Cedar Plank Salmon

I don't know how I caught on so late, but apparently the cool way to cook your fish these days is on a cedar plank. What's cool about it is that the strong smoky scent of the cedar infuses itself into your fish while it bakes or grills. And aside from the taste, think how chic your dinner will look when you pull it out of the oven on a wooden plank. It just screams rustic. And did I mention cool?

Roasted Salmon with Garlic, Lemon, and Coriander

This is a light and easy main course, typical of the Middle Eastern style of serving fish. It has a warm, spicy (but not in the hot sense) flavor that highlights rather than overwhelms the flavor of the salmon. And if you like a bit of pizazz to your fish, add some hot red pepper flakes. Serve with a Middle Eastern side like tabbouleh.

You may notice that occasionally we have links to various books or kitchen utensils we like to use on a regular basis. The links are all through amazon, and if you like what you see well enough to buy it, we would implore you to make your purchase through our link. You see, we get a very small percentage (6%? 10%? it hasn't happened yet, so we're not exactly sure of the precise amount) of any purchases made on amazon through our blog. You can help sustain our "test kitchen" by buying yourself some of the best kitchen wares around.

Maple Salmon

I promise our next post will be something without balsamic vinegar or fish (we just noticed that our taste buds have been a little one sided as of late). Hopefully you've enjoyed our cravings. If not, you have our apologies and a tantalizing preview of what is to come in a few days: chocolate zucchini bread.

But I couldn't turn down this simple fish recipe. The maple adds the distinct fall flavor that this season demands, yet it's still a light and healthy meal. Try serving with the Asian Pear Salad or Spinach Tortellini Salad.

We're also wondering how all you readers are feeling about our blog. Do you like what we've been making? Do you want more dinner? Less fish? More vegetarian? More meat? More dessert? Better labels? Or maybe you're indifferent? We'd love to know what you think (and if you don't feel like leaving a comment, try clicking the reactions). Is there anyone out there? Let us know someone is reading our blog!


Maple Salmon
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Pictures by Caroline
Serves 4

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator about 20 minutes, turning once.*
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

*If you're in a hurry, you can get away with about 1o minutes or marinating.

Summer Salad with Grilled Salmon

Summertime is the best time of year to enjoy cooking outside on the grill, and nothing makes meat, especially fish, taste better. This salad receipe combines the flavor of grilled salmon, goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar. It makes a great summer dinner when you want something light, filling, and healthy.



Summer Salad with Grilled Salmon
Salad recipe by Caroline
Picture by Caroline
Dressing recipe adapted from Everyday Foods Serves 4

Salad Ingredients:
4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
½ tablespoon olive-oil
5 cups baby spinach
3 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped roughly
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
1/4 cup pecans (optional)
1/4 cup Balsamic-Rosemary Vinaigrette (below)

Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Brush fillets with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. When grill is ready, place salmon on grill and cook for 4-5 minutes each side, or until fillets are cooked through, but still flaky. Take off heat and let rest on a plate for 10 minutes.
4. Combine spinach, Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, goat cheese, and pecans.
5. To serve, place salad mixture on plate and top with a sliced salmon fillet; sprinkle with Balsamic-Rosemary Vinaigrette (below).

Balsamic-Rosemary Vinaigrette
Makes about 3/4 cups

Ingredients:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 or 2 small garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender combine all ingredients except the olive oil. Blend mixture until smooth.
2. Keeping blender going, slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue to blend until creamy. (This dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If it becomes somewhat solid, run bottle under hot water and shake well.)

ps...don't forget, one week left to submit to our 100th Post Birthday contest

Moroccan Salmon

Here's a delicious yet elegant dish that incorporates zesty lemon and middle eastern spices. And it's a great way to serve fish to those who may not be fish enthusiasts. Serve with rice or, for a more authentic Moroccan feel, with couscous.

