Princess Diana Loved This Simple, High-Protein Dinner

Salmon is a delicious source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins like B12 and D, but like any protein food, it can be easy to feel like you’ve run out of interesting ways to cook it. Luckily, Princess Diana’s former chef, Darren McGrady, is taking to social media to share the royal’s favorite way to nosh on a salmon fillet—and it may be just in time for you to discover your own new favorite way to eat salmon.

McGrady recently shared a YouTube video walking followers through making a salmon meal Princess Diana loved: pan-seared salmon with a macadamia nut, cilantro and lime crust, served with sauteed vegetables and sriracha mayonnaise. 

“When she loved it, Princess Diana was eating salmon two or three times a week, and it was tough for me to keep coming up with different dishes so it wasn’t just grilled salmon every day,” McGrady explained in the video. “This was probably one of her favorites.”

To make the dish, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and add a tablespoon of olive oil to a saute pan. Season four salmon fillets with salt and pepper, then place the fillets flesh-side-down in the pan and sear until golden. Flip the salmon skin-side down and set the pan aside.

While the salmon rests in its pan, prepare the macadamia crust. Pulse together macadamia nuts, chopped cilantro, melted, unsalted butter, panko breadcrumbs, an egg yolk, the zest and juice of a lime, salt and pepper in a blender, making sure not to pulse it into too fine a powder. (McGrady says you want to leave chunks of nuts for some crunch.)

Grab that resting salmon in its pan and top each fillet with ¼ of the macadamia crust mixture, pressing the topping firmly to the fillet with the back of a spoon. Place the topped salmon in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the center is pink and the crust has started to brown.

While the salmon bakes, saute a sliced red onion and a sliced red bell pepper until they start to soften. Add some honey and a big splash of fresh orange juice to the pan and cook until the liquid has reduced and coats the sliced veggies. Place the onion and bell pepper mixture on each plate and top with a salmon fillet. Serve with some spicy sriracha mayonnaise and a bit of salad greens for garnish.

As simple as that, you have a high-protein dinner on your hands—after all, even a 3-ounce portion of salmon offers about 22 grams of protein, and this recipe calls for 6-ounce fillets. The dish sounds phenomenal to us, but McGrady also shared a funny story about cooking it for the Princess. “I remember being in the kitchen at Kensington Palace,” he said, “I got a phone call from the office and they said, what’s the boss’s favorite food right now? Quick as a flash, I said salmon … about a week later, the princess came into the kitchen and she said, ‘Darren, what’s the fish today? Please tell me it’s not salmon. What is it with you chefs, suddenly you’re all serving salmon everywhere I go?’”

McGrady joked that he quickly called the office and told them Diana’s favorite food was now chicken, helping get salmon—macadamia nut-crusted or otherwise—back on Diana’s list of palatable dishes.

Looking for more royal recipes to try at home? We’re big fans of Diana’s viral overnight oats recipe, and recently learned of some special ingredients Queen Elizabeth liked to add to her scrambled eggs. Or, if you’re on the hunt for more yummy salmon recipes, try our Ginger-Soy Salmon Bites, a recipe so good even salmon-haters claim to have been converted by it.