...at work getting delicious! British Columbia has not seen a more impressive salmon run in ninety-seven years! Sockeye has flooded the waters and is flooding the local markets; this means good eats for all of us seafood lovers. The abundance of salmon has inspired me to write some delicious and original recipes:
Baked Salmon Fillets
Here’s a very simple and very quick dish that will impress even the toughest food critics. To make this (serves four) you will need the following:
- 1 Pound of salmon, cut into four fillets (leave the skin on),
- 1 Granny Smith apple, the more sour it is the better,
- 1 handful of fresh dill,
- 4-8 ounces of Brie cheese (it is up to you how much you use, and it depends on how much you can fit into the dish. I’ll explain below),
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
- 1/8 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper,
- 1/8 tablespoon of sea salt.
To start, take each fillet (skin side facing downward) and make semi-deep slits into the middle in the shape of a cross; be careful not to cut the fillets too deeply as you will want them to hold together while baking. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 6 minutes, during which you will need to do the following: cut as many slices (thin ones) of the green apple and the Brie as you can, and stuff them into the slits in the salmon fillets. Now coat the bottom of a baking pan with some olive oil and place the cheese-and-apple-stuffed fillets onto it. Chop the dill and sprinkle half of it on top along with the ground pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets you got). Dress it with the remainder of the chopped fresh dill and sea salt, and serve. Garlic mashed potatoes make a great side dish to this delicious recipe, and if you pair them with a chilled rosé wine (my new favorite of which is Jackson Triggs White Merlot), you’re in for a treat!
The Smoked Salmon Spinach Salad
This is really easy as well. The cold-smoked salmon is a bit expensive, but well worth it. The following ingredients will make enough salad for two:
- 1 package of cold-smoked salmon (it's available at all grocery stores and comes pre-sliced and ready to eat)
- 1 large bunch of spinach, chopped to your liking (not too fine),
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves,
- 2 large-sized Bocconcini cheese, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of capers,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar,
- 1/4 small red onion, julienned,
- 1/8 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, tomatoes, capers, onion, and toss with the olive oil and vinegar. Then top it off with the salmon and Bocconcini and sprinkle the ground pepper. And that's all you you gotta do. You can toast some kind of flatbread and make this a perfect lunch meal!
Now that fall is here, I will be looking forward to hearty soups, stews and pumpkin pies. I hope you like those two original recipes, and if you feel like sharing some of your own, please let me know. Enjoy!
