Salmon Piccata with Roasted Broccoli

 

I wanted to post this recipe earlier, but a trip to beautiful Banff, Alberta (see pictures below), and an unexpected surgery prevented me from doing that.  This recipe is one of my favorite, and although I usually use it with chicken, which is what the original recipe calls for, I made it with salmon this time, and it is equally, if not more delicious.  

This is a basic recipe for Salmon Picatta in which salmon fillets are dredged in flour, then sauteed in butter and olive oil on the stove top until crisp and golden brown.  A sauce is then made in the same pan with broth, lemon juice, capers and parsley.  I love capers, anytime I see a recipe with them in it, I always take notice.  I recommend this recipe with salmon or chicken, whichever you prefer.  I then served the salmon with lemon chive fettuccine and roasted broccoli.  I also included the recipe for the roasted broccoli with the recipe for the Salmon Picatta.

Salmon Piccata

• 4 Salmon (about 4-5 oz each) fillets, skin on
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or chicken broth)
• 1/4 cup brined capers, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge salmon in flour and shake off excess.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the salmon, skin side down, to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes. When salmon is browned, flip and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily for a fork. Remove and transfer to plate. 

Into the pan add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the salmon to the pan (skin side up) and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove salmon to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously, add the parsley and whisk into sauce. Pour sauce over salmon and serve with lemon wedges and roasted broccoli (see recipe below)

Roasted Broccoli

• 4-6 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees,  spread broccoli florets onto a non-stick baking pan.  Drizzle the olive oil over the broccoli and toss the florets in the olive oil.  Spread the broccoli back into an even layer on the baking sheet.  Season with salt and crushed red pepper (depending on your spice tolerance you may want to only use a pinch or so, it is up to you).

Roast the broccoli in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the broccoli is tender with crispy brown edges.  About halfway through, toss the broccoli with a spatula and again spread back out onto an even layer on the baking sheet.  This is to prevent over or uneven browning as well as to prevent the broccoli from sticking to the pan. Serve along side the salmon.

This is a great technique that works with so many different vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, brussels sprouts, the list is endless.

Roasted Salmon with Honey Mustard and Dill

I can't start this post without thanking my Uncle Gary.  He went to Alaska last year and sent back some beautiful salmon that was frozen just after it was caught.  It is some of the best salmon I have ever tasted, so fresh and flavorful.  I literally made this dish in anticipation of making salads and pastas with it later in the week, but I just stood in the kitchen eating it after it came out of the oven, so I may only get one more dish out of it. 

This is a very simple, but delicious way to serve salmon.  You roast the salmon in the oven, and the salmon is covered in a honey mustard and dill sauce that keeps the salmon from drying out. I roasted a whole fillet of salmon, but you can easily use the sauce for individual portions, you may just have to cut back on the cook time.  I know it's not the most beautiful picture, but this recipe is so good and easy, I couldn't help but post it on this blog. 


Roasted Salmon with Honey Mustard and Dill

• 1 1/4 lb salmon fillet (skin on, pin bones removed)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
• 2 T. honey
• 1 T. mayonnaise
• 1 t. dried dill (or 1 T. fresh dill, finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat liberally with non-stick cooking spray.  This will help with clean up and will keep the salmon from sticking to the foil.  Place the salmon fillet, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, dill, and garlic.  Spoon the sauce over the whole fillet and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors permeate into the salmon.

Roast in the oven until the mustard sauce has formed a nice crust and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 25 minutes.  If you are using individual portions of salmon, the time may be less.  Transfer to a platter and serve (if it makes it that far, like I said, I stood in my kitchen and ate some of it right off the baking pan :) ).

CEiMB: Salmon Cakes with Creamy Sesame-Ginger Sauce (and a giveaway)

It's my week to pick a recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly.  I have chosen for the group to make the Salmon Cakes with Creamy Sesame-Ginger Sauce from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger.  I thought this recipe would be a good alternative to your typical crab or tuna cakes, plus I loved that the ingredients had an Asian flair with lots of healthy ingredients that I enjoy.

This salmon cake combines ingredients such as water chestnuts, cilantro, and scallions.  It uses eggs and whole wheat bread crumbs as binders, and the cakes are served with a yogurt-based sauce with flavors of sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce.

A few notes/changes to the original recipe:

• I think that it is important not to chop your water chestnuts too finely or else you will lose that great crisp texture.  
• Next time I may cut back on the bread crumbs because I found that the cakes did not hold together to well.  I had a hard time flipping the cakes without them falling apart.  Alternatively, I might refrigerate the cakes before adding them to the skillet so they will hold together better.  
• I added a few tablespoons of chili-garlic sauce to the cakes to impart a bit more flavor and add a bit of heat to the cakes. 
• For the sauce I cut way back on the amount of ginger that is in the original recipe.  Instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, I only added 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger and I still found the ginger to be quite prominent.  1 1/2 tablespoons would be way too overpowering. I also doubled the amount of soy sauce called for in the recipe, I wanted the sauce to have a bit more of a salty flavor.
• I served my cakes on a bed of baby spinach, it went really well with the salmon cakes.

I liked the flavor of these cakes and I think that the sauce complemented them really well.  I would definitely make these again


Salmon Cakes with Creamy Sesame-Ginger Sauce  
      Yield: 6 servings (2 cakes plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce per serving)

• 6 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 2 (15-ounce) cans salmon, drained, skin and bones removed (I used boneless, skinless cans of salmon)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 scallions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped canned water chestnuts
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons Chili-Garlic sauce (optional)
• Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce (Recipe follows)

Salmon Cakes:

• Remove crusts from the bread, break into pieces, and process in a food processor until you get a fine bread crumb. In a large bowl, flake apart the salmon with a fork. Add the egg and mix well. Finely chop 4 of the scallions and add to the bowl. Add the water chestnuts, cilantro, pepper, and the bread crumbs and mix well. Shape the mixture into 12 patties.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Add 6 patties and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan, and cook the rest of the salmon cakes, 5 minutes on each side.
• Chop the remaining 1 scallion. Serve salmon cakes with the sauce and garnish with scallion.

Sesame-Ginger Sauce:

• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, or 6 tablespoons nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (I only used 1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce (I used 2 teaspoons)
• If using regular yogurt place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel. Put the strainer over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain and thicken for 30 minutes.
• Place drained yogurt or Greek-style yogurt into a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Whisk until smooth.

In addition to hosting CEiMB this week, I am also giving away an extra copy of  The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger.  I love this book, and I would love to be able to share it with someone else.  All you have to do is leave a comment here by Sunday, August 22 by 8pm EST telling me what is your favorite healthy recipe.  My apologies, but I can only send the book to residents of the United States and Canada. 

Thanks for checking out this post, and be sure to check out the Craving Ellie and My Belly blogroll to see what other members of the group did with this recipe.

Rotini with Tuna and Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

My pantry is getting pretty full. I tend to do that. I will buy sauces or marinades or jars of delicious concoctions, and they will sit in my cabinets while I keep buying more and more things. That has to stop, my cabinet is way too full, and my grocery bill is still way too high. That is how this dish came about. I was looking for something to throw together based on what I had on hand. You will probably be seeing a lot more of these dishes, because I have a lot of great ingredients just sitting in my cabinet waiting to be used. I made this delicious pasta dish from a few ingredients I had in my pantry, and few ingredients I had in my fridge.

Now, I have stated before how much I love Trader Joe's grocery store, and I had a jar of their Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade (see picture below), so I decided to base a meal around that. I also had some Tomato Pesto tuna (see picture below) and some fresh tomatoes and basil. I made a sauce from those ingredients and served it over whole wheat pasta. It's a very healthy dish that comes together quickly if you have all the ingredients on hand. Now, I know this recipe calls for some specialized ingredients, and if you don't live near a Trader Joe's, you could probably use some roasted red peppers and some marinated artichokes in place of the tapenade. But hopefully you do live near a Trader Joe's because it is a wonderful grocery store.


Rotini with Tuna and Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade
serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1-10 oz jar Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1-4 oz pouch of Starkist Tomato Pesto flavored tuna
• 10 oz. whole wheat rotini
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to directions on the box, however, make sure the pasta is al dente because we will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.
• While the pasta is boiling make the sauce. Add the olive oil to a pan that has been heated to medium-high, toss in the onions and cook until the onions are soft, but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute a few more minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Be sure not to burn the garlic, as it will turn bitter.
• Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add the tapenade, tomatoes, chicken broth, and tuna. Cook until the sauce is simmering and everything is heated through.
• Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, toss everything together and simmer for a few minutes until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce.
  
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. I only needed to add pepper because the tuna, tapenade, and chicken broth all contained salt.
  
• Divide amongst four bowls and top with fresh basil. Serve immediately.
  

Picture from Fun with Jane and Dick

Jerk-Rubbed Catfish with Spicy Cilantro Slaw

I was looking for a light and flavorful dish to cook for a easy weeknight dinner when I came across this recipe for Jerk-Rubbed Catfish with Spicy Cilantro Slaw in the March 2010 edition of Cooking Light Magazine. This recipe is extremely simple, I think it took me 15 minutes from start to finish to make this meal. My jerk seasoning was quite spicy, so it was a nice balance with the cool coleslaw. You can always omit the jalapeno that is in the slaw if you don't want too much heat. The natural sweetness of the catfish complimented the tangy coleslaw. I will definitely be making this again in the future.


Jerk-Rubbed Catfish with Spicy Cilantro Slaw (adapted from Cooking Light, March 2010)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 2/3 cup slaw)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 1/2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
• Cooking spray
• 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets
• 4 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with jerk seasoning. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; serve fish with slaw

Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

I am learning a lot from this blogging experience. When I cook, I usually just throw things in the pot or pan that I know will taste good together without bothering to measure anything. I have started writing down my original recipes, or when I make changes to a recipe, I make sure to note what I am changing. It has been a good experience for me. Another thing I am learning is how to photograph food to make it look appealing. I am still learning, and the lighting in my house and my camera are not the best, but I am trying. I still haven't learned how to photograph fish to make it look good. Especially fish with sauce on top of it. I must have taken 20 photos of the fish, and this one was the best of the bunch if you can believe it. The fish was absolutely fantastic though, so that is what matters.

This recipe is adapted from bonappetit.com. I wasn't able to grill the fish like the recipe calls for, but I pan-fried it instead, and it turned out great. Pan-frying it created a nice crispy crust on the fish. I also made a few changes to the sauce, which is a great accompaniment to the fish.

Serves 4

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup sour cream
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  
• 2 tablespoons prepared white horseradish
  
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon chives, snipped
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  
• salt and pepper
  

Fish:

• Non-stick vegetable spray
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)

For sauce:

Mix all the ingredients together, season with salt a pepper. Cover and chill. Can be made a day ahead. (I seasoned with a little extra soy sauce instead of salt, not much, about a teaspoon or so.)

For salmon:

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Spray a skillet liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk oil, horseradish, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush over both sides of the fish. If the salmon has skin, place the salmon skin side up in the pan. Cook the salmon until opaque in the center, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillet. I had tail pieces of salmon so it was only about 3 minutes per side until my fish was done. If I would have had center cut fillet it would have been about 4-5 minutes per side. Serve the fish immediately with the sauce.