Creating a protein rich, flavoursome, lower carb meal can become overwhelming. When I mention protein, most people think chicken and eggs, while baulking at the thought of eating those two foods continuously for the rest of their lives. Argh!
Fear not! There are lots of new and different foods that are fantastic sources of protein, that you can include in your meals each and every week. One of those options is seafood. If you’re a seafood lover, and need something a little different from fish, than this calamari salad is the dish for you!
It contains maximum flavour, with spicy, zesty dressing, salty bacon bits and lots of fresh, whole vegetables! Calamari is actually so simple to cook. It takes about 2-3 minutes, meaning you can whip up dinner in a flash!
If you’d prefer to boost the carbohydrates in this meal you could add 1/2 cup of chick peas or a slice of crusty wholemeal sourdough. Yum!
Calamari and Bacon Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lettuce, baby cos finely shredded
- 1 punnet tomato, cherry halved
- 1 cucumber, any cut into small cubes
- 1 avocado cut into small cubes
- 4 rashes bacon, lean fat removed, diced
- 320 g calamari, rings, uncoated (plain, fresh)
- 2 lime juiced
- 2 clove garlic crushed
- 1 chilli, red seeds removed, thinly sliced (keep seed in for more heat)
- 2 tsp sugar, caster
- 2 tbsp oil, olive
Instructions
- Place the shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado into a bowl. Mix ingredients together and set aside.
- Heat a non-stick frypan and cook bacon to preference. At this point, you shouldn’t need to add oil to the pan, as the fat from the bacon will be enough.
- Meanwhile, to make the dressing, add the chilli, sugar, garlic, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl and stir until completely combined. Set aside.
- Once the bacon is cooked, add the calamari rings into the same pan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. If the pan looks dry add 1 tsp of olive oil.
- To finish, place the salad on a plate, add the bacon and calamari and serve with dressing. Enjoy!
