Yes. Another salmon recipe. I can’t help it, I love the stuff. And when you are able to purchase a salmon fillet that looks as gorgeous as this one did, you have no choice but to keep it simple and let the natural delicious salmon flavor shine through. This recipe takes less than 20 minutes, and can be made even more quickly if you make the basil oil the day before.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound salmon fillet, skin still on
Salt and pepper, to taste
Basil oil
1/2 cup fresh basil, firmly packed
1/4 cup olive oil
I had some left over goat cheese from my Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red Peppers and Goat Cheese dish. When I was looking for recipes, I came across this one for Shrimp Tomato Basil Linguine with Warm Goat Cheese Rounds from Cooking Light. I had no clue how seafood and goat cheese would be together, but was willing to find out!
My CSA share came with Swiss chard this week. I wasn’t in the mood to do another leafy green side, so I looked for a recipe that incorporated the Swiss Chard within the main dish. I found this recipe in the Health section of the New York Times and thought it was worth a try.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Swiss chard, stemmed and washed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, finely diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 garlic scapes, thinly sliced
Salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 box of orecchiette
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
To begin, boil a pot of water over high heat. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare your Swiss chard. Add ice water to a bowl. When the water boils, add salt and the Swiss chard.
Boil for 2 minutes and remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water.
Reduce the heat of the leftover boiling water to a simmer. Drain the chard and squeeze the excess water out. Chop the Swiss chard and reserve.
In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the finely chopped peppers and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often.
Bring the pot of water to a boil again. Add the pasta, cooking until al dente as directed on the box. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
In the saute pan, add the garlic scapes and salt, stirring to combine.
When combined, add the chopped Swiss chard and marjoram.
Stir and lower the heat to warm. Add the 1/2 cup of pasta water and stir in the goat cheese.
Add the orecchiette to the mixture and serve.
This was a nice alternative to the normal pasta with tomato sauce. The orecchiette helped catch some of the Swiss chard, peppers, and goat cheese so definitely use this type of pasta or another kind that can catch the ingredients. This made so much pasta, it will also be my lunch tomorrow. I have a feeling this will be better the next time around!
I wanted to challenge myself this weekend, so I decided to try to make paella. I don’t own a paella pan, and I honestly have no idea how to cook paella, so this should be quite the experience. I used a mixture of a recipe from Tyler Florence and one from Cooking Light, keeping my personal taste in mind.
Ingredients:
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons parsley (fresh if you have it)
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cups rice, whatever you have (long, short, doesn’t matter)
2 quarts plus 2 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
2 pounds mussels, debearded and scrubbed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed (optional)
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Begin by cleaning and de-bearding the mussels. I couldn’t handle doing this, so thankfully my boyfriend was willing to help.
That wiry-looking thing on the right side of the mussel, that’s the beard. To remove, pull towards the hinge part of the mussel and tug.
yuck
The beards won’t hurt you if you eat them, but they don’t look particularly appetizing. Scrub the mussels to remove any gook that might be left on them. Discard any mussels that are open or cracked. Do the same with the clams. Put the clams and mussels in a mixture of 2 quarts water and 1/3 cup flour for 20 minutes. This helps to remove any sand that may still be in the mussels and clams.
Add the chicken broth, 2 cups water, 1 cup white wine, clam juice and saffron to a pot over medium heat. Simmer, without boiling, then reduce to low to keep warm.
Heat a tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the cut chorizo in the pan and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onions, garlic and parsley. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes until fragrant.
Add the rice, stirring to coat the rice.
Pour in the saffron broth, simmering for 10 minutes.
Add chorizo, clams and mussels, tucking the clams and mussels into the rice.
Cook for 15 minutes without stirring, until the rice is fluffy and you can smell the rice at the bottom beginning to toast. (This is known as socarrat… paella is supposed to have a toasted bottom.)
Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes (it will be really, really hot). Serve with lemon wedges and peas if desired. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
I have to give myself a little pat on the back for this one (as well as my boyfriend for his wonderful de-bearding skills). Although I was craving a bit more saffron taste, this dish really turned out well overall. It is quite a bit of work, but it produces a whole lot of food, at least 8 servings. As always, don’t eat any clams or mussels that don’t open. A bunch of my clams didn’t open, kind of a bummer. I also think the next time I make this, I would reserve the liquid from the tomatoes and add that in as well for a little extra flavor.
