January is a month full of new years resolutions, trying to watch the pennies and often a time when we are all feeling a little flat. It is hard to come to terms with the aftermath of the post Christmas frenzy, especially when it comes to food. We are mostly all trying to lose a little weight, cut back on the booze and restrain ourselves from splashing out at the sales. Fun? Maybe not.
Luckily for me, I got invited to take part in the #aldichallenge. A challenge which is all about saving money. Who wouldn’t want to try this out? Saving money is not easy for any of us with children. Food however, is an area in which cutting costs has a significant effect on our weekly spend and I was up for the challenge of putting Aldi to the money saving test.
Part of the challenge was to come up with an interesting yet achievable recipe to feed the family with an emphasis on healthy, fresh flavours and ingredients. I decided to create a recipe for miso and ginger glazed salmon with influences from Japan. Japanese food is inherently light, delicate and sophisticated. The only ingredients I used that you won’t be able to find at Aldi are white miso paste and Mirin but they are widely available online.
Miso & ginger glazed salmon with coconut rice
Before this shop, I hadn’t ever been to an Aldi. My nearest is about half an hour away. They are currently building one which is only ten minutes from my home but it is a way off being completed so I made my trip to Walton-on-Thames and put Aldi to the test. Here is what I found………..
Likes
-Very low prices. I have no idea how they do it but it is easy to see that with prices such as these Aldi are knocking other competitors out of their way.
-Chocolate. The dark chocolate is excellent value for money, both for eating and cooking with. When I go back, I will be buying it in bulk.
-Less brand choice. How refreshing to go into a supermarket and NOT be bombarded with hundreds of brands selling exactly the same thing. It makes shopping a much faster operation.
-Paying & packing. Aldi don’t let you pack at the till. This really speeds up the time spent queueing. You unload onto the conveyor belt, put everything back into the trolley and pack at a designated packing area. It works!
Dislikes
-Aldi have very little in the way of Fairtrade products and I don’t think I saw any organic produce. My one weekly organic purchase is always milk. Our milk industry is in a bad way and I like to feel that I am paying a fair price for a product that we all take for granted. I also like to support fair-trade products, but apart from tea, I struggled to find any more.
-The bread & baked goods section. There was a very limited range of breads and freshly baked goods. This would not be an issue if the breads were of a decent quality but I found the so called “fresh baked” loaves poor. The same goes for their pastries. I struggled to find anything in this section to take home with me. It is definitely an area of the supermarket I would like to see radically improved.
Verdict
My overall impression of Aldi is one of pleasant surprise. It reminds me of supermarkets in the 70s when choices were far fewer and shopping took far less time because of it. Do you remember a supermarket called “Presto”? It was big in the 70s and it stocked essentials such as French bread pizzas, crispy pancakes and Lean Cuisines as well as “Lovely” frozen chocolate mousses. So, for me this a supermarket that has gone back in time but offers “old fashioned” prices which we can all benefit from.
When I discovered that Aldi is German in origin it made me wish for the breads and cakes that I used to buy from the German bakery in Ham, Richmond. Dark ryes, sourdoughs, pretzels, nutty spelt loaves, sticky Danishes, gingerbreads, baked cherry cheesecakes and spiced lebkuchen. If Aldi could bring just a few of these German delights to it’s stores it would be “wunderbar”.
I have included a selection of salmon/fish recipe inspiration for you from around the web:
Norwegian fish soup – Kavey Eats
Foil baked Shetland salmon – Elizabeth’s kitchen diary
Teryaki salmon & Salmon confit – Greedy Gourmet
Pan fried salmon with blood orange & beetroot salsa – Cook Sister
Bacon wrapped salmon – Fab Food 4 All
Steamed salmon with cauliflower risotto – Fuss Free Flavours
Wasabi & chilli salmon en croute – Franglais Kitchen
Disclosure: Recipe commissioned by Aldi. All views expressed within this post are my own.
