Salmon en Papillote with Lime Butter Sauce

I did this recipe with my sister in mind, she’s not a fan of fish at all, she came to stay with me for a couple of weeks, just until she found a place of her own. Although she was staying with us and I knew she wasn’t a fan, I wasn’t going to change my dinner plans just because she doesn’t like the dreaded fish. She enjoyed it though, so not a bad job on the salmon really – this is one of my favourite ways to cook the fish. It pretty much guarantees a perfectly cooked piece of fish. Sometimes I wonder whether our dislike to certain foods, has more to do with the types of food and cooking methods used whilst we were growing up, and therefore just being put off. This is another reason I insist my children eat everything on their plate and I make them try several different recipes with the same ingredient, in an attempt to get them to open their palettes. That said, I won’t cook a recipe more than once if they really didn’t like it. I am diligent and I want to teach my kids good table manners by eating what’s in front of them without complaint, but neither am I cruel. Once is a fair deal I think. 

 

Salmon en Papillote with Lime Butter Sauce

75g/3oz unsalted butter

2 Limes, juice and grated rind (each separate)

4 salmon steaks

Salt and pepper

4 spring onions, trimmed

Pinch of sugar

3tbsp dry sherry

3tbsp double cream

1. Set your oven to 200˚C/400˚F, cut four rectangles out of baking paper, big enough to encase the salmon steaks. Put the salmon steaks on half of each of the pieces of baking paper, season each one with salt and pepper, sprinkle the rind and juice over the top, fold the over half of the baking paper, folding in the edges a little to seal them in, place the parcels to one side on a baking sheet.
2. Make the sauce by chopping up the spring onion, melt about 15g/ ½ oz of butter in a small saucepan. Soften the spring onions in the butter, add the juice from the other lime, add the sugar and sherry increase the heat and bring to a boil the liquid is reduced by half.
3. Place the papillote in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, the parcels will puff up.
4. Pour the cream into the sauce, allow to bubble for a couple of seconds, slowly whisk in the rest of the butter. Remove the pan off the heat every now and again. This will help prevent the sauce from splitting, the sauce will thicken and become smooth, season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the salmon in their parcels and the sauce separately.
    
   New potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper and little butter with seasonal vegetables are a good accompaniment.

Savoury Pastries Always A Comfort Food Winner

Pastry and savoury, in my opinion always make a good combination. I'm not really fussed if it's chicken and mushroom, steak and ale, ham and cheese, pork pie, sausage rolls, or cornish pasties, which ironically is up in the next blog. Pie is GOOD - so this recipe was already going to be a winner in my book. To be honest the technique if that's what you call it, that I took away from this recipe was to brush the inside of the pastry, I assumed (in my opinion) that this was to make sure the sides adhered a little better. I have to say though if I'm wrong and this isn't the reason, I have noticed that when I do this little extra procedure the pastry does stick together better.

I am certain that learning new things, even silly little things like buttering the inside of your pastry to make it stick better, is a good thing, for two reasons, firstly in the future it will avoid that predetermined time spent trying to get those edges to stick together, and getting irratable because there's always that one annoyingly elusive bit that just won't have any of it. Secondly in the unlikely event that you should be discussing pie/pastry and someone says "Ooh but I can never get those pesky sides to stick properly" - you can turn around and say "Have you tried using butter as a kind of glue?" I don't know about you, but there's something about being knowledgeable that makes me feel good and not in a smug way - usually - I think everyone needs an ego boost every now and again, it's nice to know that we are good at something, or to be told we are beautiful, or kind, or good at our job. I'm not very good at accepting compliments. So for me subtle situations like that one are ideal for my ego. A way to impart a little of what I know without demoralising anyone.

Salmon Parcels

4 small salmon tail fillets

4 large sheets of filo pastry

50g butter, melted

4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 large tomato chopped

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

120ml sieved tomatoes

New potatoes and green beans to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 190C/375F

2. Put a sheet of filo pastry on a board and brush with a little of the melted butter, fold in half and brush again.

3. Top one half of the pastry with a 1/4 of the mushroom slices and chopped tomato and sprinkle with some of the oregano. Add a portion of the salmon and season well with salt and pepper.

4. Bring the other side of the pastry up and over the salmon, pinching all around the edges to seal the contents. Repeat the process for the remaining pastry sheets and filling. Lightly grease a baking sheet with the leftover butter and put your Salmon parcels on the baking sheet.

5. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes and beans. Heat the sieved tomatoes in a small saucepan, then spoon onto the plates top with the parcels and serve with potatoes and beans.

Salmon Pasta Dinner

To be honest, I was a little worried about this recipe, although we have adopted the – don’t know until you try, attitude, I am always a little dubious of Ricotta recipes, ricotta is another one of those ingredients I am not sure whether I like or not, it’s an Italian cheese made from the whey the gets left over after making hard cheeses, it’s slightly acidic and has a slight lemony aroma, it’s mostly used in pasta dishes and desserts. I have made a few recipes with it – but something never seemed quite right about it, until now. If you’re like me and still not convinced I find cream cheeses – such as Philadelphia a good substitute, any other cheap brand would work just as well though. Please don’t forget that just because it’s written do it this way doesn’t mean, you must – generations of people have been “altering” traditional recipes, it’s how we evolve and grow. Besides new recipes have to come somewhere – and inspiration usually has to start somewhere too………!

