Eli's Asian Salmon

Courtesy of Ina Garten / Food Network

I feel like most of my postings start off with "I was watching the Food Network and knew I had to make this...". Well, that is exactly what happened, so I apologize if there's a trend. I love salmon and it's an added bonus that it's healthy :) I served this with some sauteed spinach, but you can serve it with whatever you desire. I will say  one thing about this recipe...while it was delicious, I did feel that the panko was a bit soggy, so be careful not to overdo it with the panko (I think that was my problem). Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet (1 1/2 inches thick)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste (I used sriracha)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions (2 scallions)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (8 large cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

Line an 8 by 12-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the salmon in the pan. In a mixing cup, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Pour 1/3 of soy sauce mixture over the salmon fillet. Sprinkle the panko evenly over the fillet. Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture evenly over the panko. Be sure to soak the panko completely and if any runs off, spoon back onto the salmon. Set aside for 15 minutes, leaving all the sauce in the pan. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roast the salmon for 18 to 20 minutes, or for about 12 minutes per inch at the thickest part of the salmon. The internal temperature will be 120 degrees F on a meat thermometer when it's done. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.*NOTE: I would be careful with the cooking time - be sure to check it since mine actually took less time.

Mediterranean Salmon

Courtesy of Plated Perfection
Harris Teeter informed me recently that Alaska Wild Salmon is only in season for a bit longer, so I took advantage and purchased some. I decided that would be my healthy lunch to take to work! I was also craving my homemade tzatziki sauce, so I figured I'd combine my efforts. I always throw the tzatziki sauce together on a whim and never follow the same measurements or recipe, so I recommend making this to your liking - taste along the way! The salmon was super easy to make, and then I just topped it with the sauce and some feta crumbles...yum in my tum. (This is over one serving of salmon and about 4+ servings of sauce; I wanted to make extra to have around this week).

- 1 filet wild salmon (approximately .5 pound)
- 2 lemons
- 1 tb dried oregano (half for salmon, half for sauce)
- few dashes of lemon pepper seasoning
- dash of salt
- 1 tb olive oil
- 1 larger container of non-fat greek yogurt (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 tb fresh chopped dill
- 1 tb fresh chopped mint
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- approximately 3 inches English cucumber, peeled and diced (these are seedless)
- 1 tb crumbled feta

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil in a baking dish (any oven-proof dish). Coat the foil with half of the EVOO and put the other half of EVOO on top of the salmon. Place salmon on foil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt, lemon pepper, juice of 1/2 lemon, and oregano. Fold the foil on the ends and create a tent above the fish. Bake at 400 for approximately 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).

In the meantime, it's time to tzatziki! Mix the greek yogurt, 1/2 tb oregano, juice of 1.5 lemons, dill, mint, garlic, and cucumber. BAM! You're done.

Top the salmon with a hefty serving of tzatziki and your desired amount of feta. Top with additional dill (optional).

Salmon Burgers (version 2)

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake Blog

Yes, I already have a recipe on my blog for salmon cakes - and that was adapted from my Dad's recipe. They were tasty! I then came across this other recipe, so figured I'd give it a whirl. This time I used fresh salmon, which I think I'd recommend if it's possible. If not, canned/packaged definitely works too!

• 1 pound skinless, boneless salmon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from half of 1 lemon
• few dashes of Old Bay seasoning
• Remoulade sauce, for topping

1. Cut the salmon into large chunks, and put about a quarter of it into the container of a food processor, along with the mustard. Turn the machine on, and let it run – stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary – until the mixture becomes pasty.
2. Add the shallots and the remaining salmon, and pulse the machine until the fish is chopped and combined with the puree. No piece should be larger than a quarter inch or so; be careful not make the mixture too fine.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs, lemon juice, old bay, capers and some salt and pepper. Shape into four burgers.
4. Place the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, cook the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Alternatively, you can grill them: let them firm up on the first side, grilling about 4 minutes, before turning over and finishing for just another minute or two. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside. Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves with remoulade.

