Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- Extra-virgin olive oil

- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts

- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

- 4 snapper fillets, deboned

- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

- Salt and pepper

- Fresh herbs (e.i. dill, basil, chives)

Combine the parsley, thyme and garlic in a small bowl and set aside. Combine crushed hazelnuts and olive oil in a small saucepan and heat until boiling. Set aside.

Place the snapper in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper and lemon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked within. Reheat butter hazelnut mixture and press onto the snapper.

Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

I made a quick dijon mustard maple sauce to drizzle over the salmon gravlax wraps.

This salmon gravlax recipe would work well with cold smoked salmon.

Serves 2

Ingredients

100 grams gravlax, sliced long and thin
1 tsp capers
1 tsp cream cheese
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp canadian maple syrup
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp dill

Directions:

Cut the gravlax long and thin. Lay flat on a plate and add the cream cheese. Sprinke with dill, and lay the chopped capers evenly. Roll the gravlax like a rug and pin with a toothpick.

To make the sauce, simply whisk the ingredients together. Drizzle over the gravlax rollups, and sprinkle with dill and pepper to taste. Delicious!

Sour creme / creme fraiche were substituted for,well, nothing. And in the place of rye we used sliced twelve grain bread. Any type of smoked salmon can be used in the place of gravlax

Serves 4

Ingredients
(16) 1″x1″ Bread Squares
1/3 Cup Gravlax
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs cheap vodka
1 tbs virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tbs Red Onion, diced
1 tbs  capers, rinsed / chopped

Directions:

Place the bread squares on a greased cookie sheet. Rub the tops with olive oil and place in the oven at 350 to brown for 10-12 minutes

Mix the gravlax, vodka, mustard, onions, capers, lemon juice and pepper in a medium bowl. Toss, so that that mix blends well.

Remove the bread from the oven and place the gravlax mix on top of the squares. I actually added some creme cheese to the bread on half the  squares but didn’t notice a big difference in taste or texture. YMMV.

In retrospect I would have shaved fresh parmigian over the tomato’s. Still, it was very good:

Ingredients
1.5lb Coho Salmon Fillet
6 Med. Basil Leaves
1 Hot House Tomato, sliced
1/4 Onilon Sliced
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 tbs salt
1/2 tbs salt
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Balsamic (to drizzle)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove the skin from the salmon. Place the salmon in a 13 inch baking dish and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced garlic. Place basil, tomato then onion on top of the salmon. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 mins or until cooked and the flesh flakes away easily. After baking for 15 mins, remove the salmon dish from the oven and drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top. Return the salmon to the oven for the time remaining.

Best if served with saffron rice.

Enjoy!

Having said that, it’s always nice to try a new angle on salmon and this recipe definitely fits the bill. This recipe calls for the fish to be layered in brown sugar, mayonnaise and then grilled on the BBQ.

The end product is absolutely delicious and I would encourage you to give it a shot.

Ingredients:

1 fillet wild sockeye salmon
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup mayo (we used fat free but full fat mayo would be much better)

Preparation

If needed cut the rib bones off the salmon and pull the pin bones. In this salmon recipe I removed the skin but it is okay to leave it on.

Pat the salmon down with paper towel and spread the brown sugar over the fish, rubbing it into the flesh.

Grate or press the garlic and mix it with the mayonnaise. Spread the mayo on the fish with a fork or with your hands covering the fillet fillet completely.

Place the fish on tin foil and wrap, leaving the top semi-open.

Barbecue at medium low for 15 minutes. As with all salmon it is best prepared with the middle of the fish a little undercooked.

Plate and serve with fresh salad and a good piece of bread!Barbecued Salmon, Brown Sugar and Mayo Spread

This is a quick easy salmon recipe that we whipped up with some leftover smoked salmon that I made that week. Smoked salmon in a white sauce on pasta is a real treat, rich and full of flavour. Give it a try sometime.

