Recipes with no salt: chicken, rabbit and flatfish

But how much salt is too much salt? The World Health Organisation warns on the excessive sodium consume – one of the main components of common salt – and recommends a reduction in its consume by 30% until 2025.

We know it’s hard to reduce salt, as it is widely used as seasoning to enhance other flavours. But, with these three recipes with no salt you won’t even miss it!

1. Roasted chicken with lemon and bela-luz thyme

Roasted chicken is a Portuguese classic, but forget the traditional chips that usually go with it. Chips are full of salt and, since you’re going for a no salt recipe, cheating is not allowed. But don’t worry. You can use aromatic herbs to prepare this wonderful recipe with no salt at all and prepare a side dish with no salt as well – such as a carrot and cumin rice (the cumin will give an exotic taste to the rice).

Since we’re going with a Portuguese tradition, nothing better to use than a very Portuguese herb: bela-luz thyme.

Ingredients:

• 2 big lemons;
• 1 whole chicken, cleaned;
• Black peppercorns (to taste);
• 1 bay leaf;
• 1 bunch of bela-luz thyme;
• 4 garlic cloves;
• 4 tbsp of olive oil;
• 1 small glass of white wine (2dl).

Preparation:

Slice one lemon and spread it inside the chicken. Mix the herbs, peppercorns and crushed garlic and rub it on the inside of the bird. Use the second lemon as a “lid” to close the bird’s opening and avoid the filling coming out.

Rub the chicken with the olive oil and put it in a hot oven for about an hour. Mix your glass of white wine with some water and pour it over the chicken in two or three times while it cooks.

Serve this golden and delicious chicken with its own juices and decorate it with lemon slices and some bela-luz thyme. As a side dish, serve a carrot rice with a cumin touch. It’s a delicious combination!

2. Bela-luz thyme rabbit stew

The shorter and colder days demand strong and warming flavours. But this does not mean heavy meals – quite on the contrary.

Our suggestion for a different dinner meal is a delicious rabbit stew. What’s the secret? Bela-luz thyme once again takes over and helps you cook an elegant and comforting food.

Ingredients:

• 1 rabbit (1,2 kg) cut to pieces;
• Pepper (to taste);
• 2 tbsp olive oil;
• 0,5 kg small onions;
• 4 garlic cloves;
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour;
• 1 glass of red wine;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• Cloves (to taste);
• 1 tbsp bela-luz thyme;
• 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and crushed;
• 3 to 4 medium carrots.

Preparation:

After cutting the rabbit into 2-inch pieces, season with pepper. Lightly brown the meat in a pan with the olive oil. Cut the onions into quarters and slice the garlic cloves. Take the meat pieces out of the pan and put aside. Fry the onion and the garlic until tender, add flour and mix well.

Add the browned rabbit once again as well as half the red wine. Add spices and herbs and let cook in low heat for about an hour. Add the rest of the wine, the crushed tomatoes and the sliced carrots and let cook for another half an hour.

Check your pepper and serve immediately, decorated with bela-luz thyme.

3. Garlicky flatfish with bela-luz thyme

European flatfish, rich in vitamin B12, an excellent selenium source and very poor in fat, is widely used in the Mediterranean cuisine. But did you know you can prepare this fish in an even more delicious and healthy way? The secret lies on the herbs used to seasoning.

A delicious fish paired with such a flavourful herb as bela-luz thyme will not lack salt. That’s right, this is a recipe with no salt, but an intense flavour.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil;
• 2 garlic cloves;
• ½ lemon, juiced;
• One bunch bela-luz thyme;
• 4 flatfish (flounder) fillets (1-2 lbs).

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix the olive oil with crushed garlic, lemon juice and thyme. Rub the fish fillets with this marinade. Heat up a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and fry the flatfish in its own marinade (be careful not to burn the garlic). When cooked on both sides, remove from heat and serve immediately. Don’t forget to decorate it with lemon slices and bela-luz thyme. Pairs well with baked potatoes, seasoned with some olive oil and herbs. No need for added salt.

These recipes with no salt are perfect for a week dinner or for a Sunday meal – all the family will love them! Who’d say recipes with no salt could be this tasty?

Learn more about a healthy balanced lifestyle with the Mediterranean diet.