Salmon Pasta

Susan came to visit me in my new home in Southern California in October and we made this pasta dish together one night for dinner.  It's her son, Aaron's favorite and now is a favorite of my kids too.  I love this recipe because it's the best use of left over grilled salmon from the night before and it's an awesome one pan meal!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pasta any type, cooked aldente

2 filets (1/2 lb) of cooked salmon, grilled, baked or poached

1 Small Onion chopped

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup cream cheese

Fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)

Preparation:

Saute onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 1-2 minutes until soft.  Add 1 jar of pasta sauce to pan to warm through.  Melt cream cheese into sauce.  Add red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Once cream cheese is fully combined you can flake the salmon into the sauce and stir to incorporate.  If you would like to add green peas this is the time to add those in.  Heat sauce over med heat for about 3-5 minutes until hot.  

Pour cooked pasta into a large bowl or platter and pour sauce over top.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.  

Potato Chip Crusted Salmon

This salmon dish is delicious.  I LOVE the use of kettle chips instead of breadcrumbs for the crust, so yummy!  Very easy recipe to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of salmon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 5.5 ounce bag of kettle cooke potato chips

zest of half a lime

1/3 cup chopped dill

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Place salmon skin side down in the center of the baking sheet.  Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper.  In a bowl crush kettle chips and add in lime zest, dill, and olive oil. Coat the salmon with a think layer of the potato chip mixture and pat gently to help them stay in place.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the chip coating is nicely browned.



Asian Roasted Shrimp and Salmon Foil Packets

A new test recipe that was a big hit at my house with both my husband and children.  It's light and healthy and easy to prepare.  The sauce is a broth like consistency which is just enough to lightly flavor the fish and vegetables.  It's so nice to make a recipe that uses very little oil but still tastes good. Frozen broccoli works perfectly for this dish.  I also love using the foil packets to cook in.  The steam makes the shrimp and salmon juicy and of course there is the added bonus of no clean up!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of fresh med shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined
1/2 lb of fresh salmon, cut into 2 - 1/4 lb pieces
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons agave (or 2 tablespoons of honey)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper
1/2 lb frozen or fresh broccoli florets
2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a small bowl mix together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, agave and ginger.  Lightly season the salmon with salt and pepper and then add shrimp and salmon to the bowl with the marinade toss to combine and then let sit and marinate for 30 minutes.  Make two 2x2 pieces of foil place one piece of salmon and 8-10 shrimp and a handful of frozen broccoli florets on each piece of foil.  Sprinkle salmon and shrimp with chopped chives and black sesame seeds.  Fold up packets being sure to leave space at the top of the fish and fold ends in to tightly seal the packet.  Place packets in oven on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes.  Open packet carefully to allow steam to vent.  You can serve directly in the foil or transfer fish and veggies to a plate to serve.

Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote

I was looking for a new salmon recipe that would be "quick and easy" and I came across this recipe on a great blog that I visit, A Spoonful of Thyme.  This is a Dorie Greenspan recipe that also can be found on Dorie's blog, In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie  It's such a delicious recipe and so super easy to prepare, not to mention that it's light and healthy too.  I only made slight changes (omitting the thyme and adding chives in it's place, also I used black pepper instead of white)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (more to taste)
5-6 grape tomatoes, halved
About 6 basil leaves
One 5-ounce filet of salmon (skinless or not)
1/4 lemon
1/2 spring onion or 1 scallion (optional), finely sliced \
1 teaspoon chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and have a baking sheet at hand.  Cut a piece of foil that is large enough for you to lay out the ingredients, lift up the edges of the foil and seal the packet with an inch or two of air space above the fish.

Working in the center of the piece of foil, make a bed of basil leaves, keeping 1 leaf aside.  Sprinkle the leaves with a little salt and pepper, put the salmon over the leaves and season it with salt and pepper too.  (If the salmon has skin, lay it skin-side against the basil.)  Put the tomatoes on one side of the salmon and grate the lemon's zest over everything.  If you're using the spring onion or scallion, scatter the pieces over the fish and tomatoes.  Give the salmon a squirt of lemon juice, then cut two thin slices from the lemon and put them on top of the fish.  Top with one or two basil leaves and sprinkle with the chopped chives; moisten with olive oil.

Seal the packet, making sure it's airtight and that there's puff space between the fish and the top of its cocoon.  Put the packet on the baking sheet, slide the set-up into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, if you like your fish pink and slightly jiggly in the center (great for salmon); bake 2 minutes longer if you want your fish better done.

*You can either put the packet on a dinner plate and open it at the table, or  open the packet in the kitchen and arrange the ingredients on a plate.  If you plate the fish, you might want to finish the dish with a little minced basil or some snipped chives.

Salmon Croquettes

Another childhood blast from our past recipe.  Our Mom used to make these all the time and she served them with pasta with red sauce.  They have stood the test of time and I make these on a regular basis for my family too.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 - 6 oz cans of pink salmon (skinless & boneless)
2 stalks of celery diced small
1/2 an onion diced small
6 slices of bread (white or wheat), no crust, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

Cut celery and onion into small dice.  Drain salmon, place in medium size bowl and break up with a fork.  Add celery and onion to salmon and combine.  Remove crust from bread, cube and add to salmon mixture.  Add 3 eggs and with a fork mix until combined well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet and with your hands form salmon mixture into small patties and fry on both sides until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Serve hot.