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Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs

Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs

Yield: 5-6 Skewers
Mediterranean Dish

Salmon kabobs prepared Mediterranean-style with a garlicky, zesty marinade, zucchini and onions! Grilled, broiled or grill pan. Serve these with your favorite Mediterranean salads and sides and a little Tahini sauce or Tzatziki and some pita or naan.

Note: If you don’t like spicy, just use sweet paprika in the marinade.

  • lb salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch to 2-inch cubes
  • 1zucchini, sliced into rounds
  • 1small red onion, cut into squares/chunks
  • optional: green pepper, cut into chunks.
  • Kosher salt and pepper

For marinade:

  • ¼-⅓cup olive oil
  • 1lemon, zested and juiced
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 2tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2tsp dry oregano
  • 1tsp ground cumin
  • 1tsp mild Aleppo chili pepper (substitute: 1 tsp sweet paprika and a healthy pinch of cayenne)
  • ½tsp ground coriander


Marinate salmon:

In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, thyme, cumin, Aleppo pepper and coriander.

Place salmon pieces, zucchini and onions in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss briefly. Now pour the marinade over the salmon and toss again to make sure the salmon is well coated with the marinade. Let the fish marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes (see Cook’s Tip)

Build skewers:

Note: Skip the skewers for indoor cooking. Just broil (see below) or sauté in a large heavy skillet.

Beginning with salmon, thread salmon, zucchini and onions through skewers (if using wooden skewers, be sure to have soaked them for 30 minutes before using.)

Heat an outdoor grill (indoor grilling instructions in notes). Arrange salmon skewers on top and cover the grill. Grill salmon kabobs for 6 to 8 minutes, covered, or until the fish is opaque throughout, turning once midway through cooking (using tongs is the best way to turn the salmon skewers)

Cook’s tips:

The marinade packs the salmon with tons of flavor and acts as a brine to help keep it from drying out. If you want to give the salmon a little more time in the marinade for even more flavor, cover and refrigerate for one hour or so before grilling.

Indoor grilling instructions: brush a griddle or grill pan with a little bit of olive oil and heat on medium. Arrange the salmon kabobs in one layer (do this in batches if needed and do not crowd the kabobs). Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on side, turn over once and cook for another 4 minutes or so. If you like, you can cover them for even cooking.

Broiling instructions: Heat oven broiler. Line a quarter or half sheet pan with foil or Silpat for ease of cleaning. Add a baking rack to the pan and spray with cooking spray. Arrange salmon skewers on top of the baking rack and place about 5 to 6 inches below broiler. Cook on one side for 4 to 5 minutes, turn over and cook another 4 minute or so or until fish is opaque throughout.

Skewer less Broiling instructions: Heat oven broiler. Line a quarter or half sheet pan with foil or Silpat for ease of cleaning. Add a baking rack to the pan and spray with cooking spray. Arrange vegetables on one end of the top of the baking rack and place about 5 to 6 inches below broiler. Cook on one side for 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from broiler. Add salmon to other end of pan and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from broiler again and turn everything over. Broil for another 4 to 5 minutes or so or until fish is opaque throughout.

Teriyaki Ginger-Glazed Salmon

Teriyaki Ginger-Glazed Salmon

with Vegetables and Israeli Couscous

Yield: 2 Servings

Adapted from: Nigel Palmer / Home Chef

A subtle kick of ginger mixed with teriyaki glaze is the perfect complement to this tender salmon fillet. Served with sautéed vegetables and Israeli Couscous garnished with toasted pine nuts.

Salmon:

  • 2oz teriyaki glaze
  • 26-8-oz salmon fillets

Vegetables:

  • 1TBS ginger, minced
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 2green onions
  • 8oz carrots
  • 4oz snow pea pods
  • 1red Fresno chili or Jalapeno pepper
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • cooking spray

Couscous:

  • ¾cup Israeli couscous
  • ½TBS butter
  • 1shallot, minced
  • ¾cup chicken broth
  • salt, pinch
  • cup pine nuts (about 3½ oz), toasted (optional)
  • pepper


Prepare the Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

If using any fresh produce, thoroughly rinse and pat dry.

Prepare a quarter sheet pan with foil and cooking spray, silpat or parchment.

Peel, trim, and cut carrot on an angle into ¼” slices.

Peel string from snow pea pods. If large, cut diagonally.

Trim and slice white portions of green onions into 1″ pieces.

Thinly slice remaining green onions on an angle. Keep white and green portions separate.

Stem, seed, and slice red Fresno chili into thin rounds. Retain seeds for more spice. Wash hands and cutting board after working with chili.

Mince garlic.

Make Glaze and Prepare Salmon:

Combine teriyaki glaze, ginger and garlic in a mixing bowl. Put half of glaze in a second bowl.

