Salmon--You're Going To Rush Upstream For These Recipes!

"As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint."

--Jack Handy

Ahh, don't you miss Jack Handy quotes on Saturday Night Live?

You probably won't want to name your salmon, because then you won't want to eat it--and these recipes are scrumptious!

I was hesitant to post because my sister's picture of her shrimp dish was so beautiful! She does a lovely job of photographing her food. I, on the other hand, don't photograph food very well (plus, I always forget to do it...maybe if I got more practice, my pictures would be better!). So, instead, I stole the picture that she took when she made this salmon recipe after she got it from me!

I tried out the first recipe just this week. It was so easy and so yummy. The second recipe is an old favorite of mine. It is a little more time consuming, but well worth the effort. The final recipe is a pasta recipe that my mom and I found that closely resembles a dish that was served at a favorite French recipe that is no longer open.

I hope you like them!



Sweet Orange Salmon

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
Cooking spray
Orange wedges, optional

Directions:

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of fish. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with orange wedges, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

Nutrition Information: 303 calories, 13.3 g fat, 36.2 g protein, 7.5 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 87 mg cholesterol, 1 mg iron, 235 mg sodium, 33 mg calcium.

Notes: I highly suggest serving the orange wedges along with this meal. It is so refreshing and so complimentary to the flavors of this salmon. I doubled mine (I got one of those massive full fillets of salmon and let everyone cut their own portions when they served up their plates).

Source: Cooking Light Weeknight cookbook, published 2007.

Potato-Wrapped Salmon

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes, peeled, and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (1 pound) salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
Butter flavored nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a colander; toss with the lemon juice and salt. Let stand until the potatoes are soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Tear off four 12" squares of wax paper and spray with butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray. Shingle all but four of the potato slices horizontally to form a 5x9" rectangle on each square; spray the potatoes with the butter-flavored spray. Place the salmon lengthwise over the potatoes; spread the salmon with the mustard. Lift the right side of the wax paper and fold it over the salmon, covering it with the potatoes; lightly press the paper to help the potatoes adhere to the fish and peel back the wax paper. Repeat with the left side of the wax paper. Lay the remaining potato slices over the seam where the shingled potatoes meet; brush with the butter. With a spatula, carefully transfer to the baking sheet; turning the bundles over so the side with the additional potato slice is down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate so the potatoes set, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the broiler; spray the potatoes with the butter-flavored spray. Broil 6" from the heat until the potatoes are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per side.

Notes: This sounds way more complicated than it actually is. In reality, it's really fun to shingle and layer those potato slices together so that you can create a wrapping for the salmon made out of potatoes. Plus, it's so yummy!

Source: My mom and I made this recipe for the first time about 15 years ago. I have no idea where she got it from. I'll have to ask!


Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz smoked salmon
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cream
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives, plus extra for garnish
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
12 oz fettuccine (you can use linguine instead, if you prefer)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

Cut the smoked salmon into bite-sized pieces and the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and stir over low heat for 30 seconds. Add the cream, chives, mustard powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until the sauce begins to thicken.

Add the salmon and lemon juice to the pan and stir to combine. Heat gently.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the fettuccine in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pan. Toss the sauce through the hot pasta. Serve immediately topped with the sun-dried tomato, Parmesan, and chives.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information:

640 calories, 90 mg cholesterol, 5 g dietary fiber, 70 g carbohydrate, 30 g fat, 20 g protein.

Notes: Sorry, this is by no stretch of the imagination a low calorie meal!

Source: The Essential Pasta Cookbook, published 1998.