Salmon Braised with Cabbage Broccoli and Leek

Salmon and veggies - it doesn't get more heart healthy than this.  And there is something so smooth and inviting about poached salmon and leeks that elevates this dish into the comfort zone.
1-1/2 lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into serving portions

2 leeks, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and widthwise
2 Tbsp butter
4 cups green cabbage, cut coarsely into 1-inch pieces
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp asian fish sauce
1 lemon, cut in wedges
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Melt the butter in 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet. Place the leek slices, cut-side down into the liquid. Slowly sauté the leek, turning after about 5 minutes. Allow the water to evaporate and the leek to cook through slowly. The leek should be very tender to the tip of a knife, but must not let to burn - watch carefully, and add a dash more water if necessary.

When the leek is tender - after about 10-12 minutes - add the cabbage to the skillet.

Then nestle the salmon among the cabbage pieces. Top with broccoli flowerets. Add the wine and fish sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and poach the fish and veggies for about 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through, and the veggies are just crisp tender.


Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with sesame seeds if desired. Serves 4.

Salmon on Greens with Radish & Apple

Let's start out the new year right with salmon and a salad.  The combination of radishes and apples gives savory and sweet notes to this healthy salad.
4 pieces skinless salmon (I used Trader Joe’s salmon patties)
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
4-6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
2 green onions, sliced
vinaigrette dressing to taste
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds for garnish
Lemon wedges

Sauté the salmon in a non-stick skillet in a dash of oil over medium heat. Brown both sides for a total of about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile gently toss together the vegetables in a salad bowl, dressing with however much you please.

Lay a bed of salad on each of four plates. Top with a piece of salmon. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

Holiday Grilled Wild Caught Salmon Salad with Pecans

How to make a healthy salmon meal look all Christmasy.
about 6 cups baby greens of choice
1-1/2 lb wild caught salmon fillet

Marinade:
palmful mint
palmfull lemon balm
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp dried red chili flakes, or to taste

Dressing:
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil

2 jeruselum cucumbers, cut into half moons
1 large fresh ripe tomato, sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped
1/2 cup salted pecans

Place salmon and lemon mint marinade in a zip lock bag or in a casserole for about half an hour.

Whisk together the dressing. Pour half in a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, cucumbers and raisins. Stir and allow to macerate.

Heat a grill to high. Remove salmon from marinade and lay on grill, skin-side down. Spoon remaining marinade onto top of fish. Turn grill to medium, cover and cook salmon for about 10 minutes, checking for flare-ups. Remove salmon to a cutting board.

Toss greens with some dressing to taste. Distribute greens onto four plates. Top with tomato mixture. Cut salmon into four portions and place each portion onto salad. Sprinkle with pecans.

Serves 4.

Sherried Pan Seared Salmon Tarragon over Spinach

This is fast for a weeknight meal and way less expensive than takeout or those fancy boxed meal kits through the mail.
1-1/2 lb salmon fillet (thick cut) cut into four portions
1 50-oz bad fresh baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried tarragon leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp oil preserved sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/4 cup cream sherry
3 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil

Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. 

Melt the butter and the olive oil in a non-stick skillet.

Here I used leftover herb butter, but plain butter is just fine. Sprinkle the eluted butter with the tarragon, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

In a separate pan, sauté the spinach leaves in a dash of oil until wilted and all their water released.

Once the butter has bubbled all the water off, lay salmon fillets quarters skin-side up in the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until the salmon flesh browns up nicely.

Turn the fillets - skin-side down - and continue cooking about 3-5 more minutes, until medium rare, or however you like salmon. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add the sherry to the pan and bring to a boil. Divide spinach as a bed among four plates. Top each with a salmon fillet. Pour sauce evenly over each fillet.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note:  If you are cutting down on butter or olive oil, you can pour half of it out before you add the sherry.  But I'd reserve it for another use if you need it and can use it soon - its full of flavor.

Salmon Braised with Cambray Onions and Orange Peppers

We grill it.  We roast it.  We pan sear it.  We braise it.

When you are trying to eat salmon at least once a week, you really have to get some variety built into the routine.  I love grilling and roasting, but a light braise really does leave the salmon tender and soft.

But without the thrill of the grill, you're best advised to assure a flavor complement.  So Cambray onions and orange peppers align here with wine, broth and the umami of fish sauce to produce a deep, richly favored dish, to complement the penultimate lightness of braising.  Especially when you reduce the liquid to a delicious sheer, bright glaze.
1 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 lb skinless salmon fillets, cut into serving portions
3-4 Cambray onions, sliced into 3-2 inch pieces
1 orange pepper, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp asian fish sauce

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and the pepper and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Lower heat and allow the veggies to caramelize slowly for about 10 more minutes, until well browned.

Add the wine, broth and fish sauce, and bring to a gentle boil. Place the salmon on top of the veggies and cover.

Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes and then uncover. Continue cooking salmon until the juices evaporate just to a glassy sauce, and the salmon is just cooked through - about another 5 more minutes.

Serve with lemon. Serves 4.

Wasabe Furikake Grilled Salmon

These gorgeous, lazy days of summer are perfect for fast simple grilling - like a quick salmon fillet.  Season easily with something as simple as dill weed, or a richer mix like cajun seasoning, or as here, Japanese wasabe furikake seasoning.

A nice mix of sesame seeds, seaweed, dried shrimp and wasabe, furikake is not only Japan's favorite rice seasoning, it's gotta be my favorite salmon seasoning.
12-oz salmon fillet with skin, center cut
1 Tbsp wasabe furikake Japanese spice mix
kosher salt
red pepper flakes

Heat grill to high. Oil the skin side of the fillet generously with canola oil. Flip and season with furikake, salt and pepper flakes.

When grill is very hot, place fish skin-side down on the grill.

Close grill and grill on high for about 8 minutes, watching every 2-3 minutes. The fish should grill quietly for most of 8 minutes or so.

But after that as fat renders, flames can begin to lap up around the fillet. I love this because it really chars the skin and gives a good grilled flavor.

 But you might want to temper the flames with a water mister if they get too aggressive. Cook for a total of about 10 minutes per inch of thickness - I like my salmon slightly on the medium side, not overcooked and dry. Cook to your liking.

Gently remove the fish from the grill with a sharp metal spatula; you may need to coax it off the grill a bit if the char was boss. Slice and serve with salsa verde yogurt tartar sauce, if desired.

Serves 2-3.

Salsa Verde Yogurt Tartar sauce
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp good real mayonnaise
2 tsp pickle relish
1 Tbsp salsa verde
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp favorite hot sauce (I used Texas Pete’s)

Stir ingredients together in a bowl.

Chili Jam Smoked Salmon Open Face

The sweet heat of chili jam is just the right complement to the salty richness of smoked salmon.  Serve this as a quick brunch, lunch or appetizer.  Fresh, sharp, sweet, delicious.
2 pieces prepared pizza crust
3 Tbsp cream cheese
2 tsp sweet chili jam (I use Trader Joe’s)
4 slices smoked salmon
2 tsp non-pareille capers
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Spread the cream cheese evenly on the crust pieces.

Top with the chili jam. Lay on the smoked salmon. Garnish with capers and parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 2 as an appetizer.

Cook's Note: You can use most any substrate such as halved pita bread, toasted English muffins, Indian naan, or a nice baguette.  Improvise!

Smoked Salmon Chef Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

A quick salad always does it for a quick weeknight dinner, especially after a late day at work.  You can make this as fast as you can get take-out.  Cheaper and, oh, so much better.
6 eggs
2 Yukon gold potatoes
4 cups baby arugula (or other favorite salad green)
8 oz smoked salmon, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
4 green onions, sliced
4 tsp small capers

Dressing:
juice of 1 lemon, about 2 Tbsp
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp good real mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sur cream


Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Set on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Cook for 6 more minutes and then drain. Cool eggs down well with plenty of cold water. When cool, peel and quarter eggs.

Pierce the potatoes with the tines of a fork all over. Microwave 8-10 minutes, turning 2-3 times. When cooked through, remove to a cutting board with a towel. Quarter and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Lay a bed of greens on each of four plates. Distribute eggs and potatoes among the plates. Do the same for the salmon, peppers and capers. Dress with dressing and garnish with green onions.

Serves four.

Orange Tarragon Gochujang Salmon

Fresh wild-caught salmon is especially healthful, if you can find it. Lightly flavor with orange, and tarragon and ramp up with the earthiness and slight spice of Korean gochujang flavors: subtle enough for salmon, yet rich enough to add the spice of variety to cooking salmon regularly and often.

1-1/2 lb salmon fillet, cut into four serving portions

Glaze:
Juice of one orange - about 1/4 cup
1 Tbsp gochujang
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried tarragon leaves

Place the salmon skin-side down in a baking casserole, allowing plenty of space between the pieces. Whisk together the glaze and pour over the salmon, and then flip the salmon onto the glaze. Allow the salmon to rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Roast salmon for about 10 minutes (for 1-inch thickness), or until the salmon is just cooked through.

Serve with lemon or lime.  I like serving over a bed of sautéed spinach.

Serves 4.

Cook’s Note: Any leftovers work wonders served cool, on a salad. Here I lay a bed of arugula and toss fresh tomato on top. I dressed with just a dash of seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil.

Maple Dijon Roasted Salmon with Caramelized Leek

Each year the extended family congregates in northern Vermont for a New Year's reunion, and I stock up on real maple syrup.  Our niece Monica welcomed us at her home after a day-long drive, with salmon roasted with Dijon and maple syrup.  She said this is what you can do with salmon in Vermont, and we loved it.

