Salmon Chanted Evening - Salmon Croquettes

If you are a salmon lover, then living in the Pacific Northwest is definitely to your advantage. It's a signature food here.  OK, it's a little beyond that, it an institution. With all the Chinook (King), Coho (Silver) that comes from here and the Copper River coming out of Canada, it's no wonder... There is Sockeye (Red) and Keta (Dog Salmon - chum Salmon) too, but I personally don't really care for the overpowering fishiness of Sockeye and Keta always seems to have a squishy texture.  I like Silverbrite too, but it can be a little bit of a crap shoot.  Sometimes Silverbrite is a little too fatty, sometimes not fatty enough. 

Sockeye makes for EXCELLENT smoked salmon though.  I must admit that.  The stronger flavor pairs well with the smoke.

But I am digressing....  This is one of the best ways I know of to showcase a delicious hunk of salmon (especially Coho) when you don't really want to sit and eat a chunk of fish for dinner.  Crispy, delicate and delicious; Salmon simply adorn with shallot, green onion and panko.  An excellent starter to be sure, though honestly, I think I could make a meal out of these babies.

Salmon Croquettes

For Salmon:

4 cups Water
1/2 cup White Wine
8 Oz Salmon Fillet
1 TB Salt
1 TB Old Bay

For Croquettes:

8 oz Cooked Salmon Fillet
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 cup Panko
2 TB Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Scallions, finely chopped
1/2 Shallot, finely chopped
1 Large Egg, beaten
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Peanut oil for frying

First, the Salmon must be cooked, so........
In a sauce pan, saute pan, or CorningWare Skillet, bring Water, Wine, Old Bay and Salt to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, slide the Salmon fillet into the boiling liquid, skin side down.

Cover and let it just hang out and gently cook for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the salmon from the hot liquid with a spatula.

OK, now to make the actual croquettes. (you can skip this first step and use 8 oz of boneless, skinless canned salmon)
Break the salmon up into small pieces (be sure to remove any skin first) in a large bowl, then add the Old Bay, Kosher Salt, Panko, Butter, Scallions, Shallot, Egg, and Lemon juice.

Mix these until just combined, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spoon some of the salmon mixture into a 1/3-cup measuring cup and pack it with your hands.

Unmold and press gently with your hand to form a 2"-wide patty, then transfer the patty to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.

Repeat to make an additional 5 patties.
Cover again, and refrigerate 7 hours or overnight.

Add enough oil to a 12" skillet to reach a depth of about 1/2" and heat over medium-high heat until oil registers 325° on a deep-fry thermometer.

Using a metal spatula, gently transfer the patties to skillet and cook.....

flipping once with the spatula, until golden brown, about 5 minutes total (2 1/2 min per side).

Transfer croquettes to a paper towel–lined plate and allow to drain briefly.

Serve with Aioli or Roasted Garlic/Lemon/Chervil Mayonnaise.

Mangia!!
~~

That 70's Recipe - Salmon Puff

Every once in awhile I get a craving for a childhood recipe... (with a little updating for the times) Since most of my younger years occurred between 1969 and 1983 (when I entered High School) that regulates a lot of my food memories in the 70's (sigh)    Not that 70's food was necessarily BAD in any way.  I mean, Fondue was popular in the 70's as were Swedish Meatballs, Flank steak in Mushroom Gravy, Lentil soup and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. At least, they were popular at my house during that time frame.  :) 

But one of those things that I remember very fondly, is Salmon Puff.  Not to be confused with Salmon Loaf, Salmon Puff is really more of one of the Egg-Strata things, with Salmon.  Chunks of bread soaked with beaten eggs and tossed with Salmon and Cheddar Cheese (Yeah I know, cheese and fish, but trust me, it's good)  Since I was going to "update" the recipe a little, I decided that all it really needed was some fresh parsley, instead of dried, and the addition of some sliced Leek (leek plays so well with most flavors)

Needless to say, I was quite pleased with the results.  It may not be pretty, but it sure is tasty.  Total comfort food.  LOL

Salmon Puff

5 Slices of white bread (or about 1/2 a French long); crust removed
1 1/2 oz Leek, minced  
2 TB fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
1 cup canned Salmon (avoid the red salmon)
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Milk
3/4 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp cracked Black Pepper
1 cup (4 oz) Medium Cheddar, shredded

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
So, cut a French long in half (I am using the other half for Swedish Meatballs tomorrow)

Remove the crust.

