Well, my aim is to prepare and write about a new salmon recipe every Sunday. It's a laudable aim but then my aim has never been too good.
This week the Sunday was also my birthday - the launch day. But on the Saturday night my lovely husband and I went to a friend's house where a group of us who regularly do special dinners together were treated to a many course French-inspired meal which, when accompanied by way too much wine, laughter and fun that went until the wee small hours ... well let's just say I think I'm now officially too old for all that fun. Sunday, I was not hungover but we didn't stir from our beds until after noon and the rest of the day was pretty quiet. Never mind, I thought as I tucked myself into bed that night. I'll do it all Monday.
Alas, Papi Alvaro is in the midst of a creative burst and spent all Monday in our home office drawing and painting and since that's where the computer is, while I did cook my salmon meal, there was no blogging.
So here we are...
This week my inspiration was a trip a couple of days ago to the Markt Artisan Deli (and no, I did not spell Market wrong... that's how they spell it) here in Nanaimo. As always, it's a sensory delight and, among other things (like their homemade truffle pate.....OMG... so delicious), I bought some of their Serrano ham and some of their roasted red peppers. Plus this time, the owner, Ryan, offered me a small container of some, well, I'll call it roasted red pepper essence to try (delicious, intense flavour... yummmm and I have to find out how they make it).
I didn't know what I'd do with those things, but I felt that particularly the roasted red peppers would go well with salmon because of the lovely smokey taste.
So, after some deep thought (never comes easy that!) I decided to create panko crusted herb salmon en papillote with sauteed spinach, rice and roasted red pepper sauce.
Apart from being a lovely colourful dish, this is very healthy (unless you count the ham) and, I thought, very tasty. Here's how I made it. I have tried to get measurements and times correct although that's not really how I cook, so you will have to forgive a little vagueness. (Also, I'm going to assume you don't need instructions for cooking rice).
I made the items in this order: Put on the rice, made the red pepper sauce, then the salmon and lastly the spinach, reheating the pepper sauce at the same time.
Herbed Salmon in Papillote
About a pound/450 grams of salmon (I used some previously frozen Sockeye that happened to be on sale
3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
Half an onion, sliced into rings
Sprigs of fresh or dried herbs, chopped. I used fresh thyme, oregano, marjoram and chives as that happens to be what I have growing at the moment. I am sure a lot of different combinations would work well. About a half cup of fresh, quarter cup of dried.
Parchment paper or tin foil
Olive oil
Preheat your oven to 375 F.
Take a sheet of the paper, about twice the size of the salmon piece, fold in half and lay on a tray, opened up to make a bottom and lid.
Lightly brush with oil and lay down your onion slices. Sprinkle about a third of your herbs over that and lay the salmon, skin down, on the herb bed. Sprinkle another third on top and mix the third portion of herbs with your panko and mound that over the top of the salmon, pressing in firmly.
Close the parchment or foil by crimping around the edges to make a fairly air-tight package that leaves a little air space around the fish for steam to collect in to moist cook the fish.
Cook it for about 15 minutes. Our fish was a little thick, so I checked it at 15 and popped it back in for a couple more minutes.
Easy roasted red pepper sauce
Two large pre-roasted red peppers from your local deli if they make their own or from a bottle
1/2 cup liquid - I used a mix of white wine and the roasted red pepper essence, but I think wine alone, water with a splash of lemon or other variations could all taste good.
Add a sprinkle of herbs (whatever echoes what you have used with the salmon)
Whiz up in the blender and pour into a saucepan to heat just before serving.
Sauteed spinach with posh bacon bits
2 paper thin slices of Serrano ham (or Parma or Prosciutto)
4 huge handfuls of fresh spinach (I know, I should have measured more carefully)
Olive oil
Roll your slices of ham lengthwise into tight little rolls and cut into quart-inch pieces
Put into a frying pan (you might want to lightly oil it depending on just how lean or fatty the ham is). Start on a low heat to get some of the fat out of the ham, then turn it up and stir from time to time until the little balls of ham are all crunchy and brown. (Takes about five minutes)
Set aside, and put the spinach into the pan, turning frequently until it's all wilty, then stir the ham bits back in.
To serve, on each plate lay a small bed of rice out and cover with the spinach and bacon. Spread a puddle of your heated up red pepper sauce and lay the salmon in the middle of the sauce. Garnish with a sprig of herbs.
Okay, Alvaro and I ate pretty much all of this food with not a lot left over, but it could certainly serve three less hungry folks or even four if it was one of several courses. It was pretty tasty but here is what I will do differently next time around.
You may have noticed no mention of salt. I'm trying to cut down, but next time I think a tiny sprinkle on the salmon would be a good idea (there's really no point being fanatical about this stuff). Also, for the roasted red pepper sauce, I will add a pinch of brown sugar to enhance the roasted flavour and I might also experiment with a pinch of cayenne or other heat source as I think that would create a slightly bolder flavour. I found with this meal, all the tastes (except the salty ham bits) were subtle. I wanted this so that the salmon would shine, but I think I might have overdone subtle a tad.
So now, I have to start thinking about next week... if nothing else, perusing the web and cookbooks and such for lots of salmon ideas is proving a lot of fun.
If anyone tries this recipe, I'd love to hear how it worked out. Plus ideas for future salmon recipes are always appreciated.
Until next week then ...
Salmon Diva signing off
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