The Salmon Caper

My husband took me out to eat at Agora’s in Irvine a while back and they served a wonderful baked salmon that also had lemons, capers, black olives and seasonings.  Tonight I made grilled packets of salmon drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and oregano and lemon thyme.  The salmon was topped with sliced lemon and capers.  I grilled these at medium high for about 10 minutes.  They were delicious and did not disappoint!  I will be making this dish again.  There is something about the  combination of lemon and capers with salmon that is very satisfying.

Grilled Salmon Packets

Ingredients:

• 4 filet of salmon, about 1 inch thick
• salt and pepper, to season
• 1 tsp dried oregano, (or basil or thyme)
• 8 slices of lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tsp capers

Instructions:

Preheat your grill to around 375- 400°F.

Place each salmon filet on a  piece of aluminum foil large enough to fold over the salmon and create a packet.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and sprinkle each filet with 1/4 tsp dried oregano.  Place two thin slices of lemon on each filet.  Drizzle each filet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of capers over the salmon.  Wrap the foil over the salmon and seal in the edges so the juices do not run out.

Place on your grill and close the lid.  Cook the salmon for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.

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Ginger Crusted Salmon

Ginger Crusted Salmon

One of my favorite preparations of salmon I have ever eaten has been at the Yard House.  They serve a ginger crusted salmon on  a bed of wasabi mashed potatoes with a peanut ginger sauce that is to die for.  Much to my surprise I found the recipe online and in print (link)! You mean I can make this myself now?  I added the recipe to my bucket list of things I wish to make.  I bought some beautiful salmon at my favorite market – and thought it was the perfect opportunity to make it myself.  It was not quite what the Yard House serves, because it was missing the deep fried strips of carrot on top for presentation, but it was still very good.  I doubled the sauce, because I thought it would go nicely with a satay later in the week.  This recipe takes a little prep work to get it perfected, but I was rather happy with the results.  I will make it again for a special dinner.

Yard House Ginger Crusted Salmon (at home)

adapted from Yard House recipe published in Miami New Times

by Executive Chef Carlito Jocson Serves 2

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2009/06/yard_house_recipe_for_ginger_c.php (link)

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 oz) fillet of salmon
• 1/4 cup finely minced ginger (I used a microplane to grate it)
• 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 cups julienne carrots and snow peas (cut in matchsticks)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Make ahead of time:

• 1/2 cup Sesame Peanut Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small metal bowl, combine the grated ginger and sliced green onions.  Heat the olive oil in a small skillet.  Use caution to pour the hot oil over the ginger and green onions in the metal bowl.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat.  Sear the salmon on each side until golden brown.  Transfer the salmon to a baking dish and top with the ginger mixture.  Bake in the oven for 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

Steam the snow peas and carrots in two separate pans for about 3-10 minutes depending how tender you like them.  Drain any water, add some butter to each and season with salt and pepper if desired.  Tip: I bought a small bag of carrot slaw mix in the grocery store, so I did not have to spend hours slicing carrots.

To serve: Drizzle the plate with 1 Tbsp of the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette.  Put a dollop of Wasabi mashed potatoes on the center of the plate.  Top with steamed julienne carrots and snow peas.  Top with the baked ginger crusted fish and drizzle about 1/4 cup more of the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette over each servings.  Top with fried strips of carrot if you desire (I did not this time). Serve and have a party in your Mouth.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

• 2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• water to cover the potatoes
• 1/4 cup Wasabi Paste (I found some in a tube by S&B) See bottom of post for source)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the potatoes: Bring the potato chunks, salted cold water to cover to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes.  Test with a fork for tenderness.  Drain.  Mash the potatoes with the wasabi paste, heavy cream and butter.  Season with salt to taste.  These potatoes have quite the punch- my children opted for regular potatoes, but hubby and I enjoyed them.  If you are unsure how spicy they will be add less wasabi- you can always add more.

Sesame- Peanut Vinaigrette (doubled)

Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Jif)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped ginger
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Refrigerate until needed.  I like this sauce so much I make extra and serve as a sauce with a beef or chicken satay later in the week.