Cut into cubes and place in a bowl.

Add Leeks, Parsley and Salmon; tossing briefly

Whisk Eggs, Milk, Mustard Powder, Salt Paprika and Black Pepper together in a medium bowl.

Pour the mixture over the bread and toss again, gently.

Add the Cheddar Cheese and toss again, gently.

Pour the whole mess into a 7 x 10 baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes, until it "puffs". (yes, normally a strata is allowed to soak over night in the refrigerator, but I am hungry)  LOL

Don your Bell Bottoms or a Leisure Suit and enjoy!

Mangia!!
~~

Rangoon Swoon – Tuna & Salmon Rangoons

I would crack the joke about being on a see food diet… (I see food, I eat it... Hardee Har Har) But I really DO love Sea Food… I even tried being Pescatarian at one point, although I started suffering from iodine overload and my Naturopath insisted I return to a more omnivorous way of eating. Be that as it may, I still have a fondness for all things from the waters of the planet -- Fish, Seafood & Shellfish. (OK, maybe not Sea Slug, but you get the idea). Dungeness and King Crab are at the top of the list along with Chinook Salmon, Olympia Oysters and Sea Scallops; all of which increase in price, exponentially, once you leave the vicinity of the Pacific NW Coast. Thus, in San Diego, I VERY rarely can afford GOOD Salmon or King Crab. Which is sad, because one of my favorite appetizers is a good Crab Rangoon…

Now, all that aside, have you ever had one of those V8 moments? You know, when you smack your forehead and say, “WOW! I could have had a V8” or “YOW! Maybe I shouldn’t have stuck a fork in the toaster”. Thus was the case the other day. No, I don’t mean the fork in the toaster thing. You see, I was reading my friend Bob’s blog… Do you know Bob? He cooks stuff. In fact, his blog is called “Cooking Stuff”, you should check it out. This dude is not only ingenious, but extremely industrious as well. He actually made Won Ton skins… I must, at this point, bow to his pastry prowess, for I would never even attempt such a thing. My forays into the world of Won Ton skin extends to a trip to the grocery store and a visit to the refrigerated section to obtain a package of prefab wrappers. What had me smacking my forehead though, was his inspired usage of said Won Ton. He made Rangoons, which are awesome to begin with, right? Well, it gets better... This is where the inspired part comes in... he used Tuna and Alouette. Absolute genius!! Thus it was, as I was picking my jaw up off the floor over the homemade Won Ton, that I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand exclaiming, "WOW! I could have had a Tuna Rangoon". Especially with good crab at such a premium and let’s face it… Rangoons are really all about the deep fried cheese anyway… ;)

So thanks to Bob’s ability to think outside the box, or rather, the shell, I have been enjoying a delicious avant-garde version of the standard Crab Rangoon (I also tried Lemon Pepper Salmon – AWESOME!!)

Rangoons

Won Ton Skins
1 beaten Egg White
1 can of Tuna or Salmon, even those little Salad Shrimp or chopped Smoked Oysters
6 oz Cream Cheese, Alouette, Boursin or even 3 oz Mascarpone with 3 oz Silver Goat
Optional - Herbs of your choice (I added ginger to the Tuna)
Lots and Lots o' Peanut oil heated to 375 degrees

Drain the canned seafood product (I happened to have picked up a can of Yellowfin with Garlic – it was on sale)

Place it in a bowl with Cream cheese or Alouette and mix it together with your herbs.