Pat salmon fillets dry, and season flesh side with a pinch of pepper.

Sear and Bake the Salmon:

Place a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and salmon, skin side up, to hot pan. Sear on one side until golden-brown, 2-4 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and flip salmon so it is skin side down. Transfer salmon to sheet pan and brush or spoon glaze mixture from bowl onto salmon. Roast in hot oven until salmon is firm and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 140°F, 7-10 minutes.

Start the couscous:
Melt 1 TBS butter in a 1-quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add minced shallot and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes.
Add couscous and stir until couscous browns slightly, stirring often, 3 – 5 minutes.  Pay careful attention as the shallots will burn.
Add broth and pinch of salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Start the Vegetables:
Return pan used to sear salmon to medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and carrot to hot pan and stir occasionally until lightly browned and starting to soften, 4-5 minutes.

Finish Vegetables:  
Add white portions of green onions to pan and stir occasionally, 2 minutes. Add remaining ginger and garlic, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. Add snow pea pods. Stir often until vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp, 3-4 minutes.

Finish Dish and serve:
Plate dish as pictured, topping salmon with glaze mixture from second bowl and garnishing vegetables with red Fresno rounds (to taste) and couscous with black pepper and entire dish with green portions of green onions. Bon appétit!

Crispy-Skin Salmon

Crispy-Skin Salmon

Yield: x Servings
Adapted from many

There seem to be a bunch of techniques for crispy-skin salmon. This is a combination of my favorites. Timing on cooking salmon varies with the thickness and how you like it cooked. I like all fish cooked through. If you lean towards warm bait, reduce the times to the minimums.

  • 2TBS vegetable oil, divided
  • 6-oz skin-on salmon fillets
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3TBS butter

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the oil and swirl pan to coat bottom. Let sit until oil starts to shimmer.

Thoroughly dry salmon with paper towel. Season flesh side of salmon with salt and pepper.

Place salmon in skillet, skin side down. You can press it lightly if it buckles in the middle. Cook without touching for 5 to 8 minutes (depending on how you like it cooked).

Flip fish over so it is flesh side down and move pan to oven for 3 to 8 minutes (again, depending on how you like it cooked).

Remove pan from oven. Remember, handle is VERY HOT now. Place on burner on medium heat again and add butter.

Baste fish with butter for a minute or two. Shut off heat or move to cool burner and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve.

Maple-Glazed Salmon With Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Maple-Glazed Salmon With Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Real Simple

I found this recipe when looking for a Salmon and Brussels Sprouts combo. Surprisingly, there are a lot to be found, but very few that looked like they were properly seasoned or cooked. Make sure the Salmon is in equal size pieces, otherwise they won’t cook evenly.

  • 1lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 1large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges, stem ends left intact
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2TBS pure maple syrup
  • 2TBS whole-grain mustard
  • lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

Heat the oven to 450°F, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels Sprouts and onion with the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast on the bottom rack, tossing once, until golden and tender, 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup, mustard, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the salmon on a second rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, then brush it with the maple mixture.

When the vegetables have cooked for 8 minutes, put the salmon on the top rack and roast until opaque throughout, 10 to 14 minutes minutes. The temperature in the center should be 135°F

Serve the salmon with the vegetables.

Salmon en Papillote

Salmon en Papillote

Yield: 2 Servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 1993: I don’t make this often, but I’ve been doing it for a long time. This is a delicious fish and vegetable dish and you can vary the veg for new versions. I have included a simple dish of Sliced Potatoes with Chives below. Both recipes double or triple easily. You’ll get extra practice crimping parchment.  I will get some photos together soon showing the crimping process.

  • 26-8 oz boneless skinless salmon fillets
  • 1leek
  • 2carrots
  • 1medium zucchini
  • ½lb snow pea pods
  • dry white wine
  • vegetable oil
  • salt & black pepper
  • Parchment (baking paper)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.

Cut the base from the leeks and cut the leeks in the green white area. Discard the dark green leaves or save for stock. The remaining leeks should be about four inches long. Cut the leeks vertically in half. Separate the leaves and wash under running water to remove any grit or dirt. Re-stack the leaves and cut in half to make stacks two inches long. Julienne the leaks to form slender match sticks. All the vegetables should be cut to the same size.

Peel the carrots and cut into two inch lengths. Cut lengthwise and julienne to form match sticks the same size as the leeks.

Slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch planks from zucchini lengthwise. Julienne on the diagonal.

Remove the vein from the spine of the pea pods and trim the ends. Julienne the pea pods on a diagonal to the same width as the carrots and leaks.

