The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz » Salmon

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Paz — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:49:20 +0000

I love fish, especially salmon. Funny thing: I pronounce salmon, SAL-MON. I notice Americans pronounce it SA-MON. They leave the "L" out. So, when I say SAL-MON, they look at me funny. LOL! I’m not sure where or how I learned to prounonce it that way but that’s the way I do. Anyway, whichever way it’s pronounced, I love this fish and when I saw the recipe for Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa (and a photo of the meal — please, please check out Laylita’s enticing photo.), I couldn’t resist making it. Actually, the Avocado Salsa is what got me. I’d never before heard of anything like that to eat with salmon.

The next day after work, I bought the ingredients and set out to prepare it for dinner. Regular readers know by now that I love simple and easy-to-make meals. This is definitely one. Oh, and another enticing factor about this recipe is that it has cilantro. Hello!? Cilantro! Again, regular readers know that cilantro is my all-time favorite fresh herb. Yes!

Laylita’s recipe calls for the cilantro to be finely chopped. Umm… I didn’t really do that and I clearly added more than the 2 Tbs of cilantro. Next time, I’ll try to follow the recipe better.

The salsa was very easy to put together. No problem.

I got out my grill pan and prepared the salmon. My dogs LOVE fish and started getting excited about the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Layla suggests the side dish of Ecuadorian rice and or Patacones (thick fried green plantains) to go with the Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa. A third thing regular readers know about me, by now, is that I HEART plantain. I didn’t have any plantain at home, so I ate my salmon and avocado salsa with rice. That was good enough. It was mouthwatering delicious. I loved my meal. I loved the Avocado salsa, which was new and different to me. It sort of had a tangy taste, which enhanced the grilled salmon that had been marinated in salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onions and black pepper. Let me tell you, it tasted so good. I normally only use salt and black pepper when preparing my salmon, so these spices were an added treat to use on the salmon.

The next day, I had some leftover salmon and salsa, so I had it again for dinner. This time I’d bought some yellow (ripe) plantain (kelewele — see photo here), which I fried and ate with the fish. Oh, how I enjoyed my dinner even more. I can’t wait to make this dish again. Thank you, Laylita!

In the meantime, I’m scheduled to have surgery this week –Tuesday. The recovery time is a bit long, so I won’t be able to post any food posts for a while. Some awesome food bloggers have agreed to guest blog for me while I’m recuperating. I’m really excited to see what they have planned for us. I thank my guest bloggers in advance for their kindness. You won’t see me on your blogs for a while but I plan on stopping by as soon as I can.

So see you soon on the blogs and don’t forget to come back here next Tuesday to find out about our first guest blogger.

Best,

Paz

GRILLED SALMON WITH AVOCADO SALSA

Laylita’s Recipes

Ingredients (for 4 people):

2lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

Avocado Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced

Juice from 2 limes

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Suggested sides — Rice (rice Ecuadorian style)and patacones (thick fried green plantains)

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat the grill.

3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.

4. Grill the salmon to desired donesness.

5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa, and with rice and patacones or thick green plantain chips on the side.

(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe

Paz — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:07:44 +0000

I found this super easy and delicious fish stew recipe on Simply Recipes. A recipe by Elise’s dad, called out to me, "Make me! Make me!" And make it, I did.

Elise suggests different types of fish to use like halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass, and white fish like cod, tilapia or sole. However, I had a craving for salmon, so that’s what I used instead. I loved my fish stew. As Elise points out, the clam juice is the key ingredient that makes the dish extra tasty. For those allergic to shellfish, Elise suggests using white wine, fish stock or water instead of the clam juice.

I’m going to make this fish stew AGAIN and next time, I think I’ll use red snapper. I’m craving red snapper, now. Elise’s thanks for sharing your dad‘s recipe and please thank him for me.

Paz

(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe

Simply Recipes

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Serves 4

6 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup of chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato)
2 tsp of tomato paste.
8 oz of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
Touch of dry oregano, Tabasco, thyme, pepper
Salt

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.

