Salmon baked on tomato and onion, with rice
Salmon fillets baked on a bed of tomato and onion, the juices dripping into the vegetables — ready in under twenty minutes, warming and good for the circulation.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Bake
- Easy
Why it suits you: Even at Great Heat, a Blood-Stasis constitution needs to keep blood moving; long hours in air-conditioned rooms bring stiff shoulders and numb hands and feet. Salmon is rich in fish oil and warms the middle, onion moves qi and blood, and tomato generates fluids. Baking means little oil and smoke, so cooking in summer won't leave you dripping.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min- 1Heat the oven to 200°C. Toss the onion, tomato and garlic with half the olive oil and a pinch of salt and spread in a baking dish.
- 2Pat the salmon dry, season both sides with salt and pepper, and lay it skin-side up on the vegetables. Brush with the remaining oil.
- 3Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the salmon is just cooked in the centre.
- 4Spoon the salmon, vegetables and juices over hot rice.
Cautions
- If you have gout or high uric acid, keep salmon portions moderate.
Chef's tips
- No oven? Use an air fryer at 180°C for 12 to 14 minutes.
The TCM view
Salmon is sweet and warm, warming the middle, replenishing deficiency and nourishing qi and blood. Onion is pungent and warm, regulating qi, settling the stomach and dispersing stasis; tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold, generating fluids and aiding digestion while balancing the warmth of the fish and onion, and garlic moves stagnation. Together they move qi and blood and nourish without heaviness.
