They had whole, gutted and gilled salmon available at the grocery store here yesterday. They looked beautiful and fresh. And, notably, were about half the price per unit mass as the salmon fillets. So, given that, I figured I might as well just get a whole salmon and figure out how to cook it for dinner.

I did a mash-up of two different recipes for it. For cooking instructions, I followed a Jamie Oliver recipe that I found online. But I used the seasoning and side veggies from one of the Dish of the Day recipes. That one called for braising salmon fillets in a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock and then serving it with sautéed asparagus, leeks, and peas. For mine, I baked the salmon (and potatoes) as per Jamie Oliver, but stuffed it with leeks and lemon and then more-or-less braised the veggies to serve with it. It worked out quite well and we were all very happy with the results and looking forward to the leftovers tonight!

Roasted Whole Salmon with Potatoes and Spring Vegetables

Adapted from Jamie Oliver and Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 whole gutted and gilled salmon (~2kg)
• 1-2kg potatoes, sliced ~5mm thick
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 leeks, divided
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or 1 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 2-3 Tbsp. oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 500g asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 2 c. fresh or frozen green peas

Directions

1. If the salmon still has its scales, you will want to descale it. This is a messy process. Put down some towels or paper and be prepared for scales to go flying everywhere. Drag the back of a knife from tail to head at a 45° angle. Repeat all over the fish until you've removed as many scales as possible. Rinse the fish and your knife and do another pass or two until it feels like all of the scales have been removed.
2. Rinse the fish again, then dry thoroughly with a towel. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and oil a large roasting pan.
4. Add the potatoes and onion to the pan, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Rub the fish all over with the remaining oil and place it on top of the potatoes.
6. Trim the leeks, halve lengthwise, wash very well, and slice.
7. Zest the lemon.
8. Combine the lemon zest with half of the leeks, 4-5 tsp. of the chives, 2 tsp. of the tarragon, and a bit of salt and pepper and toss to combine.
9. Stuff as much of the leek mixture as possible into the salmon. Allow any excess stuffing to spill out onto the potatoes.
10. Slice the lemon and stuff some of the slices into the fish.
11. Make a few gashes in the skin of the fish.
12. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over it, making sure to get some into the gashes.
13. Place any remaining slices of lemon on top of the salmon (preferably over the gashes if possible).
14. Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
15. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30 minutes.
16. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
17. Add the remaining leeks and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes).
18. Add the asparagus and cook for another minute or so.
19. Add the wine, stock, remaining tarragon, remaining chives, and salt and pepper to taste; cover; and cook for 2-3 minutes.
20. Add the peas and cook until vegetables are heated through and just tender (another 2-3 minutes).
21. Serve the salmon and potatoes with the vegetables on the side.

I haven't been buying fish lately because it's failed to be on sale. But it's been a while since we've had any and I felt like we were overdue, so I got a bit of salmon anyway. It went nicely with the soup. And the fried chickpeas that I did as a side dish actually made nice "croutons" for it.

Zucchini Soup with Roasted Salmon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 680g salmon fillets
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 900g zucchini, chopped
• 2 c. vegetable stock
• 30-40g pecorino romano, grated
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

1. Brush salmon with a little of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil over medium heat.
3. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
4. Add zucchini, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until it begins to soften as well (~4 minutes).
5. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer until zucchini is tender (~15 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast salmon until cooked through (10-12 minutes).
7. When zucchini is tender, use an immersion blender to puré (or process in standard blender jar in batches).
8. Add the cheese and lemon juice and stir to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste.
10. Serve soup topped with salmon and sprinkled with lemon zest.

I'd seen this recipe for salmon cakes as I was flipping through my cookbooks before. So when I saw a package of discount salmon off-cuts at the grocery store, I figured they'd be perfect for this. You can, of course, use a salmon fillet or something (as the recipe indicates). But, since you're going to be grinding it up anyway, I don't see any compelling reason not to use scraps and smaller pieces if that's what you have available.

These patties worked out quite well and were nice served over rice with a little soy sauce. Not a favourite for me, I think, but good nonetheless. I think they'd go particularly well with some braised bok choy, but stir-fried mixed veggies, steamed broccoli, or just about any other vegetable side will also work.