 Tortellini with Salmon-Ricotta Sauce

1 package Cheese tortellini

2 Spring onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ leek, thinly sliced
2 portions frozen spinach, thawed and drained
100g mushrooms
1 tsp butter
1 tsp corn flour/corn starch
1 cup fat-free (skimmed) milk
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
200g salmon, boneless and skinless
2 tbsp dill
1½ tsp grated lemon peel
1½ tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ tsp salt

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large pan sauté onions, mushrooms, leek and garlic in butter until tender. In a separate pan, poach the salmon until it easily flakes with a fork. Combine the corn flour/corn starch and milk until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

2. Stir in mozzarella cheese until melted, stir in the ricotta, poached salmon, dill, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt.

3. Drain tortellini, add to ricotta sauce. Cook and stir until heat through.

CHOWDER.......... One of our favourites

A cornucopia, of flavours and textures make this spectacular dish – I love the way the potatoes come together perfectly with the sweetness of the onion and the salty bacon to compliment the shrimp and salmon. Topped off with the cream, it makes a delightful, soupy dish – Serve with garlic bread and jobs done!

Salmon and Shrimp Chowder

2 lbs potatoes
1 large onion
1.5 litres Chicken broth
300g Salmon cut into 1" pieces
200g Cooked Shrimp
250g Cooked diced bacon
470ml whole milk
240ml single cream
1 tbsp butter
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, combine the potatoes, onion and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15minutes or until tender.

2. Add the salmon and bacon, cook over a medium heat until fish flakes easily with a fork.

3. Reduce heat; stir in the milk, cream, shrimp, butter, salt and pepper; heat through, (DO NOT BOIL) thicken if desired. Serve with garlic bread.

Easy Fish Dinner

We love fish, I think I have mentioned this before, I particularly like smoked fish, but I also enjoy fillets. Salmon, tilapia, cod and catfish to name but a few. I'm a little fussy about how it's cooked, preferring to bake it in tin foil or poaching it in a little milk on the hob. This particular recipe the fish is baked in tin foil, with a little garlic, dried Italian herbs, lemon and a little butter, but I've also cooked the same dish using a bay leaf instead of garlic, both are equally palatable. I suppose you could use both together if you wished. I serve the fish with new potatoes and mixed vegetables with the butter juices and a simple white sauce - but you could also serve it with a green salad and crusty garlic bread or some such. Simplicity at it's best.                                                                                                                        

Baked Salmon Steak Supper

2 Salmon Fillets

1 garlic clove, minced and divided

2 knobs of butter

1 teaspoon Italian mixed herbs

1/2 lemon, juice

salt and pepper to taste

1.Place the each of the salmon fillets on a separate piece of tinfoil, large enough to wrap it up, add a knob of butter, 1/2 clove of the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of Italian mixed herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste to each one.                                                                                                                                                    

2. Wrap the fish in the toil foil, and bake for 20-30 minutes at about 170 C on a fan assisted until fish is pink and flaky.

3. Serve with your sides.

Fish, Fish, Fishy, Fishy Fish!!!!!

I love fish, my husband loves fish - my only issue is the bones. I'm not too squimish, so heads,eyes and tails don't bother me, but bones - Ewwwww NO thank you! You will find that 90% of my dishes are made with fillets or boneless cuts of meat for that reason. However every now and again I'll give them a whirl. Fish is the one thing which I have tried to 'get over' and just can't, so aside from one or two all my fish recipes are boneless and skinless or adapted to make them that way.

We love this following recipe and I have made it many times, Crispy Topped Seafood Pie, it's another versitile recipe which is why I for one love it, it can be altered anyway you see fit. I've used catfish, salmon, cod and haddock. Shrimp go in the recipe anyway but I'm guessing you could add crab, lobster or equally any kind of shellfish, and on the note vegetables are also open to interpretation. Personally I have only used the vegetables that came in the original recipe but the facts remain the same, use any vegetables you wish! As long as they fit in the pie dish and you like them, it matters not a jot which vegetables you use.

Crispy Topped Seafood Pie

500 grams fish (Salmon, swordfish, cod etc.)
1 ¼ cup milk
1 bay leaf
2 leeks thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
6 oz shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
Salt and black pepper to taste
Pastry
¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded

1. Poach the fish in milk with  the bay leaf for about 10 minutes, until fish flakes

2. Blanch the vegetables, for 3 minutes in boiling salted water.

3. Lift out the fish, discard the skin and any bones, flake the fish. Strain and reserve the milk.

4. Put all the vegetables and fish with the prawns into a pie plate.

5. Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the flour and cook stirring for a minute. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil stirring until thickened, Pour over the fish.

6. Grate the pastry and sprinkle over the filling, sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400°F (200°C)