Are you ready for the easiest salmon recipe, perhaps ever? The name says it all: maple-soy glazed salmon. You just use equal parts maple syrup and reduced sodium soy sauce.
Ingredients:
2 pieces of 5 oz salmon fillets, skin on
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine the maple syrup and soy sauce.
Top the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the maple-soy mixture equally over the salmon.
I bought my salmon from a supermarket in Wilmington that inexplicably only had salmon without the skin. What the heck? Normally, I would just grill the salmon, skin side up for 2-3 minutes and then flip the salmon, skin side down and cook until done. Because we had to take into account the whole no-skin issue, we wrapped the salmon in tin foil and popped it on the grill for a good 10 to 15 minutes. (Special thanks to Kevin and Tim for doing the actual grilling part!)
It still turned out great! The sauce caramelizes a bit, adding some sweetness to the salmon. I really wish it could have been straight on the grill to add some charring but it was not to be. Sigh. If anyone gets the chance to actually try it this way, please let me know how it turns out!
I have been really panicking about using all of my CSA ingredients this week. I am headed to the beach next week and can’t stand the idea of these ingredients going to waste! Thankfully, Cooking Light had a recipe that incorporated a lot of the ingredients I received this week.
Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas
Cooking spray
2 portobello caps, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon minced green chilis
1 cup preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onions Fresh Salsa
Sour Cream, optional
Ingredients for the balsamic vinaigrette:
(you’ll have some leftover for a salad later)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 1 garlic scape… came with my CSA share)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
To make the vinaigrette, add the vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl and whisk until the salt dissolves. Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. You can also just add the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine.
Place your tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute and leave in the microwave while preparing the rest of the dish.
Cook your mushrooms in a saute pan coated with cooking spray. If you don’t have cooking spray, use a bit of olive oil, maybe a teaspoon. Saute the mushrooms for 2 minutes, or until tender.
Add the vinaigrette, black beans, onions and green chile. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Mash the mixture slightly. If you have a potato masher, Cooking Light suggests using that. I don’t, so a fork will have to do!
Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto each tortilla.
Divide the cheese equally among the tortillas.
Fold the tortillas in half.
I have a panini grill/griddle, so I used that to cook the quesadillas. If you do not have one, just use the same saute pan you used to make the black bean mixture, just wipe it down well before! Coat with cooking spray and place two quesadillas on the griddle/pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until the cheese is melted. If using a griddle, I cooked them for about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
I was afraid this wouldn’t have much flavor, but the vinaigrette and slight spice from the green chilies added just enough interest without going over the top. I couldn’t get enough of this dish! The salsa was a perfect complement as well. I am definitely adding this to my list of repeat meals.
I have no idea why the concept of a food swap stresses me out so much. But trying to find a recipe for this month was so difficult! I finally found this recipe from a blog called The Bad Girl’s Kitchen; she has a whole section of freezer-friendly meals.
Ingredients (I was making 10 servings):
Salt
2 pounds penne
8 tablespoons olive oil
6 cans of artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
1 medium onion, minced
8 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 8 teaspoons)
Zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds chicken thighs
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
16 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
that’s quite a few ingredients
To cook the pasta, boil water in a pasta pot over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta and cook for 5 minutes (it will be very al dente– they will cook fully in the oven later). Drain pasta in a colander and toss with two tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
Prep your artichokes, onion, and garlic.
In a large pot, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the artichokes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the artichokes are lightly browned (about 10 minutes).
Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, wine, and cream.
Add the chicken and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 160 degrees.
Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. When cooled, shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir the chicken back into the sauce, adding the pasta, peas, 2 cups cheese and lemon juice. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper.
I transferred these into tupperware dishes. I included a freezer bag of cheese and put them in the freezer.
To cook, thaw the meal in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Add to a casserole dish and top with the cheese.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with tarragon and serve.
Whew. I heated up a tiny portion of this, just to make sure it was edible. Well, it was more than edible, it was really quite good! I was impressed with how much flavor was in the dish. Thanks for such a great recipe Bad Girl’s Kitchen!
There was a restaurant near my college that served Sauteed Salmon with a Blackberry Butter Sauce and Red Bliss Potatoes. I loved this dish so much, I’m pretty sure I went once a week to eat it while they offered this dinner.
