Simple 3 Course Meal for Two - Seafood Edition

Gone are the days of spending too much money for a good 3 course meal. First date - eat out. Anniversary - fancy restaurant. Birthday - favourite restaurant. We are so spoiled by restaurants that making a loving home-cooked meal is becoming a thing of the past. Don't get us wrong, at Silver Mushroom we love going to eat out as much as the next. But, there are so many advantages to being able to whip up a delicious meal for a loved one or for yourself. Who doesn’t love a bit of self care?

Remember, baking is a science but cooking is an art! Simply put, unlike baking, when you’re cooking you can get creative with the recipe. You’re pretty much guaranteed to end up with an edible meal. With 'creative' baking, you may end up with a very questionable cooked lump of ingredients. Hopefully it'll marginally resemble a cake.

This 3 course meal is for the seafood lovers out there. For the starter we’ll be making scallops with chilli & garlic. Followed by creamy salmon pasta. Finally, the most indulgent Chocolate Soufflé with Magnums. Why not pair with some wine?

Difficulty level: Easy!

**All these recipes serve 2 generous portions**

Starter: Scallops with Chilli & Garlic

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Prepare the garlic and chilli and set to one side.

2. Heat the oil in a large non stick frying pan, medium heat.

3. Once the oil is hot enough add the scallops and fry for about 1 minute on one side until golden, then turn over and add the chopped garlic and chilli.

4. Cook all together for an additional minute then add the lime/lemon juice.

5. Divide between two plates, season and garnish with coriander.

Main Course: Creamy Salmon Pasta

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Firstly cook spaghetti until al dente, reserving a cup of starchy pasta water and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan heat butter over a medium-high heat until browned
3. Lower heat and fry shallots, then add garlic for another minute or so.
4. Pour in your wine, deglazing the pan as necessary. Leave to simmer for a minutes to reduce, then stir in your cream. It’s important to reduce the wine so it burns off the alcohol and doesn’t end up too bitter.
5. Add dill, parsley, a small pinch of chilli flakes and a very small splash of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Toss in the salmon and stir. Use the pasta water to thin out sauce as necessary.
7. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat with the sauce, serve with an extra sprinkle of parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

**Feel free to add in some chopped mushrooms or peas, simply add them in at step 3**

Dessert: The Ultimate Chocolate Soufflé

Ingredients:

• Baking Paper

• String

• 25g butter

• 35g muscovado sugar

• 2 Eggs

• 150g Nutella

• 3 mini Magnums

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease the 3 ramekins and line with sugar.
2. Wrap the baking paper around the ramekins and staple and tie with string.
3. Separate the egg whites and beat them until they stand in stiff peaks
4. In a separate gently mix the yolks and Nutella with one spoonful of egg whites. Stir well until combined.
5. Very carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites and spoon into the ramekins.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Once finished remove the paper.
7. Place a mini Magnum into the Soufflé and enjoy!

So there you have it, a 3 course meal that is as easy as it is delicious. Great for a cheat day or an indulgent date night! For a special date night, here's how to lay a romantic table for two.

Let us know if you make this recipe, we’d love to hear your thoughts!