Salmon Cakes

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 450g salmon fillet (or salmon scraps), chopped
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
• soy sauce, to serve
• sriracha or sambal olek, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the ginger, green onions, and garlic in a food processor (or blender with "chop" setting). Process until finely chopped.
2. Sprinkle the salmon with the cornstarch and add it to the food processor along with the egg white, fish sauce, and salt. Process until coarsely ground. Do not over-process!
3. Divide the mixture into 4-8 equal portions (depending on how large you want your patties/cakes) and shape each into a disc.
4. If desired, cover and chill for 10-15 minutes to firm the patties up slightly.
5. Heat the oil over medium heat.
6. Add the patties and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through (~3 minutes per side).
7. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8. Serve over rice and top with soy sauce and hot sauce, passing lime wedges at the table.

The slaw for this meal is meant to be made with red cabbage, but I only had green cabbage on hand, so I just used that. It was still delicious, so I don't think it suffered any for the substitution.

Blackened Salmon Tacos with Slaw, Avocado, and Grapefruit

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2020

Ingredients

• 2 c. thinly sliced cabbage
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 skin-on salmon fillets (~170g each)
• 2 Tbsp. blackening seasoning
• 12 small (15cm) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 avocado, halved and sliced
• 1 grapefruit, segmented
• hot sauce, to serve
• extra sour cream, to serve

Directions

1. If desired, zest the lime and mix the lime zest into the sour cream before proceeding with the recipe.
2. Combine cabbage, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
3. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the broiler.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat.
5. Sprinkle salmon fillets with ~1/2 Tbsp. of blackening seasoning each and place, skin-side-down on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Broil on upper rack until well-browned (~6 minutes).
7. Move sheet to lower rack and cook until salmon is cooked through (~8 more minutes).
8. Gently flake the salmon with a fork. Discard the skins (or save for another use).
9. Top each tortilla with some salmon, a little slaw, sliced avocado, grapefruit segments, sour cream, and hot sauce as desired.
10. Serve with remaining slaw on the side.

This was really tasty! I'm no stranger to shrimp alfredo but I think the addition of the salmon and bell peppers really elevates it. The original recipe calls for baking the salmon and peppers in the oven; I did them in the skillet, which makes things take longer (since you can't parallelize) but also results in having fewer dishes to do, and lets you incorporate the salmon juices into the sauce.

This was a two-person recipe, but I got three fairly generous portions out of it and I think with a robust side dish it would comfortably serve four, so I've written it up as is.

Linguine with Creamy Salmon-Shrimp Sauce

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 250g salmon filets, skin on
• 250g shrimp, peeled (tails permitted but optional)
• 250g fresh linguine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, cut into 1cm half-length strips
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 120mL heavy cream + 120mL milk (or 240mL half-and-half)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• zest of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add 1 tsp oil and the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp.
3. While peppers are cooking, combine lemon zest, half the parsley, half the garlic, chili flakes, and ½ tbsp oil in a small bowl.
4. Push peppers to the edges of the skillet. Add salmon and pour parsley-garlic mix overtop. Cover and cook until cooked through.
5. Break apart salmon into flakes, remove salmon and bell peppers from pan, and buffer.
6. Reduce heat to medium. Add shrimp, 1 tsp oil, and remaining garlic.
7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink all over and just cooked through; remove and buffer.
8. Add butter and onion to the pan. Cook until softened, 5-6 minutes.
9. Add flour and stir until well coated, ~30 seconds.
10. Add cream and milk and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened and gently simmering. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Return salmon, bell pepper, shrimp, and accumulated juices to the pan and continue simmering on low heat.
12. Cook the pasta, then add to the skillet and toss with the sauce.

This was hit and miss. I kinda felt like the salmon with pemegranate was two great tastes that don't taste very good together, although I liked the salad. Symbol liked both, at least.

Glazed Salmon with Black-Eyed Peas, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Cook's Country October/November 2020 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 450g cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 120mL pomegranate seeds
• 120mL hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
• 120mL fresh parsley and/or cilantro, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 30+30mL pomegranate molasses, divided
• 1½ tbsp + ½ tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅛+½ tsp salt, divided
• ¼+½ tsp pepper, divided
• 700-900g of skin-on salmon filets

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine peas, pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, greens, green onions, 30mL of pomegranate molasses, 1½ tbsp of oil, the lemon juice, ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of pepper. Stir together, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and set aside to let flavours meld.
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil or silicone. Arrange salmon, skin side down.
3. Whisk together remaining molasses, oil, salt, and pepper and brush over tops of salmon.
4. Bake at 450°F on the upper middle rack until cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

I was super hungry this evening, so I made myself a quick salmon salad to top me up so I wouldn't go to bed hungry. I used frozen "spaghetti mix" as a shortcut to avoid needing to chop any veggies. It's a mixture of chopped onion, carrot, celery, and red and green bell pepper.

