Crisp Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

This recipe was billed in the September 2009 issue of Cooking Light as a super fast meal and it lived up to the hype! I have long avoided coleslaw but recently I tried it again and discovered I really liked it. Since then I have been on a slaw kick. This slaw had great flavor and wasn't really that spicy, but had a nice bite. This was my first time using Sriracha and I can't wait to find more recipes to incorporate this sauce. My only compliant with this meal was I felt like it needed one more side to go with it but couldn't quite decide what a good match would be. Maybe a green vegetable or some bread. My husband gave this one rave reviews. If you need a quick weeknight meal, this one is perfect.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (16-ounce) package cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon fillets evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add salmon to pan, skin side down; cook 4 minutes. Turn salmon over; cook 3 minutes. Add orange juice to pan; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

2. While fish cooks, combine rice vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through honey) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and coleslaw; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Serve salmon with slaw.

Source: Cooking Light, September 2009.

Salmon with Puff Pastry and Pesto

I've had this recipe on my list of recipes to try for some time and finally got around to making it last night. This recipe was as delicious and wonderful as I had hoped it would be. This would be a perfect dish for easy entertaining. The dish plates beautifully and takes virtually no time or effort to make. Your guests however, will think you spent a lot of time on this one. I served mine with a lemon and spinach couscous and sauteed green beans with tomatoes. This one is a keeper!

Salmon with Puff Pastry and Pesto

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of purchased puff pastry, each cut to be just larger than a piece of salmon
• 4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup purchased pesto
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Also place the 4 pieces of salmon, being careful to make sure they are not touching. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes.

To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Top the pesto with 2 slices of tomatoes each. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and serve.

Source: Giada de Laurentis, Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites, Clarkson Potter, 2008.

Salmon Roasted in Cilantro Salsa with Quinoa Sopa Seca

My husband and I absolutely love cilantro. When I saw this recipe in the March/April 2009 issue of Clean Eating I knew we had to try it. This dish was full of flavor. I roasted the pepper over the gas burner on my stove and it turned out perfect. I had a few moments when I wondered if I might set the house on fire, but luckily all ended well with the pepper being the only thing roasted. The accompanying sauce has a nice fresh flavor with a punch of heat from the poblano and a nice tartness that balances the dish. As suggested in the magazine I served this with the quinoa sopa seca. Overall, it was a delicious, healthy dish. I made a smaller portion of fish than the recipe called for so I had a little bit too much sauce on the dish. The sauce has a lot of flavor and a little goes a long way.

Salmon Roasted in Cilantro Sauce
1 poblano pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 18 0z salmon fillet skinned

Preheat oven to 350.

Roast pepper by laying it directly on a gas burner or beneath a broiler, turning with tongs as needed, until charred and blackened all over. Place in a bag and let steam until cool to the touch. Under running water, rub off blackened skin. Pat pepper dry with paper towel, then slit open. Scrape out seeds and interior ribs and pull off stem. Cut pepper into thin strips. In a blender, combine pepper strips, lime juice, onions, cilantro, oil and salt, puree.

Place salmon in a baking dish just large enough to fit fillet. Pour cilantro salsa from blender over salmon turning fish to coat both sides. Baked, uncovered until fish is cooked to your liking in the center, 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. To serve, slice fillet into pieces and spoon salsa from pan over each portion.

Quinoa Sopa Seca

1 tbsp olive oil
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

In a medium saute pan with a lid, warm oil over medium high heat. Add onions and pepper and cook, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Add oregano and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in quinoa, then pour in 2 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and grains show opaque lines around the edges, about 12 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in peas and tomatoes. Cover pan again and let stand until vegetables are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Source: Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2009.

Maple Glazed Salmon

I'm making good on my commitment to try to make more recipes from all of the cooking magazines I subscribe to. Last night I made this Maple Grilled Salmon from the July 2008 issue of Cooking Light and served it with Steamed Carrots with Garlic and Ginger Butter from the same issue. This meal turned out great. The rice wine vinegar gave the salmon a lot of flavor. Using the leftover marinade as suggested in the recipe provided a nice glaze for the fish. The maple flavor was not as prominent as I expected but certainly added a sweetness. In addition to the baby carrots, I served this with a delicious whole grain bread, Organic Girl's berries and balsamic mixed greens kit and for dessert PJ Madison's organic julep mint chip gelato.