I had a bunch of raspberries and blackberries left over from the Berry Sangria and Berries with Lemon Mint Syrup, so I thought I’d attempt to recreate the recipe, adapting it into this Sauteed Salmon with Berry Butter Sauce and Roasted Potatoes.
Ingredients for Salmon
2 eight ounce salmon fillets, with the skin still on
My fridge looks like a forest. I kid you not. I have two of my three shelves of my refrigerator filled with leafy greens. I didn’t want to have just a plain old boring salad, so I decided to try this recipe from Cooking Light (April 2006).
Ingredients for chicken:
1/2 cup panko
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders
Cooking spray
Ingredients for salad:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 spring garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1/4 bunch of romaine lettuce
1/4 bunch of red leafy lettuce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To cook chicken, add first 4 ingredients (panko through pepper) to a bowl.
Mix to combine. Add chicken one at a time, tossing to coat. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is done and lightly browned.
To prepare salad, combine vinegar and next 7 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a bowl.
Prepare your lettuce by washing and rinsing the Romaine and red leafy lettuce. Tear with your hands and add to a bowl.
Add halved tomatoes and green onions.
Add vinegar mixture, tossing to coat. Transfer to individual plates and top with the chicken.
Wow. This dressing was fantastic. It has a bit of spice to it without any heat. The chicken was crispy on the outside but really tender on the inside. The original recipe used a clove of garlic instead of spring garlic, but I think the raw mature garlic would be too overpowering. It also called for white wine vinegar, but for some reason I had rice vinegar on hand instead. I will most certainly use this recipe in the future!
I’m still working through my mint and came across this recipe on My Recipes. Chimichurri is normally made with parsley and oregano and is used as a marinade on meat. However, this recipe incorporates mint, making the chimichurri seafood-friendly.
I was so excited to receive mint in my CSA this week. That emotion was quickly replaced by panic, what the heck can I make to actually use up all of this mint? I do have a dessert or two in the mix, but I wanted to include it in some dinners that were a little more rare than lamb with a mint sauce. Naturally, my love of salmon made choosing this recipe a no brainer.
Ingredients:
Lemon zest from one lemon
Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot (about one shallot)
I have quite a bit of parsley from my CSA share. I mistakenly bought a bunch of parsley two days before also, oops. I don’t want to waste it, so I looked for a recipe that included pesto (an easy way to use a lot of parsley). Cooking Light had a great-sounding recipe for salmon skewers with lemon-parsley pesto over orzo.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/8 cup fresh basil leaves
1/8 cup capers, drained
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 smaller garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless salmon fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
2 cups hot cooked orzo
Preheat your grill. Boil water for the orzo and cook as directed on the package. Drain, mix with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and set aside. Combine the first 7 ingredients (up to garlic) in a food processor (I used a magic bullet).
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the mixture and process until smooth.
Not all that smooth..
Set the pesto aside. Cut the salmon into 1 inch pieces.
Thread fish evenly on two skewers. Brush fish with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Coat the grill with cooking spray. Place skewers on grill and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until desired degree of doneness.
Remove from grill and wrap loosely in foil to keep warm. Add orzo to a bowl. Place skewers on orzo and top with the pesto.
Whew. I used way too big of a piece of garlic. Definitely make sure to use one of the smaller ones; you aren’t cooking the garlic so it really retains its flavor. Past my new ability to ward of vampires, the other flavors were really nice. If you have a food processor, I’d suggest using that over a magic bullet. I wish the pesto was a bit more chopped up. I ended up mixing the pesto into the orzo, flaking the salmon, and adding a bit more lemon. Really delicious!
I found a recipe on My Recipes for Seared Scallops with Garlic-Parsley Butter. It even includes my other favorite ingredient: mushrooms. And, even better, the recipe is served over a mashed potato puree! I think they might have written this recipe just for me.
Ingredients:
6 oz of larger sized scallops
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced spring garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 package shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons canned crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Ingredients for Yukon Gold potato puree:
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons whipping cream
Salt and Pepper
Bring 2 to 3 quarts water to a boil. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Add potatoes to the pot and cook until tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and put in a bowl.