Quick Salmon Salad

Ingredients

• 200g canned salmon, drained
• 1/3-1/2 c. frozen "spaghetti mix"
• 2 dill pickles, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. 1/2-fat mayo
• 2 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill, optional

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Serve on cucumber slices or over chopped salad. For a slightly less healthy take, serve on bread or crackers.

Cream Cheese Spread

I grabbed some rosemary in the last produce basket we got. I keep running into recipes that call for fresh rosemary and I either have to substitute dried or punt on them because they really seem to hinge on the fresh rosemary. This wasn't one of the recipes I'd had in mind when I got the rosemary, but it looked tasty and I had a lot of cream cheese to use up, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I'm really pleased with the result. And TF and the Kidlet both seem to like it as well. I'd love to try to other flavours sometime as well. The olive and scallion really sings to me and I think the Kidlet would be very enthusiastic about the cinnamon and brown sugar version. And, of course, I think everyone would like the smoked salmon and chive one!

Honey and Rosemary Cream Cheese Spread

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2019

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Combine everything and mix well.¹
2. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

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Variations

Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley²
• 1/4 c. fresh basil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic

Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 60g sliced cold-smoked salmon³
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Olive and Scallion Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 180g cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, patted dry
• 2 tsp. olive brine
• 4 scallions, minced

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¹ Cook's Country says to use a food processor, but I managed just fine with a spoon. Just make sure your cream cheese is good and soft so you can mix it easily. ^Back
2 If you're using a food processor, you can just put the leaves into it whole. If you're mixing by hand, you'll need to mince them very fine first. ^Back
3 For use in a food processor, just tear it into chunks (4-5cm is fine). If mixing by hand, mince as finely as possible before adding it to the cream cheese. ^Back

I haven't been writing up a lot of the Hello Fresh recipes, largely because most of them are repeats of recipes we already have with minor variations. This one was new, though, and also a huge hit with everyone, and a nice dinner (or brunch!) on a cold winter day.

We had some extra coconut milk in the fridge, so we replaced some of the water in the recipe with additional coconut milk, making it a roughly 1:1 ratio for the same total volume. I've written it up without this modification.

Salmon Coconut Soup

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 340g carrots, peeled, bisected lengthwise, and cut into 5mm half-moons
• 340g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 10cm cubes
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 C "red curry base"¹
• 1-2 red Thai chilis, finely chopped
• 500g salmon filets, skin on
• 200mL coconut milk
• 750mL water
• ½ tsp salt
• 450g bok choi, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, and oil to a large pot.
2. Cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 5-10 minutes.
3. Add curry base and chilis. Cook, stirring, until coated and fragrant, ~30 seconds.
4. Add coconut milk, water, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Add salmon. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, until salmon is cooked through, ~5 minutes.
6. Stir in bok choi and cook until wilted.

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¹ This is not the same as red curry paste; symbol suspects it to be red curry paste diluted with fish sauce and possibly other liquids and aromatics. This is sometimes sold as "red curry paste" in grocery stores, but has a lighter colour and consistency and is meant to be used by the cup rather than the teaspoon. ^Back

I picked up some smoked salmon on sale a little while back, tossed it in the freezer, and kind of forgot about it. I recently remembered it existed and figured I'd give this salmon tart a go. I was dubious about using cucumbers in a cooked pie, but it actually worked really well! I love the cream cheese in the custard.

Scottish Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Cream Cheese Tart

Slightly adapted from the Book of Old Tarts by Elizabeth Hoder

Ingredients

• 175g shortcrust pastry
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g smoked salmon, broken into large pieces
• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 150mL heavy (35%) cream
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill¹
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp. peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Line a shallow 25cm (10") tart tin² with the pastry and blind bake it³.
2. Toss cucumber with salt, place in colander, and place a plate and a heavy object on top. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
3. Pat cucumber dry and toss with salmon.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
5. Blend cream cheese, eggs, egg yolk, cream, chives, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper.
6. Place cucumber-salmon mixture in pie crust.
7. Pour the cheese mixutre over the filling.
8. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30 minutes.
9. Serve warm or cold with vegetable side of your choice.