2 Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Salmon Fish Stew, Brazilian Style

Paz — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:42:00 +0000

I was too tired to go shopping and then cook. As I checked my e-mail, I came across an update from Simply Recipes. Elise posted a recipe with buzz words that immediately caught my eye — Brazil, salmon, cilantro… CILANTRO! My favorite herb! That was enough to make me forget my tiredness, get up, get dressed, go grocery shopping, and return home to cook.

This stew is a salmon version of a Brazilian (Bahia) fish stew called Moqueca, which is normally made from the local fish of the region. I love that you marinate the salmon with limejuice, paprika, cumin, garlic salt, and black pepper; then simmer it with onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, coconut milk, and freshly chopped cilantro. CILANTRO! ))

The fun part of making this salmon stew was layering the cooking pot with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, the salmon, and then doing it all over again. I created my cooking masterpiece, which I topped with cilantro. CILANTRO! I did my happy dance after that.

Yes, I was tired, but after tasting the finished product, my body became rejuvenated and happy. The effort I’d made to prepare this salmon fish stew was definitely worth it. Thanks, Elise for sharing the recipe!

Paz

Cooking in the pot: Salmon in between layers of onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers

Salmon Fish Stew, Brazilian Style
Simply Recipes

Marinade ingredients:

The cloves from 1/2 head of garlic, peeled, crushed, minced
2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon of coarse salt
1 Tablespoon of sweet paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons of dry cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of salmon, cut into 2-inch pieces (largish-bite sized pieces)
Olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can thick coconut milk
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, 1-2 cups

Freshly cooked rice for serving

1 Mix together the marinade ingredients. Let the salmon marinate in this paste for at least 2 hours. The longer, the better.

2 In a large pan (large covered skillet or Dutch oven), coat the bottom of the pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add a layer of sliced onions, and then a layer of sliced bell peppers, and a layer of sliced tomatoes. Place the fish pieces, with the marinade, on top of everything, and start layering again – onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add about half of your fresh cilantro to the top. Pour coconut milk over the top. Drizzle generously with olive oil over the top (several tablespoons).

3 Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are cooked through.

Serve with rice; garnish with remaining cilantro.

Serves 6-8.

Mawuena’s Spinach Stew

Paz — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 22:29:00 +0000

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In my childhood food memories meme, I mentioned a spinach stew that my mother used to make. I set out to see if I could recreate it. In The Butterfly Effect meme, I wrote how my efforts were very successful.

Well, here is the spinach stew. There is no written recipe for it. I jotted down some notes as I prepared it. However, I lost them. To give a somewhat proper recipe, I’d have to make the dish again and write down everything.

So, for now, I just give you the ingredients: Frozen spinach, shrimps, canned salmon, tomatoes, tomato paste (I think), onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, hot pepper. That’s about it.

Paz

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Quick French-Style Fish Stew/Broth

Paz — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:06:00 +0000

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I got this recipe while watching Jamie Oliver’s show, some time ago, on the FoodNetwork channel. The recipe wasn’t posted on the food site. Luckily, I’d scribbled notes as I watched the show.

Jamie’s ingredients included clams, mussels, snapper, red mullet, brine (you can use any shellfish and fish). I used salmon, clams, and mussels. The recipe called for potatoes but I decided to add corn, as well.

Loose instructions:

Heat olive oil and add red onions (chopped); add garlic (chopped) and chili (chopped) for taste; let fry for a while; add mussels and clams – when they cook they’ll open up and give flavor; add French white wine (Chardonnay) – about 1 wine glass; add the fish on top – fish will slowly steam; add ½ tin Italian whole tomatoes (or fresh); add chopped parsley – finely sliced; add olive oil; add sliced potatoes (spring/baby potatoes) and let slow simmer for about 5 minutes until the wine evaporates.

Serve and garnish with parsley and top with the aioli. Drizzle evoo on top.

Make aioli:
Mayo; add lemon zest of 1 lemon; add some lemon juice; add one clove garlic grated; mix the mayo mixture.

All I can say that this was simple and good. I liked it a lot!

Paz

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