Everyone Loves Salmon

Salmon is a fish everyone loves. It must be from our childhood days, watching the educational film in class about the salmon who defies all odds an d migrates from their salt-water habitat to spawn in fresh water. Salmon comes from Norway, Chile, Alaska and Canada. Farmed salmon is not as nice as wild salmon.

Salmon is a big, beautiful fish. After the bones are removed, there is plenty of pink meat easy to eat. It has a distinctive flavor of its own, enhanced by a little salt, coarse ground pepper and lemon. It can also take on a completely different distinctive flavor when seasoned with almost any of your favorite herbs, spices and sauces.

Salmon makes a great first course or it can be used for a main course. Enjoy!

The following recipes can be used with almost any fleshy fish. All fish starts off well with a lemon water bath, which removes the fishy smell disliked by many. The fresher the fish, the less of that noticeable smell.

Salmon With Chili-Mango Salsa

• 1 10-oz. mango, or nectarine or firm plum, peeled, pitted, diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 tbsp. fresh or bottled lemon juice
• 2 tsps. minced seeded hot chili
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps. olive oil
• 2 6-oz. salmon fillets

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine first 7 ingredients in small bowl; mix in 1 ½ tbsps. oil. Season salsa with salt and pepper. Brush salmon with remaining ½ tbsp. oil. Grill until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with salsa.

Makes 2 servings.

Steak with Sesame Crust

• 1 cup wine – any type
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup whipping cream (or pareve, non-dairy)
• ½ cup (packed) spinach leaves
• ½ cup parsley
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 4 tbsps. (1/2 stick) chilled butter or margarine
• 6 7-oz. skinless salmon fillets
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 4 tbsps. vegetable oil

Combine wine and onion in heavy medium saucepan. Boil until reduced to ¼ cup, about 7 minutes. Add cream (or pareve cream); simmer until reduced to ¾ cup, about 12 minutes. Transfer hot cream mixture to blender. Add spinach, parsley and dill to blender; puree. Add butter or margarine and blend until butter melts and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Return to saucepan. Cover and keep warm.

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place sesame seeds in shallow dish. Place 1 salmon fillet on seeds and turn to coat lightly; repeat with remaining fillets. Heat 2 tbsps. oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium-low heat. Add 3 salmon fillets to each skillet and cook until opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plates. Spoon some sauce around salmon and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Seared Salmon With Citrus-Soy Glaze

• 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 4 cups (packed) thinly sliced fresh spinach or beet leaves
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1 carrot, cut into matchstick-size strips
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tbsps. oil
• 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 6 6-oz. salmon fillets
• 1 tsp. chopped pelled fresh ginger or dry
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tbsps. lemon juice

Toss first 4 ingredients in large bowl to combine. Whisk vinegar, 1/3 cup oil, and 1 tbsp. soy sauce in a medium bowl. Set vinaigrette aside.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook salmon until brown on 1 side, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until opaque in center, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer salmon to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Add ginger and garlic to same skillet. Saute 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add orange and lime juices and 1 tsp. soy sauce; boil until mixture is reduced to ¼ cup glaze, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Re-whisk vinaigrette. Add to vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Divide equally among plates. Place 1 salmon fillet atop vegetables on each plate. Drizzle glaze over salmon and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Salmon With Sesame-Peppercorn Crust

• ¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tbsp. four-peppercorn spice mix (i.e. white, black, English pepper, hot peppers)
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 large skinless fillet of salmon
• Dill weed, fresh or dried
• Garlic powder
• 2 tbsps. (1/4 stick) butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Combine sesame seeds and peppercorn mix in a sealable plastic bag. Crush with a mallet. Squeeze the juice from the lemon quarters onto both sides of the salmon. Season both sides of the salmon with dill weed, garlic powder, peppercorn mixture and salt. Arrange the salmon on a prepared baking sheet. Dot with butter or margarine.

Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to plates.

Makes 4 servings.

Glazed Grilled Salmon

• 3 tbsps. brown sugar
• 4 tsps. prepared hot mustard or Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 2 7- to 8-oz. salmon steaks (about ¾ -in. thick)

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine brown sugar, mustard and soy sauce in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Transfer 1 tbsp. glaze to small bowl; mix in vinegar and set aside. Brush 1 side of salmon steaks generously with half of glaze in medium bowl. Place salmon steaks – glazed side down – onto barbecue. Grill until glaze is slightly charred, about 4 minutes. Brush top side of salmon steaks with remaining glaze in medium bowl. Turn salmon over and grill until second side is slightly charred and salmon is just opaque in center, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer salmon to plates. Drizzle reserved glaze in small bowl over salmon and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Salmon Glazed with Honey and Mustard

Garnish with dill, parsley or cilantro, if desired.

• ½ cup soy oil
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup mustard, any kind
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 6 6- to 7-oz. salmon fillets
• 3 tbsps. chopped fresh dill

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a glass baking dish. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil rimmed baking sheet. Transfer salmon, skin side down, to prepared sheet; reserve remaining marinade for a glaze. Sprinkle salmon with dill. Bake 8 minutes, then brush with reserved glaze. Continue baking until just opaque in the center, about 8 minutes longer.

Makes 6 servings.

Grilled Salmon Fillets with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

SAUCE

• ¾ cup sour cream (or you can use pareve milk heated and thickened with cornstarch, adding salt, pepper and dill weed to tasted – cool and use as sour cream)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsps. prepared horseradish
• 2 tbsps. chopped fresh or dried basil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 1 tsp. soy sauce

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

SALMON

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 tbsps. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. coarsely ground pepper
• 6 1-inch-thick salmon fillets

Spray grill rack generously with nonstick spray, or rub a fresh onion on the hot grill. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk oil, horseradish, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in another bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of the salmon fillets. Grill the salmon until just opaque in the center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the salmon to plates. Serve with sauce.

Makes 6 servings.