Grilled Salmon with Chorizo and Fingerlings

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3/4 pound fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces Spanish chorizo sausage, diced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 3 minutes or until shallots are tender. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, potatoes, and chorizo; bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add spinach to pan; cover. Remove from heat; stir to combine. Keep warm.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and paprika evenly over fillets. Lightly coat fillets with cooking spray; arrange fillets in a single layer, skin side up, on grill rack. Grill 2 minutes. Rotate fillets a quarter turn on the same side; grill 3 minutes or until well marked. Turn fillets over; grill 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

4. Place 1 fillet in each of 4 shallow bowls; ladle 3/4 cup potato mixture over fish. Drizzle 3/4 teaspoon oil over each serving.

Comments:
I (of course) didn't have any of the salmon, but the potato/chorizo/spinach part of the dish was wonderful. The broth thickens into a great sauce and the chorizo gives it just the right amount of spicy undertone. Adam said the salmon was good too.

Southwestern Salmon

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
dash hot red pepper sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2-3/4 pound salmon steak
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

Directions:
1. In a food processor, combine the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper sauce, and water; puree. Transfer to a large zip-top plastic bag; add the salmon. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air; turn to coat the salmon. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange the bell peppers in a single layer in the pan. Bake, turning once, 20 minutes.

3. Drain the salmon; discard the marinade. Place the salmon ono top of the peppers. Bake until the fish is just opaque in the center, 5-6 minutes per side.

Serves 2. POINTS Value per serving: 6

Comments:
I had actually gotten cilantro for this since I had no intention of eating it. But it got bumped and the cilantro had gone too far downhill to use. So I skipped the food processor step and just threw the spices, lime, hot sauce, and water in a ziploc and marinated the salmon that way.

Adam had little to say. I asked if it was good, he said yes. No elaboration. Men...

Sizzling Salmon and Spinach Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

SALAD:
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake or button mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
8 cups baby spinach
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup red bell pepper strips

Directions:
Preheat broiler.

To prepare dressing, combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, and stir well with a whisk.

To prepare salad, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 1 cup onions; sauté 8 minutes. Stir in corn; remove from heat.

Place the fish on a foil-lined baking sheet; brush evenly with 1 teaspoon oil. Broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Place 2 cups spinach on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1/2 cup mushroom mixture, and 1 fillet. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons dressing over each salad.

Comments:
There is A LOT going on in this one. All kinds of veggies, fish, a dressing. It comes together pretty easily, but I still had to have Adam check the fish. I never know when it's done. He liked all the different flavors that come together. I, of course, didn't eat this. I had this lentil soup instead (also meatless, not fishy.) I always make a big batch and freeze it. Yum.

Salmon Delight Burgers

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Salt
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 pound salmon fillet, skinned
3 large eggs, 2 hard-boiled and sliced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 brioche rolls, split and toasted
1 bunch baby spinach (about 2 cups)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and mint; season with salt. In a medium bowl, add the cucumber and sprinkle with salt; let stand for 15 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

2. Meanwhile, slice the salmon lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips, cut in half crosswise, then cut into ¼-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, beat the raw egg with ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in the salmon.

3. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the salmon mixture in 4 mounds; gently press to form 4 patties. Cook, turning once, for 6 minutes.

4. Place a salmon patty on each roll bottom; top with 2 tablespoons yogurt-mint sauce, some cucumber, sliced hard-boiled egg, spinach and a roll top.

Comments:
I left out the yogurt-mint sauce since Adam didn't want it. I also tried to halve this since I wasn't going to eat it, but I ended up with a lot less salmon meat than I thought I would after I skinned it so the burger itself ended up very eggy. I even drained a lot of the egg off through my fingers as I put the meat in the pan to cook, but it still ended up kind of sad-looking. Oh well. He ate it. Even though I screwed up the hard-boiled egg thing again. It's kind of pathetic that I can't get an egg to a decent hard-boiled state. I suppose if I liked them I'd have more of an incentive to figure it out...

Planked Salmon

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1 cedar plank
Grapeseed oil
3 1/2 pounds salmon filet
lemon juice
8 juniper berries
salt & pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Soak the plank in water. When thoroughly soaked, lightly oil the side on which the salmon will lay. Set the salmon on the plank. Sprinkle with lemon juice and press the juniper berries into the flesh at intervals. Add salt, pepper, and lemon slices.

2. Place the plank over indirect heat on a hot grill and close the lid. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the salmon begins to flake.

Comments:
We got the plank at Harry and David and the directions on the package said to soak for 1 to 4 hours. We let it sit in the sink for about 75 minutes and it worked fine. We got the juniper berries at Penzey's. They were a lot cheaper than I expected, so yay! It took quite a bit longer to cook than indicated in the directions, but that might have been a grill heating error rather than a recipe error. I don't know. I didn't cook it. Adam said it was very moist and ate it all up.

I'm still not altogether happy with this cookbook. The recipes are alright, but the way they're written is strange and not at all appropriate for anyone not familiar with or comfortable in the kitchen. And the mayo thing. Ew. There are a few more recipes still to try out from it, but I might shelve it after that. There has to be something better out there.

Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone Stuffed Pita Pockets

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
2 whole wheat pita pockets
2 thin slices of red onion
2 thin slices of lemon, seeded
1/8 pound smoked salmon
1/8 pound mascarpone cheese, sliced
1 tsp green peppercorns, packed in brine
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using half of each ingredient, stuff the pockets with onion, lemon, salmon, cheese, and peppercorns.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pita is golden and the filling is hot.

Comments:
Yeah. So. I obviously didn't follow this recipe too well. I mean, look at the picture! I had whole wheat pita pockets. But when I went to use them they had started to grow green stuff. So I subbed a sub. Other than that I think I did ok following the recipe. I made it kind of like the ham and cheese sandwiches we like. This was for Adam (of course) and he appeared to like it.