Ingredients resource:

For the Wasabi paste:

http://www.sb-worldwide.com/products/paste.html (43 grams was the size of my tube and I used)

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Salmon with Creamy Herb Sauce

I recently picked up a copy of Fix-It and Forget-It slow cooker magic.  You should be able to find a copy until April of this year (04/12).  They had several recipes that caught my eye.  I liked the look of this recipe but I adapted it to serve 6 (not 4), so the sauce ingredients are doubled and instead of 4 pieces of salmon I used 6.  I also changed a few ingredients in the sauce.  I thought there was too much mustard, so I reduced that and I increased the sour cream and added a dash of Worcestershire sauce to give it that last oomph that it needed.  I was afraid that cooking the salmon in a crock pot would make my whole house smell fishy.  It was not the case.  I think I found some very fresh salmon, which I am sure helped keep it from smelling too fishy.

Salmon with Creamy Herb Sauce

adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It Magazine (4/12) p. 70

Serves 6

Crock Pot Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sliced shallots
• 2 large lemons, sliced
• 10 whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth (or 1 cup white wine/1 cup chicken broth)
• 6 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillet (1 inch thick)
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Sauce ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or reduced fat if you like)
• 5 Tbsp sour cream
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• dash of Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Place the first 4 ingredients into the crock pot and pour the chicken broth over them.  Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 2 hours.

In the meantime, season the salmon with the garlic salt and red pepper flakes.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is time to add the salmon.

Prepare the Creamy Herb sauce:  Combine the ingredients listed and stir together.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

When the two hours are up for the lemon slices.  Carefully place the salmon on the lemon slices.  Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until the salmon is cooked.  Remove the salmon to a platter and discard the liquids.  Serve the salmon with the creamy herb sauce.  Good with steamed rice and broccoli.

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Salmon with Balsamic Glaze

All three of my children enjoy eating salmon.  I’m thankful my kids are not picky (or I never let them be picky- they ate it or they went hungry.)  Here is a different recipe from the norm.  The salmon is brushed with a balsamic glaze and cooked in the oven.  After it is cooked it is brushed with balsamic again.  It has a lovely flavor. My kids still ate the fish with Tartar sauce, but my husband and I thought it was great with just the balsamic glaze.  We will be making this again.  I found the recipe at allrecipes.  My only regret was that the salmon had a ton of pin bones.  I tried to remove them before cooking but found myself shredding the fish, so I left most in and told everyone to be careful.  I now know where I don’t want to get my salmon in the future.  I would have loved to have had salmon steaks as it cooks more evenly.

Salmon with Balsamic Glaze – adapted from allrecipes

Serves 6

• 6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• dash of soy sauce (my addition)
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Cover a sheet pan with foil and spray it with Pam cooking spray (or another brand).
Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic in a small pan with a scant teaspoon of cooking oil until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, dash of soy sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with oregano.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil. (Don’t use the new foil that has food not stick to it, -like I did -or the skins will stay on the salmon.)

I served this with steamed broccoli, couscous and fresh bread.

Salmon Cakes

My family is not big on eating fish, but they always seem to enjoy these easy to make salmon cakes.  I have made these for years now.  I think I pulled it from an Chicken By the Sea advertisement in a magazine.  They are delicious.  I hope you try them sometime.  The recipe for sauce is also listed, but I often serve them with store bought tartar sauce and a cucumber tomato salad on the side (Chopped and seeded cucumbers mixed with sliced tomatoes and dressed with bottled Ranch Dressing).

Salmon Cakes – adapted from Chicken By The Sea

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Red Bell, Pepper, finely chopped (or roasted red peppers from the jar, chopped)
• 1/4 cup Green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• dash Cayenne Pepper
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs, Dry
• 1 large Egg, beaten
• 12 ounces Salmon, Canned
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp oil

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, combine chopped red pepper (I use the roasted red peppers from a jar) , green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference.  Stir in egg, well drained salmon and 4 Tbsp of the breadcrumbs.  Divide and form mixture into 6-8 balls (I use an ice cream scoop).  Roll Salmon balls in remaining breadcrumbs; flatten into cakes (about 1/2 inch thickness) Fry salmon cakes in melted butter and oil in skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve with Tartar sauce or:
Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 1/2 tsp fresh if on hand)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and blend well.  Serve with Salmon cakes.

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