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¹ I didn't have any fresh dill, so I ended up using an extra 2 Tbsp. of chives + 1/2 tsp. of ground dill seeds. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for a 9" tart tin, but I've had issues with having too much filling for pies in this book before, so I decided to go up one tin size. ^Back
3 Line with parchment paper and fill with pie beans and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then remove paper and beans, prick with a fork, and brush with egg white, then return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. ^Back

This came out really well. The fish was excellent. The sauce was delicious. The real star of the show though was the masala. It was incredible!

I thought we'd made pretty much all the masalas in the book at this point, so I was surprised to see one that I didn't recognize called for in this recipe. I was even more surprised to find that it was a wet masala. It is a delicious, pungent mix of vinegar, chilies, and spices and I love it!

As much as I loved this mix, I think TF felt even more strongly about it. She took to spreading it on toast (and pretty much anything else that didn't run away fast enough). Now that we've restocked on dried chilies, I've promised to mix up another batch for her so that she can continue putting it on and in absolutely everything.

Even if you don't end up making this curry, I highly recommend trying to the masala as either a condiment or ingredient in other dishes.

Poached Salmon with Scallions and Tomato

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 650g salmon fillets (preferably with skin on)
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. balchao masala
• 3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• 15 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Sprinkle the turmeric over the skinless side of the salmon, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Combine coconut milk, masala, salt, and currly leaves and set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add the salmon, flesh-side-down and cook for 2-4 minutes.
5. Flip and sear the skin side for 1-2 minutes.
6. Stir the coconut milk mixture and pour it over the fish and bring to a boil.
7. Place the tomatoes and scallions over the fish.
8. Cook, uncovered, occasionally tilting the pan and basting the fish for another 5-8 minutes.
9. Serve with rice/your favourite pulao.

This was my first experience with both roulades and watercress. I think there will likely be more roulades in my future! They're a bit finicky to put together, but it makes for a really fun presentation.

Making the roulade base wasn't too difficult, but I found handling it once baked a bit tricky. It was extremely soft and delicate and I was constantly tearing it while trying to spread the cream cheese. I would recommend you make sure the cream cheese is very soft before trying to spread it. I think I'd be tempted to try to loosen it with a tablespoon or two of sour cream next time, just to make it a little easier to spread. Using a butter knife rather than a flexible spatula also helped.

The other thing to watch out for is the greasing. If you don't grease everything very, very well it will stick. My roulade base turned out of the pan beautifully, but it seems that I didn't grease the paper that I turned it out onto well enough and it stuck to that quite a bit when the time came to roll it up. Grease everything. And then grease it a bit more!

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, and Watercress Roulade

From The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
• 1-2 Tbsp. sour cream (optional)
• 1 recipe Basic Roulade, made without cheese, cooled
• 2 c. chopped watercress
• 250g smoked salmon, chopped¹
• 1/2 c. finely chopped cucumber²
• 2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and chopped

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, chives, dill, and sour cream (if using) and beat with a wooden spoon until light.
2. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the roulade leaving a 1cm (~1/2") border around the edges.
3. Top evenly with watercress followed by salmon, cucumber, and capers.
4. Gently roll up the roulade from the long edge. Use the parchment paper to help lift and roll it rather than trying to touch the roulade itself. Keep a spatula handy to help release the roulade from the paper in any spots where it might be sticking.
5. Cut into thick slices and serve.

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¹ Only just now realized that I totally forgot to chop the salmon. I just laid big ol' strips on the roulade and rolled it up! Simmons notes that chopping the salmon before adding it to the roulade makes the finished roll easier to slice. Good to know. ^Back
2 This was fine, but I'd be tempted to bump it up to 3/4 c. next time. ^Back

My dinner plans fell through the other day, so I had to come up with an emergency back-up plan on short notice. Since Woks of Life is apparently my new favourite "cookbook", I turned to them for ideas. I was looking for something fish-y that would come together relatively quickly and easily and this salmon recipe seemed to fit the bill.

Sadly I didn't have any skin-on salmon to use for this. I'm not entirely sure it was even salmon; I think it might've been rainbow trout. Obviously this means I wasn't able to replicate the crispy skin component of the recipe, but I think it worked out well otherwise. And the Kidlet loved it!