Salmon Cakes & Veggie Skewers

Courtesy of Plated Perfection (adapted from my Dad's recipe)
When my Dad came to visit a few months back, he told me about these salmon cakes that he makes. They sounded delicious and I finally asked him for the recipe :) I made just a couple of changes just because of what I had on hand, etc. I was hoping to make fresh salmon to use, but I ended up just going with canned for this go around. I would say to be somewhat picky in the brand you get, and I would also suggest getting the boneless and skinless kind. There are a lot of people that use the bones in the recipe, but that grosses me out :) We just finished up dinner and the verdict is...delicious.

Salmon Cakes:
3 6oz. cans of boneless, skinless canned salmon
1 cup thawed, chopped spinach
4 tb feta cheese
1 tb dry mustard
1/2 tb lemon pepper
few dashes of salt and pepper
1 egg
1 tb remoulade sauce (optional)
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs or panko

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Form into patties (I was able to get 5 patties). Heat 1-2 tb olive oil and cook the salmon cakes about 4 minutes per side over medium heat, until browned. Top with remoulade sauce and a splash of lemon juice.

Veggie Skewers:
1 squash, peeled and chopped into wedges
1 zucchini, peeled and chopped into wedges
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1-2 tb olive oil
splash of salt and pepper
5 skewers

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except the skewers, obviously). Feel free to let marinate for a few minutes. Assemble the skewers. If using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in water for 15 minutes so that they won't burn. Grill, if possible, for several minutes per side. Otherwise, bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Grilled Salmon, Pancetta & Ranch Packets

Adapted from Rachael Ray

I love salmon, and bacon, and ranch...so this was like love at first sight. The original Rachael Ray recipe called for bacon, but I used pancetta instead. I had some Boar's Head pancetta on hand (delicious) and I highly suggest using that if possible. It had so much more flavor than regular bacon. It's pretty salty, so if you use pancetta, I would not add anymore salt. The recipe also called for an outdoor grill to cook this, but my high-rise doesn't quite allow that -- so I opted for baking it. It was so tender and delicious! (I halved this recipe, didn't exactly "measure" the toppings, and had the nice seafood man at Teeter take the skin off for me!)

• Four 6-ounce, 1-inch-thick salmon fillets, skin on and at room temperature
• 1/2 cup good ranch dressing (I've fallen in love with Cindy's Kitchen Buttermilk Ranch - Whole Foods)
• 1/4 pound pancetta, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut four 8-by-12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil. Place each salmon fillet skin side down on a sheet; season with pepper, top each with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon pancetta and 1 tablespoon feta. Fold up the sides of the foil, leaving the top exposed.

Place in the oven on a broiler sheet and cook until almost opaque in the thickest part, approximately 10 minutes. Serve topped with the tomatoes.

Roasted Carrots & Asparagus (best to do this before cooking the salmon)
In an attempt to eat more meat and vegetables, I decided to roast some carrots and asparagus. This was very simple -- trim the carrots and asparagus, spray a baking dish with PAM, cover vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper and italian seasoning, drizzle with balsamic vinegarette. Bake at 375 for approximately 25 minutes. Cover with foil to keep warm if necessary.

Pesto Salmon with Shrimp and Wilted Spinach

I must give credit to my boyfriend Nick for this idea. This is something he made for me a while back and it was amazing. This go around, I just added some shrimp and spinach!

Salmon:
Season salmon filet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat a few minutes per side. Once the salmon is almost done, brush the top side with a generous portion of basil pesto (homemade or store bought). Cook an additional few minutes. I like my salmon medium-well to well done, personally.

Shrimp:
Peeled shrimp works best for this. Saute 1/2 pound shrimp with approximately a few tb of butter, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 clove of garlic. I also seasoned them with some salt and pepper. Once cooked through, top the salmon. In the future, these would also be good tossed in the pesto as well!

Spinach:
Saute spinach with garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Adjust ingredients depending on your taste. The spinach will wilt down tremendously, so start out with a generous portion!