Cut about a ten inch square of parchment and fold in half to make a 5 by 10 inch rectangle. Fold the open sides over to make about a half inch seam. Open the parchment again and brush a light coating of oil around the edges. This will help seal in the steam when the packages cook. For a fancier presentation, cut the paper into a ten by twenty inch rectangle, fold over to form a 10 by 10 square and cut into a heart shape. Be sure to leave one edge uncut.

In the center of one side of the parchment make a bed of the vegetables, using one quarter of each per package. Place one of the salmon portions on top of each vegetable bed. Pour a tablespoon of white wine over the salmon. Close the other side of the paper over the salmon and re-fold the packages. Fold the paper a couple of times and crimp the edges well to insure a tight seal.

Place the completed papillotes in a shallow sided baking sheet and bake for approximately fifteen minutes.

The papillotes will be very hot when taken from the over. They can be placed on individual plates and opened at the tables or opened in the kitchen and the contents placed on the plates. In either case, you might want to cut a small slit in the edge of each papillote and tip the package to let the excess liquid drain before serving.

Serve with Sliced Potatoes with Chives and a white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

Sliced Potatoes with Chives

Yield: 4 Servings
  • 4medium potatoes
  • water
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2TBS butter
  • 1TBS minced chives

Peel and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in 1 1/2 quart sauce pan. Rinse a couple of times to remove excess starch, then add enough water to the pan to cover by 1/2 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt to pan.

Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to strong simmer. Cook until tender, approximately 12 minutes.

Drain potatoes but keep in sauce pan. Add butter and chives to pan and cover for a few minutes. Carefully stir or swirl to coat and place in serving dish.

Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil

Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil

Yield: 4 Servings
Cafedelites

Summer 2016: This is similar in concept to “en Papillote” preparations, but the foil is a little easier for most people to use. The honey adds a nice sweetness to complement the garlic. You could use this recipe on the grill or on a campfire.

  • ¼cup butter
  • cup honey
  • 4large cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2TBS fresh lemon juice (juice of ½ a lemon)
  • 1-2½lb salmon or whole filet (reduce other ingredients by half for 1 lb.)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Cracked pepper, to taste (optional)
  • Lemon slices (to serve)
  • 2TBS fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking tray / sheet with a large piece of foil, big enough to fold over and seal to create a packet (or 2 long pieces of foil over lapping each other lengthways to create your salmon packet, depending on the width of you fillet).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the honey, garlic and lemon, and whisk until the honey has melted through the butter and the mixture is well combined.

Place the salmon onto lined baking tray | sheet. Pour the butter/honey mixture over the salmon, and using a pastry brush or spoon, spread evenly over the salmon. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt (about 2 teaspoons) and cracked pepper. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon to cover and completely seal the packet closed so the butter does not leak.

Bake until cooked through (about 15-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish and your preference of doneness). Open the foil, being careful of any escaping steam, and grill / broil under the grill / broiler for 2-3 minutes on medium heat to caramelize the top. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with lemon slices.

Salmon With Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Salmon With Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from NY Times http://nyti.ms/1GpVTTn

July 2016: Anchovies? No, never! This recipe convinced me that anchovies add a nice umami complexity to not just this dish, but many others. I have expanded the directions here because the original ones burn the heck out of the garlic. The extra anchovies keep just about forever if embedded in oil in the refrigerator.

  • 3TBS plus 2 TBS unsalted butter, softened
  • 4anchovy fillets, minced
  • 1fat garlic clove, minced (or 2 small ones)
  • ½tsp coarse kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2(6-8 oz) skin-on salmon fillets
  • 2TBS drained capers, patted dry
  • ½lemon
  • Fresh chopped parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, mash together the 3 tablespoons of butter, anchovies, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat to brown the skin, spooning some pan drippings over the top of the fish as it cooks. Add half the anchovy butter mixture and the capers to the pan and transfer to the oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on your version of cooked through.

Remove pan from oven and add remaining anchovy butter to pan to melt. Place salmon on plates and spoon buttery pan sauce over the top. Squeeze the lemon half over the salmon and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.

Salmon Shrimp Scallop Medley

Salmon Shrimp Scallop Medley

Serves: 2 servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 2004: This started out without the couscous. I added it around 2015.

  • 8oz salmon filet, skinned, deboned and cut in half for two servings
  • 6sea scallops, foot removed
  • 616-20 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1scallion / green onion
  • 1cup Israeli couscous
  • ½cup white wine
  • ½cup clam broth / fish stock / water
  • salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. For direct to table serving, heat 10 inch casserole dish in oven.

Blot seafood dry on paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, add wine, clam juice and couscous. Cover and cook to half time on package directions. Remove from heat and remove cover.

For direct to table serving, remove casserole dish from oven and pour couscous mixture into dish.

Place salmon fillets in center of dish/pan on top of couscous. Arrange shrimp and scallops in alternating pattern around edge of dish/pan. Slice scallion and sprinkle on top of seafood.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.