Tag: salmon

Fish

Seared fish with beet, avocado, garbanzo bean and pecan salsa

Belinda

This is so delicious and light! You can use a firm fish like halibut or even better, a fillet of wild salmon works really well with the salsa. It’s very pretty on the plate as the garbanzo beans turn bright pink!

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6 small diced cooked beets (If you roast your own, season them with salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then cover them with foil and roast at 400 F for 1 hr 20 mins or until tender, then peel them, and allow to cool)
1 x 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
8 chopped scallions
¾ cup pecan pieces, toasted in the oven until browned
1 seeded and chopped red chili
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tsp ground roasted cumin
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Put the diced beets into a good-sized bowl. Add the chopped scallions, seeded and chopped red chili, chopped fresh mint, toasted pecans, cumin, lemon juice, balsamic and olive oil.
Mix and season well with salt and pepper. Add more balsamic or lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Season 4 fish fillets and sauté in hot oil over medium high heat on both sides until just done and crispy on the outside then serve on or beside a good dollop of the beet salsa.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

Salmon Rilette

Belinda1 Comment

A fellow Los Angeles food blogger called “The Pasadena Chef” posted this and it is divine!!
If you are talking fish in NYC there is no better restaurant than Le Bernadin. Chef Eric Ripert is a genius and I came across this recipe for his house starter which is served before every meal.

2 cups dry white wine
1 tbsp minced shallots
1 lb fresh boneless, skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 oz smoked salmon, diced
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup a good mayonnaise
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted baguette slices

Combine the white wine and shallots in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes until the shallots are tender. Add the salmon pieces and poach for just 2 – 3 minutes until they are barely opaque.

Remove the salmon pieces from the wine with a slotted spoon and drain them on a baking sheet lined with kitchen towel. Strain the wine reserving the shallots. Place both salmon and shallots together and put into the fridge to cool.

Combine the cooled salmon pieces, shallots, smoked salmon, chives and some mayonnaise and lemon juice and gently fold together

Use the lemon juice and mayonnaise sparingly, so you have just enough to moisten the mixture. It will need salt inspite of the smoked salmon.

Serve cold with the toasted baguette slices. This is lovely served with champagne or a white burgundy

Curry · Fish · Gluten Free

Salmon with coconut sauce on a bed of curried onions and peas

Belinda1 Comment

This may not be the most beautiful picture, but the actual dish was tremendously flavorful and interesting with the different spices.
Although the onions I put underneath the salmon aren’t in this picture, it’s well worth doing instead of rice.

Serves 2

Ingredients
4 -6 tbsp genuine coconut oil, divided  (The healthiest oil there is, available from Wholefoods))
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cardamon seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander, plus 1/2 tsp to season the salmon
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes. (a good quality tinned one is okay)
1 cup coconut milk
salt and ground pepper to season
2 (6 ounce) fillets of wild salmon, skinned

For the onion dish
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
4 large onions
1 cup frozen petit pois, boiled till cooked
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cardamon seeds
salt and pepper

For the sauce
Put 2 tbsp coconut oil into a large skillet over low-med heat then add the ginger.
Saute for 30 seconds and then add the fennel seeds, cardamon seeds, brown mustard seeds and ground coriander and cook for 10 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring well. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

For the onions
Slice the onions fairly thickly. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet to low-med and add the onions, stir frequently and add the turmeric, curry powder, cardamon seeds, and salt and pepper.
Slowly caramelize the onions, stirring for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the peas or petit pois and add them to the onions mixture in the last 5 minutes of the onions’ cooking. The dish will have a nice deep yellow color and be very flavorful with the cardamon seeds.

For the salmon
Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp ground coriander, salt and pepper on both sides of the salmon fillets. Heat the remaining coconut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, sear the salmon fillets on each side for 7 – 8 minutes total or until they are just cooked through.

Plating
Put a large spoonful of the onion mixture on a plate, lay a piece of salmon across them and ladle the sauce over the salmon.

Asian flavors · Fish · Gluten Free · Nuts

Caramel Salmon with Lime (CleanCuisine)

Belinda

This is an unbeatable salad combination of Thai tastes, c/o Jill Duplex, a wonderful Australian cookery book writer. The flavors in this dish are chilli, cilantro, mint, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, all perfect for a piece of delicate, rich salmon.
A really innovative, tasty, complex salad dish for either a main course or a starter.

Serves 4

4 thick salmon fillets, skinned (choose wild salmon, if possible)
200 grams bean sprouts
2 tbsps vegetable oil
50 grams fresh mint leaves, left whole
25 grams cilantro leaves, left whole
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 tbsps salted or dry roasted peanuts, crushed coarsely
1 lime, quartered

Sauce
100 grams soft brown sugar
125 mls water
1 red chilli, finely sliced
3 cm knob of fresh ginger, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
4 tbsps Thai fish sauce
4 tbsps fresh lime juice

To make the sauce, use the ingredients in the “sauce” list only. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring.
Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and let it bubble away to reduce (but do not boil over!) for 4 – 5 minutes until quite syrupy.
Remove from the heat and add the fish sauce and the lime juice.

Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces, about 3cm square and coat lightly in the caramel sauce.
Pour a jug of boiling water over the bean sprouts then drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the salmon quickly until caramelized, keeping the inside pink.

Combine the salmon, mint, coriander, scallions and bean sprouts in a bowl and toss well.
Strain the sauce and keep warm, if necessary, reheat.
Arrange on warmed dinner plates, spoon the warm sauce over the top and scatter with peanuts.

Serve with the lime wedges and plenty of steamed rice.

Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free · Salad

Salmon and Puy Lentil salad with olive dressing

Belinda

This is my favorite light, lunch or supper salad to entertain with. Everybody seems to love it, and again, it’s fairly effortless. As I get older, I seem to gravitate towards the simpler and interesting flavors.

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Serves 4 but can be stretched and doubled so easily. It also only takes 20 minutes to prep.

*Use plenty of seasoning on this salad.

Ingredients for dressing
3/4 good sized cup of pitted Kalamata olives (all these measurements are according to taste)
6 tbsp good olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tbsp small capers

Ingredients for the salad
3/4 – 1lb fine or ordinary green beans
4 eggs
1lb cooked or steamed Puy lentils ( I buy them ready done in a vacuum pack from the supermarket.)
4 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1 not too ripe avocado, chopped fairly large
3/4 lb cold or room temp cooked salmon  flaked into large chunks. (Here, I buy uncooked, skinned wild salmon, season it with salt and lemon pepper, saute it on medium-high heat, taking if off the heat while it’s still fairly “rare” and leaving it to one side till needed)
Good handful of arugula leaves (Rocket)

Chop half the olives (set the rest aside) then mix the chopped olives with the remaining dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Boil the green beans for 5 minutes till just tender, then refresh in cold water. Set aside.
Put the eggs in cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Cool, then shell and halve or quarter. Set aside.

Heat the lentils in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes on high. Tip into a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, most of the dressing, the whole olives and green beans. Toss well and taste for seasoning.

Lay out on a large platter and arrange the egg pieces and salmon on top, scattering with the arugula leaves and finish with the remaining dressing.
Serve with some crusty bread.