Maple Grilled Salmon
Source: Cooking Light, July 2008
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 (6 0z) salmon fillets, skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

2. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

3. Place fish on grill rack or pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roasted Cod with Potatoes and Olives

I'm finally getting back into the kitchen after a very busy weekend. I just have to say if you haven't seen John Mayer live in concert you are missing out! Also, if you haven't seen the Dark Knight that is a must see too. Back to this recipe. I just don't think I can rave enough about Everyday Food and their recipes. Like Ina's recipes, this magazine seems to produce one winning recipe after another. I was intrigued by this recipe when I saw it being prepared on the Everyday Food show on PBS. This recipe was restaurant quality and literally took only minutes to prepare and 40 minutes total cook time. Also, its not very messy to make. I only used one baking sheet, a knife and a set of tongs. My husband said this fish dish was better than most restaurants and convinced him that he likes cod. Based on the recommendation of the fish monger at Whole Foods, I purchased a wild caught black cod. The cod came out very light and flaky and had a delicious buttery taste. The addition of the roast vegetables added a wonderful combination of flavors. If you haven't tried cod or you just love cod this recipe is a must.

Roasted Cod with Potatoes and Olives
Source: Everyday Food, September 2006

Serves 4

• 2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cod fillets, (6 to 8 ounces each)
  
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, whole or halved
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives (I used green olives)
  
• Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with garlic, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in a single layer, cut side down. Bake, tossing potatoes once, until beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rub fillets with remaining teaspoon oil; season all sides with salt and pepper.
3. Remove baking sheet from oven. Add tomatoes and olives to potatoes; stir to combine. Push vegetable mixture to one side; place fillets flat on baking sheet, next to vegetables. Return to oven, and roast until fish is cooked through and potatoes are brown and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer fish and vegetables to serving platter. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges if desired.

Tuna Patties

I originally intended these to be salmon patties, but unfortunately I accidentally bought the canned salmon with the skin, cartilage, and bones. I'm embarrassed to say it repulsed me so much I threw the can away. Luckily, I had some tuna in the pantry so all was not lost. I don't really have an exact recipe, I just throw them together and eyeball the ingredients. Here is what I put in mine tonight:

Tuna
Corn Flake Crumbs
Egg
Fresh Parsley
Simply Organic All Season Salt
Ground Flax seed
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

Mix to combine. Mixture should be just wet enough to hold patties together but not too moist. Heat olive oil in skillet and brown on both sides.

Paula Deen's Savory Salmon

I have been eyeing this recipe from the Lady and Sons Cookbook for some time. I realized we had not had fish in a while so I added it to the list this week. This dish turned our delicious. The fruit, vegetables and herbs gave a wonderful flavor to the salmon and turned into a tasty relish on top of the fish. Not only did this dish taste good but it presents nicely also. My only criticism of this dish is that I thought the dill might have been a tad strong so I would probably use a little less next time or try the chervil instead. This recipe was another winner from Paula Deen and it didn't even have any butter! I served this with an almond rice pilaf and steamed green beans.

Savory Salmon
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen

1 (2-pound) salmon fillet
House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 small red bell pepper, julienne
1 small green bell pepper, julienne
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 medium orange, sectioned and seeded
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped fresh chervil or baby dill
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 lemons, juiced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place salmon fillet on a foil-lined pan. Season with House Seasoning, then cover and surround fish with red and green bell pepper, onion, and sectioned orange slices. Mix strawberries, water, honey, chervil or dill, garlic and green onions together. Pour lemon juice over salmon. Ladle strawberry mixture evenly over salmon. Cover with foil and pierce foil, allowing steam to escape. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix well. Store in shaker near stove for convenience.