Miso & ginger glazed salmon with coconut rice
Ingredients
- For the salmon:)
- 5 Salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Ginger peeled and cut into thin matchsticks,
- 4 tbsp White miso
- 2 tbsp Sherry/Sake
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- For the coconut rice:)
- 2 cups Cups of basmati/jasmine rice 300g approx I use a small mug to measure,
- 1&1/2 cups Cups coconut milk
- 1&1/2 cups Cups boiling water
- Salt
- Chopped coriander and sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
-
For the salmon:)
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Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees,
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Mix the marinade ingredients in a large shallow bowl then place the salmon into the marinade and leave for 30 minutes,
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After 30 minutes place the salmon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and roast for 15 minutes,
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For the coconut rice:)
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Measure the rice into a saucepan and cover with the coconut milk, large pinch of salt and boiling water,
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Bring the rice to a rolling boil then turn the heat to it's lowest position and cook, covered with a lid, for the recommended time on the packet,
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When the rice is cooked let it sit covered with the saucepan lid to steam until you are ready to serve the salmon. You could also cook the rice the day before and re-heat it in the microwave.
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Garnish with chopped coriander and a sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
Recipe Notes
The salmon and coconut rice should also be served with some greens stir fried with a little garlic with a teaspoon of sesame oil added into the cabbage at the last minute.
Love your Salmon, looks so tasty! Thank you for linking to my salmon recipe! You visited the same branch I shop in and I have to agree about the bread which I don’t buy in there as it all seems to contais calcium propropianate which I avoid. They do do a nice brioche swirls with custard & chocolate chip or raisins which my family love. Every Christmas I buy a variety of Lebkucken products from Aldi so if you’d been in a few weeks ago I’m sure you would have been delighted. Their Stollen was also amazing and sold out before I could buy another. My drawers are permanently full of their chocolate which I use in all my bakes and desserts and there might be the odd bar of marzipan too:-) When it comes to packing i have my sturdy bags all standing upright in the trolley so I maaage to pack at the same time:-)
Thanks so much for your advice Camilla, you are a real pro! How annoying I didn’t get to the shop to sample their Xmas goodies. I am hoping the Ewell branch will be open soon so I can stock up again on chocolate!
That looks delicious, I need to pay more attention to the fish next time I’m in Aldi. I look their cooked and cured meats.
Sarah, the salmon was very well priced but I also agree the cured meats are really good value too.
Fab recipe, you know I’m a huge fan of miso, in marinades and otherwise!
I love Aldi, we have one a few minuets walk from our house so visit regularly. I love their iced coffees, which look and taste same as one of the branded ones Waitrose sell but are half the price, maybe even less.
We do find the produce generally good quality, though have to put aside preferences to buy British a little more at Aldi than at our main supermarket.
Agree completely on their chocolate. Their baked goods are good too, and I like their low-calorie cereal bars which are great for dieting.
I will look out for those iced coffees, thanks!
Your salmon looks so delicious! It has all the flavours I love, especially when making a fresh start in January. I am lucky enough to work in an office in Chiswick which gets weekly visits from the German Baker from Ham, we have been addicted to his bread, and pastries, for several years! I’m also in Surrey in a similar area to you I think. That Aldi is my local one too. Many coincidences!
Hi Lucy, great to hear you are local to me! That German bakery is so good, I am envious of your receiving deliveries from them and I must pop over to Ham again soon. Thanks for your comment 🙂
fabulous idea – and flavours that are really appealing to me right now. I shall be trying this out with my next batch of salmon!
Great to hear Nazima!
So simple and healthy! Coconut rice and salmon are such a great combo.
Thanks Margot, they do work well and are good for you-great!
Lovely looking recipe, sounds like a delicious combo. I’ve never shopped in Aldi as I’m not sure if there’s one near me or not, I’ll have to find out as it would be nice not to be bombarded with so much choice, it can make shopping more stressful than it needs to be.
Definitely Jen, it helps to have less choice. Shopping really speeds up because of it.
Sounds delicious and I LOVE coconut rice so will be trying that for sure.
Me too Emily, coconut rice is so good, even on it’s own!