Moroccan Salmon
adapted from Cooking Light October 2006
Pictures by Kelly

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 small salmon fillets (or 1 1 lb. filet, cut into 4 pieces)
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 large plum tomato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons water

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
   
2. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Add salmon, turning to coat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.
   
3. Remove salmon from the bowl, reserving marinade. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the greased pan.
   
4. Cut lemon in half and then slice 1 half into 1/8 inch-thick slices. Add the lemon slices, peppers, tomato and water to marinade; stir gently to coat.
   
5. Arrange pepper mixture/marinade over salmon; cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
   
6. Serve over rice or couscous.

Salmon in Phyllo

If you like salmon, or you only like it so-so, this is the recipe for you. Why? Because you get the healthiness of the fish (although this recipe includes a lot of butter), but it's wrapped in dough, and you get to dip it in a creamy, mustard sauce...hard to go wrong there. Here are a few hints, when you make the mustard sauce stir it constantly after you put the cream in so that it doesn't burn. Cook it until it's thick enough that when you pull a spatula through it leaves a trail for a moment (as seen in the above, left picture). Next, use fresh phyllo dough, which I didn't and it made things, shall we say, difficult. I've made this recipe before and it was much easier with fresh phyllo dough. I had some in my freezer that had already been open, and it was dried out and made wrapping difficult. If you use fresh dough, it is much easier, I promise.

I served this recipe with some white rice and steamed veggies, so I figured it would be okay to have some Peanut-Butter Finger Bars or Milk Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Butter Cookies (guess I in a peanut-butter chocolate mood; nothing unusual about that).

Salmon in Phyllo
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Pictures by Caroline

Salmon:
1 pound fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets, about ½ inch thick
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted (I ended up using almost twice this amount because my dough was so dried out; again, use fresh phyllo)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
Dash salt
Dash black pepper
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough (18x14-inch rectangles), thawed
1 recipe Mustard Cream Sauce

1. Thaw salmon, if frozen. Rinse salmon; pat dry with paper towels. Cut salmon into 4 serving-size pieces, in necessary (I like to cut mine into about 2 inch pieces). Brush some of the melted butter over each salmon potion. Sprinkle with dill, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Unfold phyllo dough; cover with plastic wrap. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough flat; brush with some of the melted butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo dough. Brush with more butter. Add 6 more sheets of dough (a total of 8 sheets), brushing each sheet with butter. Cut into four 9x7-inch rectangles (or as big as you need for your salmon pieces). Place a salmon fillet, buttered dies down, in the middle of a dough rectangle. Fold a long side of the dough over salmon; repeat with the other long side, brushing dough with butter and pressing lightly. Fold up ends. Repeat with remaining rectangles, butter, and salmon. Arrange bundles, seam sides down, on a baking sheet. Brush with butter.
3. Bake in 375° oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until phyllo dough is golden and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with Mustard Cream Sauce.

Mustard Cream Sauce:
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (about 1 small shallot)
1 cup half-and-half (I used milk and it worked fine)
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

Combine 1/3 cup dry white wine and 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots in a small saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, stirring occasionally. Stir 1 cup half-and-half or light cream into 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour. Stir into sine mixture with 1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly (sauce may look curdled). Stir in 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Pesto pasta with salmon and vegetables

Whenever I make fish, I often end up with just a little too much left over to eat for lunch the next day, but not quite enough for dinner. This recipe is easy, fast, and flavorful with the inclusion of some pre-made pesto (either from the store or homemade). Plus, it makes use of some of those extra vegetables you have sitting around in the fridge.


It's also extremely flexible. You can add or subtract vegetables as you like: red pepper, asparagus tips, peas, etc.


Pesto Pasta with Salmon and Vegetables
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

Makes 4 servings

1/4 pound cooked salmon (grilled, seared, baked, or broiled)
1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons pesto
10 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta

1. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté until tender.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender. Drain.
   
3. Meanwhile, reheat the salmon.
   
4. Add the pesto to the pasta. Add the vegetables to the pesto pasta and stir.
   
5. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.