking to grill grates and generally making a mess. Navigate around unnecessary hassle by employing a technique called reverse searing, in which you cook the fish with indirect heat first, then crisp the skin over direct heat.
Ingredients
(Serves 6)
- A whole red snapper, scaled and gutted
- Soy sauce, 30ml
- Juice from ½ an orange
- Sesame oil, 2tbsp
- Ginger, 2tbsp, minced
- Garlic cloves, 2, minced
- Brown sugar, 2tbsp
- Sesame seeds, 1tbsp
- Spring onions, 3, sliced
Method
Step 1: Preheat your grill to high. Oil and season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients, except for the spring onions.
Step 2: Place the fish on a well-oiled grill over indirect heat and close the lid. Cook until the flesh is cooked through – it’ll take about 10 minutes – flipping halfway with a metal spatula. Then move the fish to a direct heat and cook until the skin is crispy (three to
five minutes per side).
Step 3: Carefully transfer the fish to a serving platter, top with the spring onions, spoon on some sauce, and serve with more sauce on the side.
Upgrade It
Time to spare? Here are three ways to upgrade this recipe to admiral’s-table status.
- Don’t waste the other half of your immunity-boosting orange – grill it. Lightly oil the cut side and place it face-down over a direct heat. The flames will intensify the sweetness of the juice, which you can then squeeze over the cooked fish with a flourish.
- Sizzle up some ginger oil. Warm a glug of vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add six large ginger slices – a proven anti-inflammatory – and cook for 10 minutes. Discard the ginger and allow the oil to cool. Spoon over the fish a health and flavour power-up.
- Marinate the red snapper in advance for a more nuanced taste, even if it’s just in oil, salt and pepper. But if you’re fishing for compliments, you can also add minced garlic, fresh orange juice and thin slices of metabolism-spiking chilli.
10g of Fibre
’Shrooms and rice
Cook 220g of cholesterol-lowering brown rice with half a litre of veg stock. Heat a few glugs of vegetable oil. Add a whole supermarket packet of mushrooms. Throw in sliced garlic, 390g of edamame, a dash of soy sauce and some thyme.
This article originally appeared on Men's Health UK.
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