eat more fish: salmon livornese

I'm not a new year's resolutions person, but I do like a reminder now and then to do better. And one of those things to make me a better person involves eating more fish. I'm always on the look out for a good fish recipe. A friend of mine had made this for me for dinner over the holidays and it was so delicious that I asked for the recipe. She used red snapper but I had some salmon filets so I used that instead and I decided to add in some lemon zest as well. It's a pretty versatile dish, so you could sub in most any fish fillet that you have on hand.

The tomatoes, capers and olives make this a tangy and flavourful sauce. I used to be a bit afraid of mixing tomatoes and fish (due to a bad fish dish my mom made when I was a kid), but that fear is definitely over. It doesn't take much preparation and the ingredients are all readily available. It's perfect for guests or just a cozy night in. Serve with steamed rice, broccoli and a nice red wine.

Want more excuses to eat fish? Here's some archive favorites:
Baked Fish with Potatoes and Rosemary
Braised Cod with Chickpeas & Corn
Miso Braised Cod with Soba Noodles
Roasted Fish with Rosemary, Olives, & Vegetables
Soy, Ginger, and Blood Orange Baked Trout Fillets

salmon livornese
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can of tomatoes
2 T capers, chopped
1/2 c sliced black olives, drained
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 lb salmon or red snapper
zest of 1 lemon
1 T lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pan, sauted the onion in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes, capers, black olives, red pepper flakes and parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Spread 1/3 of the sauce into an 11x17 baking dish and place the fish fillets over top in a single layer. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and then pour on the remaining sauce. Top with lemon zest.

3. Bake for 15 minutes for 1/2 inch thick fillets or 30 minutes for 1 inch thick fillets. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with extra parsley and serve.

friday supper: salmon patties with dandelion greens

When we were growing up, Fridays meant fish to my Catholic parents. And usually, that meant croquettes which my mom used to eat growing up in Quebec. It involved a can of salmon, mashed potatoes and some salt and pepper that was shaped into patties, covered in breadcrumbs and then fried in butter. We would eat it with a blob of mayo and some salad. I was never crazy about the croquettes but always made sure that I had the correct ratio of mayo to each patty...enough mayo to cover the croquette but not too much to make it look like frosting.

I haven't eaten canned salmon since those days, but when I spotted some "ecologically sound" wild canned salmon on sale, I decided to throw a can into my shopping basket. Originally, I was thinking croquettes but didn't have any mashed potatoes, so I made due with what I had in the cupboard and the results turned into a pretty delicious dinner. The patties were flavourful and tangy due to the capers. These would have made pretty great salmon burgers too topped with mayo or tartar sauce and a bun, but we just ate them with some boiled red potatoes and dandelion greens.


I had never cooked with dandelion greens before but when I saw some at the store I picked some up. They are definitely bitter greens and next time I think I'll try them sauteed instead, but I also quite enjoyed this salad. The heat of the dressing didn't wilt the leaves like I had expected them too, but the crunch of the walnuts, the sweetness of the raisins and the tang of the vinegar worked wonders with the bitter greens.


salmon patties
1 can of salmon, undrained
3 T panko crumbs
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T capers
1 t dried dill
1 t sweet paprika
salt & pepper
1 egg
1 T flour

Combine all ingredients, mashing everything together with a fork until well blended. Form into balls and flatten into patties. Fry in a bit of oil until golden brown on both sides. Serve with boiled potatoes and dandelion salad or eat like burgers on a bun served with tarter sauce.

dandelion greens with hot balsamic dressing
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 T toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 c raisins
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t sugar
salt & pepper
1 pound dandelion greens

1. Remove tough stems from dandelion greens, wash, dry and tear greens. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil, walnuts and garlic until hot, but do not let the garlic get brown. Add in raisins and stir until they are plump. Remove from heat, adding in balsamic vinegar and sugar. Whisk in salt and pepper and pour over greens, tossing until everything is well coated.

finally, an STD you can get excited about

Yes, I said it and I did it. I made an S.T.D. sandwich and it's fan-freakin'-tastic. Before you get your panties all tied in a knot, I'm talking Salmon Tomato Dill here and it's the perfect lunch for this holiday weekend. The other day I mentioned barbequeing some salmon and we got a few leftovers out of it. Yesterday's lunch was a salmon-cream cheese-dill egg scramble and today I made this with the remaining bits. I served it up with some homemade lemon iced tea and some cheezie poofs.