Upon our return home I reverse engineered what I remembered of the dish and accompanied the salmon with tender leek, sweetened by caramelizing.
1-1/2 lb salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 servings
3-4 medium-sized leeks
1 Tbsp butter plus 1/4 cup water
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Maple glaze:
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 425F. Whisk together the maple glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet and spoon 1/2 tablespoon of sauce in four patches. Lay a salmon fillet on each of the 4 patches. Distribute the remaining sauce on top of the fillets.

Season with salt and pepper. Set salmon aside.

Meanwhile, Leave just about 1/4 inch of the root of the leeks attached and cut the dark green, tough portions of the leaves off. Slit in half being careful that the half remain intact, held together by the root base.

Rinse the leaves under running water to remove any dirt or sand.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Lay the leek halves, cut-side down into the butter and brown the leeks for about 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

Shake skillet often and watch that the leeks do not burn. Add the water and cover the skillet. Allow the leeks to braise on a low simmer, uncovered to evaporate the water. When all the water is evaporated, turn over and lightly brown the other side.

Keep your eyes on the leeks as you roast the salmon.

Roast the salmon in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, until just cooked through and slightly browned. If desired, finish under the broiler, but watch carefully to avoid burning the maple glaze. Remove from oven. Plate the salmon with some leek and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

I love Vermont - the only place I know where parking ticket machines get their own parkas!

Salmon and Vegetable Lasagna

Here's the deal - we all want to eat more omega-3's and salmon. But HELP! How many times can you eat grilled salmon a week??

Stop the madness and start incorporating salmon into the casseroles that everyone loves.  But take also one step further and make sure those casseroles max out the veggie content and min the carb content.  Here's an idea using no-boil lasagna noodles which balances carb and veggie.

Oh, OK, Fine.  Opting out from these veggies? Swap your own.  Make this your go-to strata that will keep you fed well not only today but many days from now!
4 cups green beans, trimmed and cut in half
4 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces

White sauce:

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups milk
1 tsp dried dill

1-1/2 to 2 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese

1 lb fresh salmon fillet, cut into thin slices
4-6 no-boil lasagna sheets, enough for two layers of a 9x13-inch casserole
12 fresh basil leaves
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Bring a medium pot of water to the boil and salt it generously for the veggies. When boiling, add the beans and cook 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook another 2-3 minutes.

You want the veggies only ever so slightly crisp tender - they will continue cooking in the casserole. Drain the veggies and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

While the veggies cook, make the white sauce. Melt the butter in the canola oil and then add the flour. Whisk continuously for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture smells nutty. Add the milk and turn heat to high. Whisk regularly until the sauce just comes to a gentle boil and thickens. Reduce heat to the lowest simmer and add the dill. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour one third of the sauce evenly on the bottom of an oiled 9x13-inch rectangular casserole. Sprinkle half the veggies on top.

Scatter half the mozzarella cheese over the veggies and dollop the ricotta cheese about the veggies. Sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese. Now layer the lasagna noodles over the veggies and press down gently.

Layer the salmon on top of the noodles and cover with another third of the sauce.

Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles and again, press down gently.

Finish by layering the remaining veggies on top of the second noodle layer. Nestle the remaining mozzarella cheese into the veggies and top with the remaining sauce and parmesan cheese. Scatter two thirds of the basil leaves over top (reserve the remaining leaves for garnish after baking). Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for half an hour. Remove the cover and bake for another 30-45 minutes, until the casserole is brown and bubbly.

Serves 6.

Salmon Noodle Bowl with Braised Leek and Endive

Are you getting your Omega 3's?!  Eat salmon.

I know.  How many ways can I possibly prepare salmon while keeping my family's culinary interests peaked?

Easy, try this.  Salmon, noodles, poached veggies and herbs, bathed in a bowl of broth.  Any questions?
12 oz medium egg noodles

2 medium leeks, trimmed and cleaned, cut in half lengthwise and widthwise
2 Belgian endives, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, cut into 2-3 inch matchsticks
1 carrot shaved with a peeler
1 quart chicken broth
1-1/2 lb salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 4 serving portions
1/2 lb shrimp, cut in half
palmful fresh mint

Cook the noodles in plenty of salted water until just al dente. Drain and keep warm off the heat.
Brown the leeks and the endive, cut side down, in the butter and oil in a very large pan.

Remove veggies to a plate.

Now add the carrot and zucchini and brown them in a bit more butter.

Return the leek and endive to the pan and add half the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cover.

Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the veggies are tender to the sharp tip of a knife.  Now nestle the salmon and shrimp into the veggies and dot with the mint.

Pour in the remaining chicken broth and return to a gentle boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook 5 more minutes.

Assemble to noodle bowl by laying down a bed of noodles in 4 or 5 wide soup bowls. Place a portion of the poached salmon, shrimp and veggies on top. Ladle about a cup of broth on top. Garnish with lemon slices, more fresh mint and toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4-5.