Scallion-Ginger Salmon

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. oil, divided
• 450g salmon filets, preferably with skin on
• 1/2 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. julienned ginger
• 3 scallions, julienned
• 1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Place a heavy (preferably cast iron) pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add 2 Tbsp. oil.
3. Place salmon (skin-side down if skin-on) in the pan and cook for 4-7 minutes (depends on thickness of your filets).
4. Flip and cook for another 4-7 minutes on the other side. Don't fuss with them, just let them brown.
5. Meanwhile, combine the water, soy sauce, suar, and sesame oil and set aside.
6. Once the salmon is cooked through, transfer it to a plate.
7. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
8. Add the ginger and fry until crisp.
9. Add the scallions and fry until wilted.
10. Stir in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
11. Remove from heat.
12. To serve, place salmon over rice and top with sauce.

One more Hello Fresh. This was, unsurprisingly, a hit with the Kidlet, who likes absolutely everything in it.

Cornmeal-crusted Salmon with Green Beans & Potatoes

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 720g potatoes, sliced into 5mm rounds
• 120mL cornmeal
• 30+90mL mayonnaise, divided
  
• ~500g salmon filets, boneless
• 340 green beans, trimmed
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 180mL sour cream
• 30mL white wine vinegar
• 15g dill, finely chopped
  
• 15g parsley, finely chopped
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss potatoes with 30mL oil. Season with salt and pepper, and bake until golden-brown, 25-30 minutes.
3. Combine cornmeal with 2.5mL salt and 5mL pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Brush salmon with mayo 30mL and then dredge in cornmeal.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add 30mL oil, 60mL water, green beans, garlic, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 6-7 minutes. Remove and buffer.
7. Reduce heat to medium, add another 30mL of oil, and cook salmon until golden-brown and cooked through, ~4-5 minutes/side.
8. Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, parsley, dill, and remaining mayo in a small bowl.
9. Serve with mayo on the side as dipping sauce, or drizzled over fish and potatoes.
   

This Cook's Country recipe card was a huge hit! We made a half batch (for the amount of fish we had) and most of it vanished into the Kidlet. It came together really easily, too. As written it calls for salmon, but we had trout and that also worked fine. 

We made a half batch, which was enough for dinner for all of us + leftovers for the Kidlet's lunch the next day. That's the version I've written up, but if you want to scale it back up to the original, just double all quantities.

Pan-Seared Trout with Curried Couscous

Cook's Country, FIXME which issue, recipe card p??

Ingredients

• 180mL vegetable broth
• 15mL olive oil
• 7.5mL Madras Curry Powder
• 120mL instant couscous
• 240mL cooked chickpeas (half a large tin, or 120mL dried)
• 120mL chopped spinach
• 2 (180-220g) skin-on trout filets
• cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Combine broth, oil, and curry powder in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous, and cover for five minutes.
3. Stir in chickpeas and couscous.
4. Meanwhile, dust the trout with cayenne powder to taste (2.5mL/filet is a good amount) and salt.
5. Cook trout, skin side down, over medium-high heat until the skin is crispy and the fat has rendered, ~7 minutes.
6. Flip over and continue cooking until cooked through, 5-7 minutes.

I've been trying to reduce my meat intake in general. I do still allow myself some every once in a while though. And TF was craving fish this week so I figured this would be a good opportunity to try one of the slow-roasted salmon recipes from last month's Cook's Country.

I'm really happy with how this came out. I takes time. You need at least an hour to roast it. But there's almost zero prep work involved. It's extremely easy to throw together and doesn't take that many ingredients either. So, assuming you can afford a giant slab of salmon and have the time to roast it low and slow, this is a great easy dinner option. I served it with a Pan-Roasted Pear Salad, Sweet Potato Crunch, and a freshly baked Cottage Herb Loaf for a very satisfying dinner.

Terrible photo of delicious fish.

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Garlic and Dill

From Cook's Country October/November 2019

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1 tsp. dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 (~1.1kg) centre-cut salmon fillet
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, mustard, and garlic and mix well.
2. Rub sugar mixture all over salmon.
3. Place salmon in a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish and roast at 120°C (250°F) for ~1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, combine olive oil, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl.
5. Once salmon is done roasting, remove from oven and immediately pour oil mixture over the fish. Let stand for 5 minutes.
6. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

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Variations

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Chives and Lemon

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 (~1.1kg) centre-cut salmon fillet
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Parsley and Cayenne

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 (~1.1kg) centre-cut salmon fillet
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice