My husband and I love eating out but that became a bit tricky when Lonwabo and Linamandla arrived. So, we came up with a plan to enjoy a weekly romantic dinner for two, at home. Our date night is on a Thursday and I usually cook something special, while Brian’s duty is to bring home a little present. This dish is a date-night special that now makes a regular appearance because my whole family loves it.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 MIN

COOKING TIME: 20 MIN

SERVES 2

30ml olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

100g mushrooms, sliced

ó red pepper, sliced

100g Swiss chard or spinach

15ml fresh thyme, chopped

zest of ó lemon

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

2 x 250g fresh salmon fillets, skin off

140g sugar snaps

Juice of a lemon wedge

Micro herbs, to garnish

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease a baking tray with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sauté the garlic for a minute. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat for 4 minutes until slightly soft. Add the red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

Next add the Swiss chard, thyme and lemon zest and cook for about 3–4 minutes until wilted. Season and leave the stuffing to cool.

Make a lengthways slit on the fish fillets to make room for the stuffing. Stuff each fillet and place them on a baking sheet. Lightly season and bake for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar snaps and bake for a further 2 minutes until the fish flakes when tested with a fork and the veggies are lightly cooked but still crunchy. The fish should be pink inside.

Transfer to a serving platter, finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with micro herbs. Serve while still warm.

Siba’s tip…

Take care not to overcook the veggies, especially the red pepper and Swiss chard (or spinach). Because the fish is stuffed, it will also cook a lot quicker. So keep an eye on it.

Siba Mtongana is a passionate and dynamic local celebrity chef and food enthusiast who brought style and charisma to the South Africa television food scene. All recipes are courtesy of her popular book, Welcome to My Table.