The chef’s ‘Ultimate Fit Food’ recipe is packed full of ‘powerhouse’ superfoods that are brimming with vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and antioxidants
Gordon Ramsay, one of the UK’s most renowned chefs, has a plethora of recipes. While many are delicious, nutritious, and simple to prepare, some are particularly beneficial for those aiming to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and liver function.
One such recipe from his Ultimate Fit Food cookbook stands out. The Michelin-starred chef’s grilled salmon with garlic mushroom and lentil salad is chock-full of ‘powerhouse’ superfoods loaded with vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and antioxidants.
This dish, ideal for lunch or dinner, takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare and calls for salmon, mushrooms, lentils, arugula and various other pantry staples for seasoning. Here’s a guide on how to recreate this dish at home and why it’s a beneficial addition to your diet.
Ingredients:
- Two sprigs of thyme
- Four 100g wild salmon fillets
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 200g chopped chestnut mushrooms
- One bay leaf
- 100g arugula leaves
- 200g large flat or Portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 800ml vegetable stock (or water)
- Two cloves peeled and finely chopped garlic
- 200g Puy lentils
- One tablespoon of olive oil
What you need for the dressing:
- One teaspoon of runny honey
- Two tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- One garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- One tablespoon of water
- One tablespoon of wholegrain mustard
Gordon Ramsey’s recipe:
Begin by placing the lentils in a large saucepan along with the bay leaf, thyme, and either stock or water. Heat over medium-high until boiling, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium-high and add the olive oil, reports Bristol Live.
Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Sauté them for six to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and caramelise around the edges. Next, add the chopped garlic and let it cook for another two minutes before taking the pan off the heat. Once the lentils are done, drain them and remove the herbs.
Move the lentils to a large mixing bowl and mix them with the mushrooms, being careful not to break them up. For the dressing, put all the ingredients into a clean jam jar, adding a bit of salt and pepper. Make sure the lid is on tight, and shake it well until the dressing is well mixed and emulsified. Crank your grill up to high and grill the salmon for six to eight minutes.
Pour half the dressing over the warm lentils and gently toss to coat everything. Fold in the rocket, place the salmon on top, and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve immediately.
How it lowers cholesterol and inflammation:
Salmon is the only meat in this dish. This fish is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and the risk of fatty liver disease. These essential fatty acids also improve liver lipid metabolism and enhance detoxification capacity.
Salmon contains astaxanthin, an antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation in the heart and liver – and fibrosis. In terms of cholesterol, salmon can lower LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol by up to 7%, increase HDL ‘good’ cholesterol by up to 5% and decrease triglycerides by up to 15%.
This fish reduces systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, while its omega-3 fatty acids can slow the rate at which plaque builds up in your arteries.
Arugula, also known as rocket, is packed with fibre that aids digestion and helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels by lowering homocysteine. This salad leaf even has the power to prevent liver damage from aflatoxins – toxins produced by fungi on crops.
Thanks to its sulforaphane and Indole-3-carbinol content, arugula supports liver detoxification and can decrease cancer cells. Lentils are another superfood brimming with fibre, which assists in detoxification and is a fantastic source of plant-based protein.
They help regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol. Studies suggest consuming less than one cup of lentils daily can lower cholesterol, improve blood sugar response, and reduce inflammation.
Mushrooms are a great addition to your diet as they are low in both calories and fat while being packed with essential nutrients. Additionally, they are rich in non-nutritive plant compounds that offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer benefits.