Mash the potatoes with 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons whipping cream, salt and pepper to taste. I just used a fork, but a potato masher would have really sped up the process. Set aside.
Rinse the scallops and pat dry.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Prepare your mushrooms. Remove the stems and discard. Thinly slice the caps.
Mince the shallot and green garlic. Green garlic is also known as spring garlic. It happened to be part of my CSA share, so if you just have normal garlic, that will work just fine.
Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops to the pan and cook, flipping the scallops once until browned on both sides and opaque, about 4 minutes total.
Transfer the scallops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add 1/2 tablespoon butter, garlic, and shallot to the saute pan.
When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms.
Stir often until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, chicken broth, parsley, tomatoes, white wine, and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the potato puree to a bowl. Top with the scallops and spoon mushrooms and sauce over the scallops.
Oh this was so so good. I don’t know how this recipe managed to get so many of my favorite ingredients into one dish and still make it taste good, but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier on a Monday night. Yum.
I was hoping to make Sole Meunière, but the supermarket decided otherwise. (Not only did they not have sole, they had no idea what it was). I substituted flounder, but if you can find sole, go for that instead. I found this classic recipe from Bon Appetit and I’m pretty sure I’ve made this recipe on many occasions and had no idea it had such a spiffy name. “Meunière” just means “miller’s wife.” So to cook something “a la meunière” means to cook it after first dredging it in flour. The sauce is really easy (and again, I’m pretty sure I’ve made it a million times before) and is made of brown butter, chopped parsley and lemon. Despite how easy the recipe is, this makes one tasty dish.
Ingredients for fish:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 flounder fillets (get Pacific sole if you can)
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
Ingredients for sauce:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges
Pour flour into a shallow bowl. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge fish on both sides with flour shaking off excess flour.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan big enough to fit all the fish. Add butter and swirl to coat. It should bubble up a bit. When it stops bubbling, add fish and cook until golden on bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn fish over (carefully, it’s a pretty delicate fish), and cook until golden on bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Place fish in tin foil and wrap loosely to keep warm.
Pour out excess drippings from the saute pan and wipe down with paper towels. Chop the parsley (as finely as you like).
I did a pretty rough chop
Heat the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter for the sauce and cook until it begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice. It may splatter a bit, so be prepared for that. Spoon over the fish and serve with lemon wedges.
Who doesn’t enjoy a recipe that takes 10 to 15 minutes, and only requires 8 ingredients (including salt, pepper, and olive oil)? On top of that, it really is tasty. The fish crisps up nicely in the butter which adds a nice texture. This would be good with a light salad or a side of rice.
My parents graciously gifted me with an order of Omaha Steaks. My only issue is that I rarely make steak (chicken and veggies are my staples) so I went in search of something other than just grilled steak and potatoes. Food and Wine had a recipe that not only sounded delicious, but also included steak and one of my CSA ingredients of the week: arugula. Double win.
Tell me you don’t want to eat that.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 generous handfuls of arugula, leaves washed and torn in half
1 container of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red- or white-wine vinegar (I used red)
2 tablespoons drained capers
If you have an outdoor grill, light the grill before prepping your ingredients to allow it time to heat up. I used my nifty little indoor grill. You could also use the broiler in your oven. Coat the steak with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the steak with salt and pepper.
Add the steak to the grill or to the broiler and cook for 5 minutes.
Flip the steak and cook for another 5 minutes for medium rare (adjust to your taste). Transfer the steak to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes in half. I ended up using the whole plastic container (I really like tomatoes).
Place the arugula on two individual plates. Top the arugula with the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with some salt.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, capers and season with salt and pepper.
This looks disgusting. I swear it tastes good!
Add the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil slowly, whisking to combine.
Still a horrific photo. I apologize.
After the steak has had time to rest, slice the steak on the diagonal.
Place the steak on top of the salad.
Fancy.
Drizzle with vinaigrette.
What a tasty dish. The original recipe called for anchovy paste for the vinaigrette but I didn’t have any so I omitted it. I honestly don’t think it’s necessary; there was enough salt and tangy-ness from the capers. Spinach can be used instead of arugula, but I think the spiciness of arugula goes really well with this dish. The steak on its own was simple and tasty, and with the vinaigrette it was absolutely fantastic. I will most certainly make this recipe again!