Lay out your Won Ton Skins,

and place 1 level TB of the filling in the middle and brush the edges with Egg white.

Bring the cross corners together.

Then fold up 1 side, pressing as much air out as possible.

Then fold up the final side, again, trying to get as much air out as possible.

(I can’t actually remember what they are suppose to look like, this is only an approximation from what I remember the last time I ordered them in a restaurant)

Once you have completed your Rangoons (I got 15 from each batch)

Grab something you can lower the Rangoons into the hot oil with (This is actually an old egg whisk of my grandmothers)

Lower them into the hot oil a few at a time.

Remove when golden brown, only about 30-45 seconds, and drain on a paper towel.

Let cool slightly before tearing into them, cause hot cheese sticks and continues to burn (I know, cause I lost 3 layers off the roof of my mouth – DOH!!)

It is extremely important that you get as much air out of them as possible, or they will float too high in the oil and not brown evenly.

The one on the left is one where I didn’t get all the air out. Oops!

For more tasty Won Ton goodness, you should check out Bob’s Apple Pot stickers.

Mangia!!
~~

Salmon Chanted Evening - Risotto alla Salmone Argenteo

It was a risotto kinda night tonight. This is one of my favorites. Salmon is such an elegant fish that it is perfect for a risotto. The addition of the Mascarpone makes this a "mantecato" style risotto meaning "creamy". This can also be achieved with the addition of cream but I love the flavor of mascarpone with the salmon.

I usually make this with seafood stock, but I was out and vegetable works just as well, it also makes for a less "fishy" smell while cooking. Speaking of which, if you are not a "fish" smell person you can further reduce the smell of the finished product by adding just a pinch or two of ground clove to the stock. Something in clove reduces the smell of fish. It doesn't eliminate it completely, but it does make a difference.

I am sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for this. But I have not been able to track it down. I mean as a Fancy goldfish owner, I am aware of the use of clove oil to anesthetize fish, but I have not been performing any fish surgeries lately.

Risotto Mantecato alla Salmone Argenteo

4 TB unsalted butter – Divided
1 Small Bunch of Scallions – Chopped (White parts only)
1/2 of an English hot house cucumber – peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups Vialone Nano or Arborio
1/2 cup Room Temperature Pinot Grigio (low mineral Sauvignon Blanc, or Semi-Seco Cava)
3 – 3 1/2 cups Fish or Vegetable Stock
small pinch or two of clove (in the stock)
3/4 lb Coho (Silver) Skinless Salmon Fillet (avoid Sockeye or Keta for this, it gets to mushy)
3 TB fresh Tarragon – Chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 TB Mascarpone
The zest of 1/2 lemon

Bring the stock to a simmer in a small sauce pan over low heat. Cover to keep it warm.

Prepare your vegetables

Cube your salmon (this works better if done ahead of time, while still slightly frozen, then bring to room temp before using)

For this I like to assemble everything and more it over to the stove on a board.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 2 TB of the butter over medium heat.

Add the scallions and cucumber, sweat until they begin to turn translucent;

then add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

Add the room temperature wine and simmer until it has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Continue adding the broth 3/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb and pull the starch out of the rice before adding the next. This should take about 10 – 12 minutes.
When you have added about 2/3 of the broth, add the cubed salmon and the tarragon.

Continue adding the rest of the broth until the rice is tender but still al dente and the mixture is creamy and the salmon is cooked, about 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat.
Stir in the remaining 2 TB of butter, Mascarpone cheese, the Lemon Zest, and the Salt and Pepper.


Plate and serve with lemon wedges, if desired...

OK, I will go ahead and share this picture. I like to play with garnishing, but sometimes what seems inspired, in theory, falls tragically short in execution.

For some strange reason, it reminds me of an 80's hair "experiment", or a jellyfish attacking the plate.

Mangia!!
~~