s.t.d. (salmon - tomato - dill) sandwich
4 slices of your favorite bread
Leftover salmon
1 tomato, cut into thick slices
1/2 c fresh dill, snipped
cream cheese
fleur du sel & pepper

Toast bread. Spread cream cheese on both sides and generously sprinkle dill over top. Add a couple of tomato slices to one slice of toast and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Pile on the flaked salmon and then top with the remaining toast. Makes 2 sandwiches.

simple can be fancy

I find that taking photos for my blog can be quite trying at times. It's either too dark or I can't be bothered to set up for a good shot or my camera batteries have died. Often times, when I don't have a great photo, I'll just scrap my post and wait for the next recipe and photograph that works. But this time, I just couldn't do that. Sure, it was too dark on Friday night when I snapped this soy/ginger/blood orange trout, but the fish was so delicious and easy that I had to write about it. The photo may be lacklustre, but this recipe isn't. It's simple enough that you can put this dish together within 5 minutes, pop it in the oven and the results will be so delicious and impressive that you can serve it to the fanciest dinner guest and get rave reviews. It's that good.

soy, ginger & blood orange baked trout fillets
2 trout (or salmon) fillets
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 T Japanese soy sauce
juice & zest of 1 blood orange
1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced

Preheat oven to 375. In a small oven proof dish, lay fish fillets skin side down. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the soy sauce, orange juice & zest, garlic and ginger. Pour over fish and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until fish is just done. Remove from oven and serve.

schlurp!

I always associate big bowls of steaming hot udon soup as a meal meant to be eaten alone. Japanese noodle bars always have long counter spaces which make them perfect for solo dining and the service is very perfunctory yet careful without the chit-chat. Oh, and did I forget to mention the slurping? Really, it's hard to eat those long chewy noodles without a slurp or two. It's an exercise in grace getting the noodles from your chopsticks to your mouth without so much as a drop of broth on the page of the book you've just borrowed from the library. And I guess it's because the library is right across from the noodle bar I like the best, that I find such pleasure in my solitary bowl of udon. For me, udon and books go hand in hand. Sure, I've gone for noodles with friends and often times, Cornelius and I have taken bowls of take out soup to eat at home, but somehow it's not the same. Sitting at the counter (a window seat is always best!) on a cold day with a big bowl of Charsiu Ramen with Shoyu broth is restorative. Maybe it's just about spending some quiet time in my own head, reading a good book, people watching and not so much minding the grayness outside that makes the whole experience seem so special. Who knew sitting at a counter eating noodles could do so much for a girl?

I came up with the recipe below on Monday after enjoying a lovely solo bowl of udon on Saturday with only my ipod, Run DMC, and the local entertainment rag for company. This recipe turned out amazingly well and if I could eat it every week, I'd be one very happy person. If you have corn or bean sprouts or spinach on hand, add it in! Don't like salmon? Top with tofu, shrimp or chicken. Don't sweat it.

udon soup with grilled salmon
(for two)
1 t maple syrup
1 T soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
a few dashes of hot sauce
a few dashes of sesame oil
1 salmon steak

sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 knuckle sized piece of ginger, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 green pepper, large dice
1 c broccoli florets
4 c vegetable broth
3 scallions, large chop
2 individual packets of miso (about 2 large tablespoons worth)
2 individual packets of udon noodles
juice from 1/2 lime with zest

1. In a shallow bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and mix well. Add the salmon steak to the bowl and brush the sauce mixture over the salmon. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill the salmon in a dry cast iron skillet until done, about 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Set aside.

2. Into a large pot, add a few dashes of sesame oil and add in the garlic, ginger, celery, green pepper and broccoli. Stir about until all the vegetables are slightly glistening and then add in the broth. Bring to a boil and add in the udon noodles, miso and scallions. Turn down the heat, stir to break apart miso and let the noodles cook for about 3 minutes or so. Turn off heat and squeeze in the lime juice and add the zest.

3. With tongs, add in the noodles and vegetables to 2 very large soup bowls. Pour in broth, but don't fill the bowl....keep the broth under the noodles as we want to create a noodle-y cushion for the salmon. Divide the salmon into 2 pieces and place on top of noodles, 1 hunk of salmon for each bowl. Now slurp away to your hearts content!