Sauce:

1/2 cup light cream cheese
1 cup milk
1 clove garlic
Salt/Pepper to taste
4 tbs cheddar cheese (should use Parm but we were out)
2 tbs white flour

Mix ingredients in blender
Add 1 Cup chunked smoked wild sockeye salmon
Heat in saucepan for 15 minutes on low
Boil 4 cups rigatoni. Linguine would also work well.

Serve pasta and pour sauce on top.

It’s also important to realize that the way that you thaw salmon will have an impact on the quality of the fish.

A lot of fish you buy frozen, or freeze your self, will come in a vacuum pack. It is important that you remove the fish from the vacuum pack while frozen and allow it to thaw slowly on a tray covered with saran wrap. If you allow the fish to that in the vacuum pack, it can become mushy, discolour the flesh and ultimately spoil the product.

So thaw your salmon slow and out of the pack and you’ll have quality fish every time!

We’ve kept pretty close to the original recipe but have substituted sport caught wild sockeye salmon from the West Coast of Vancouver Island,and east coast scallops, for the 4lbs of clams that is called for. For the record the scallops add very little, local mussels would add a lot more value to the soup.

The broth in this chowder is unreal, give this recipe a try  – you’ll be impressed.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Wild Sockeye Salmon
1 lbs Scallops
5 Small Potatoes
8 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Walla Walla Onion Diced
2 Stalks Celery
3 Medium Carrots, Diced
1 Large Bell Pepper, Diced
Half Cup Butter, unsalted
2 tbsp fresh thyme
2 tsp ground coriander
3 cloves minced garlic
Half Cup whole wheat flour
2 Cups Cream
2 Bay Leaves
Salt and Pepper
Half Cup Cheap Dry White Wine

Process:

De-bone the salmon and cut into chunks. Brown in frying pan until 80% cooked.

Steam the potatoes in the white wine for 20 minutes until soft. You don`t need to steam in white wine but it gives you a good excuse to drink the rest of the bottle! Let the potatoes cool and dice them.

Bring the chicken stock to a slow boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

In a large pot saute the vegetables in the butter for 8 minutes. Add the coriander, thyme and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.

Slowly blend in the flour and stir. Once all the flour mixed in, cook for an additional 3 minutes. Slowly add in heated chicken stock, making sure to stir so that it does not go all chunky.

Add the salmon, scallops, diced potatoes, cream and bay leaves. Let simmer for 20 minutes covered.

Notes:  The recipe above will make 6 big bowls. This soup tastes 500 times better the next day so make extra if you have a big group.

Air is the enemy of frozen salmon and the best freezing methods attempt to remove air around the fish. Below are  the two best ways to freeze your salmon.

Milk Carton Method

The milk carton method of freezing salmon is a sure way of removing the chance of air and oxygen around the fish. With this method the fillets are placed in a brine solution (1/3 cup to 4 litres water) in a milk carton. The fish/brine should come to within one inch of the top of the container. Shake the brine/fish to remove any air bubbles. Use foil to create a tight seal at the top of the container to make sure no moisture escapes.

To thaw run cold water over the block until the pieces separate. Dry and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Vacuum Sealing

By far the most reliable method to freeze fish.  You place the salmon in a specially designed pouch and the vacuum sealer removes the air and then seals the pouch.  The most common home vacuum sealer is the external type, like the

Vacuum Sealing

 FoodSaver brand. You can get into a FoodSaver vacuum sealer  for around $150. This type of sealer is good for moderate sealing requirements. Expect the odd broken seal and always make sure you pick through any pieces in the freezer so that you are culling the ones with the broken seals first.

For heavy duty user a chamber style vacuum sealer is a better option but expect to pay up to 1,000 for a decent desktop chamber vacuum sealer.

Preserved this way, salmon should last for up to 12 months in the freezer. Tip: freeze the salmon slightly before sealing in the pouch; wet soft fish doesn’t seal as well as a firm frozen piece.