Salsa Salmon

This is so easy to make you’ll be amazed.  Salmon and salsa is all you need.  Cooks up fast and they will think you slaved for hours!  Great leftovers.

Ingredients

Salmon Steak(s)

1-2 TBLspoon Salsa per Salmon Steak

Olive Oil

Directions

Use frying pan (that has a lid) that is large enough to hold all the Salmon you are going to prepare.  Wet bottom of pan with Olive Oil and put on medium heat.  Place Salmon Steaks in pan, skin side down.  Spoon 1-2 TBLspoons of Salsa over each steak. Be very careful of cross-contamination—see Note 2.  When all Salsa is ladled out, spread the salsa to cover the steaks more evenly.  Cover pan and let the fish cook for 5 minutes.  Turn the steaks.  This is a good time to remove the skin, since it should just peel off easily. (Throw the skin away.)  Ladle some of the Salsa off the bottom of the pan to the top of the steaks and cover for 5 more minutes.  Don’t overcook fish! When it flakes, it’s done.  Serve warm.

Abstinent Measuring

4 oz Salmon = 1 protein

Note

1.        You can spend a bunch on the Salsa, but I’ve found that the cheap stuff works just as good, if not better.  My favorite is “Mrs. Renfro’s Roasted Salsa”, because it adds a smoky flavor.    

2.       Cross-contamination:  this is just a discussion of sanitary food practices when dealing with raw fish (or any other protein for that matter).  When you are ladling salsa out of the jar and on to the fish, be careful not to touch the fish with your spoon and then put the spoon back in the jar for more salsa.  Raw protein is ripe with bacteria and by touching the fish you are “contaminating the spoon and then plunging the spoon into the salsa which contaminates the salsa.  If you put that contaminated jar in your fridge, you now have a little petri dish for those bacteria to grow.  Ok, maybe my background in the food industry makes me paranoid… but it’s true none-the-less!  If your spoon touches the fish, throw it in the sink and get another one!  Only when you get done dipping your spoon into the jar and have set the jar aside is it safe to have the spoon touch the fish.  And the cooking will kill all the bacteria you transfer from fish to fish.  Again… this is just basic food safety J

Broiled Salmon with Chili Seasoning Rub

Ingredients

2 – 2 ½ lb Salmon fillet

1 Tblspoon Olive Oil

Seasoning Rub
¼ cup Paprika

1 Tblspoon Chili powder

1 Tblspoon ground Cumin

¼ teaspoon ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)

¼ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Sea Salt or other high quality Salt

Directions

Prepare a hot charcoal fire in a large charcoal grill (over 22 inches.) Remove the grill grating and coat with non-stick spray, preferably Olive Oil flavor. 

Stir together in a small non-stick skillet the Seasoning Rub ingredients.  Heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from heat and pat 2 Tblspoon of the spice mixture over the flesh side of the Salmon fillet.  Drizzle the Olive Oil over the top of the fillet.

When the coals are covered with a thin layer of white ash, push half the coals to one side of the grill and the other half to the other side of the grill, so that there are no coals in the center.  Place grill grate on the grill.  Lay the fillet, flesh side down, over the middle of the grill grate.  Cover and grill for 7 minutes.  Turn the fillet with two spatulas and grill skin side down for 7 to 8 minutes.  When the salmon is opaque throughout or  the internal temperature measures 135 degrees (or a little sooner if you like salmon less well-done,) remove it from the grill with two spatulas.  Serve hot off the grill.

Serves 6 to 8 depending on size of fillet.

Abstinent Measuring

4 oz = 1 protein

Note

The Chili Rub contains enough seasoning for several meals.  Also excellent on meats and poultry.

*contribution from Area II Cookbook 2004

Salmon Loaf or Patties

At my home of origin, Salmon came out of a can.  There was no such thing as “fresh Salmon.”  I suppose that’s true of most people that grew up before groceries were flown as a normal course of transportation.  Oops, I’m showing my age.  Well anyway, Salmon out of a can.  Salmon cakes, Salmon Loaf, Salmon for stuffing into pasties… it all came out of pink cans.  Yes it tastes different then fresh – but in this case that IS the point.  It has to be pre-cooked within an inch of it’s life to get this kind of subdued taste, texture and readily to meld and not dominate other ingredients.  Ok, probably waxing way too philosophical over food.  But really... try this recipe: as a loaf or form up into patties and pan fry.  Even my husband asks for these if I’ve not prepared them in a while.

Ingredients

1-14.75 oz can Salmon, skinned, boned, save juice

1-7.5 oz can Salmon, skinned, boned, save juice

½ - ¾ cup Green Onion, finely chopped

2 oz Parmesan or Asiago Cheese, finely grated

1 Egg

1 teaspoon fresh Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Optional

1 Jalapeno, minced

Directions

Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Mix thoroughly and add saved Salmon Juice as needed.  Generally it should be moist enough to hold together -- not “crumbly.

Salmon Loaf: The loaf version may or may not need the “extra” Salmon juice.  Oil glass Bread Pan and place mixture in it. Bake20-30 min at 350 degrees F

Salmon Patties: The patty version needs to be a little moister, so that the patties will hold together in the pan and when flipped.  Oil Fry Pan, form into patties.  Turn when bottom is crispy.  Remove when new side is crispy.  It goes quick—like 8 minutes to a side in a hot pan.  Don’t make it too hot though or the cheese will burn and tang up the flavor.

Abstinent Measuring

4 oz = 1 protein