Salmon and White Bean Salad

On Thanksgiving we ate a lot.

On Hanukkah we ate a lot (so far!).

And, of course, this year the two holidays were so close together that we ate a lot, a lot.

So, for us, now that the turkey-with-trimmings leftovers are gone and the latke and cheese fest is almost over, it’s soon going to be “reasonable eats” time for us.

Notice I don’t use the word “diet.” Good, healthy food doesn’t need negative words that make people feel stressed. Good healthy food can also be substantial and delicious.

Like this white bean and salmon salad.

Bonus: it takes just minutes to prepare.

Another bonus: I’ve made this with leftover cooked turkey instead of fish and have changed the herbs (you can use rosemary, dill, thyme, savory or oregano). All good. I’ve also used red kidney beans and added mango. Another option: add some crumbled blue or feta cheese. Or change the vegetable from peas to cooked carrots.

Salmon and White Bean Salad

• 1 15-ounce can white beans

• 1 to 1-1/2 cups crumbled leftover salmon (or other fish)

• 1/2 cup fresh cooked or thawed frozen peas

• 2-3 scallions, chopped

• 1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or other vegetable oil)

• 2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse the beans (save the liquid for use as aquafaba) and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the salmon, peas, scallions and hazelnuts and toss the ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and toss gently. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the white vinegar, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper, toss. Taste and add more white wine vinegar if needed. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Salmon with Orange-Mustard Butter

During the pandemic I used shopping/delivery services for my groceries. For the most part it’s been easy and reliable and I am incredibly grateful to the shoppers for risking their health and lives to help other people.

But recently, after two covid vaccinations and several weeks went by, I ventured out to the supermarket for my first “shop.” It was like an event. Who knew that grocery shopping could be such a thrill!

I went to a new store because my old reliable, Fairway, went out of business.

So, Wegman’s it was! It’s a huge place and kind of overwhelming after a year of not being or going anywhere.

There were products I hadn’t even thought to buy through a shopper — it seems stores don’t list everything that’s available for internet orders.

I bought lots of produce — oranges and berries and several kinds of lettuce and mushrooms and parsnips, fennel and more.

The FISH counter!! It was spectacular! I envisioned feasts! I LOVE fresh fish.

The salmon in particular was gorgeous and inviting. I know salmon is not such an exotic fish but it’s one that my husband eats without complaint, so I make it quite a lot. And I loved being able to pick out the exact pieces I wanted. From the front, at the big end, where it’s marbled with fat.

It was as delicious as it looked. Dinner was SO wonderful.

Things are looking up.

Roasted Salmon with Orange-Mustard Butter

• 6 salmon filets, about 6 ounces each

• 2 tablespoons softened butter

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 2 scallions, chopped (or use chives)

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the salmon filets in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine the butter, mustard, scallions, orange peel, ginger and parsley and mix to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Slather equal amounts of the butter over the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the salmon for 15-18 minutes, depending on thickness and degree of doneness desired.

Makes 6 servings

Mini Salmon Latkes

I’m thinking ahead to Hanukkah and the New Year’s Eve weekend. For the first, of course latkes! For New Year’s? Hors d’oeuvre.

Here’s a recipe that works for either or both.

Salmon latkes in mini form. Fried right? So perfect for Hanukkah. Make them small enough and put them on some sort of base and you’ve got a super morsel for cocktail hour.

You can put the latkes on crackers or toasted bread, but I like using small tomatoes (campari tomatoes in the photo) as a base because it makes the hors d’oeuvre colorful. They are less crunchy but much juicier.

The latkes are freezable. Isn’t that nice?!

Mini Salmon Latkes

• 2 cups mashed cooked salmon

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup matzo meal

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

• vegetable oil

• 12 campari tomatoes (approximately) (or other small tomatoes)

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• chives or fresh dill for garnish

In a bowl, mix the salmon, eggs, matzo meal and chives until well combined. Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Shape the salmon mixture into 36 small disks. Fry, a few at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Before serving, slice the tomatoes about 1/2-inch thick. Place the latkes on top of the tomato slices. Spoon a small amount of mayonnaise onto the tops. Sprinkle with chopped chives for garnish (or use a tiny leaf of fresh dill).

Makes 36

Salmon Hash

I’m no different than everyone else I know. I overate between Thanksgiving and New Years.

I put on a few pounds.

I have to get back to some kind of normal.

But I’d rather not feel deprived. I like eating well.

I also hate to waste food.

Hence: dinner items such as this Salmon Hash. From the (healthy) salmon we eat for dinner one night, together with some vegetables and fresh herbs. Bits and pieces and leftovers and what-have-you that tastes terrific and uses up the leftovers.

Couldn’t be better. Top this hash with an egg or with dairy sour cream or non-fat Greek style yogurt.

Serve it is some lovely plates and it becomes all elegant.

Not deprivation at all.

Salmon Hash

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 medium onion

• 2 cups crumbled cooked salmon

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• dairy sour cream or plain yogurt or fried eggs, optional

Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the potatoes and carrots and toss to coat the vegetables with the pan fat. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are lightly crispy. Add the onion and continue to cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are tender and the vegetables are browned. Add the salmon, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes to distribute the ingredients evenly and are heated through. Serve plain or top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt o a fried egg (per serving)

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Salmon with Chive Flowers

On a recent trip to an Asian supermarket in Queens, New York, I bought a lot of interesting vegetables. Greens -- Chinese broccoli, bok choy, yau choy and cabbage -- and some herbs, including chive flowers (pictured above). 

Chive flowers are just like ordinary chives, except they've been allowed to mature and produce an actual flower. As a result, they are thicker and have a somewhat bolder flavor than regular chives.

I used them to season salmon one night. This dish couldn't be simpler. Takes about 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.

How easy is that!

Roasted Salmon with Chive Flowers

• 24-32 ounces salmon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the salmon in a baking dish. Mix the mustard, olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl and spread this mixture evenly on top of the fish. Sprinkle with the chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until the fish is cooked to desired doneness and the top is crispy-browned. 

Makes 4 servings

Kedgeree with Salmon

My cousin has all sorts of fabulous and interesting eating and serving utensils. She is the only American woman I know who has a set of kedgeree forks.

She and her husband, world-travelers that they are, pick up things here and there and once, while in Scotland, they happened into an antique store and saw the unusual piece in the second photo. 

Now, these two people are not dolts! They know a sardine fork from a herring fork. But they had no idea what this thing was.

The proprietor told them it was a kedgeree fork.

They didn't know what that was either, but learned that it is a Scottish/British dish, basically rice with fish (usually smoked haddock) and seasoned with curry. An old import from India (dating back to "the Raj") and now a standard item throughout the U.K.

Apparently, the original Indian dish (called khichri) was a hodgepodge of cumin-scented rice and lentils (sounds very much like Middle Eastern mujadarah), sometimes with vegetables mixed in. The British added fish and hard cooked eggs and that's the way it's served today. Mrs. Patmore made it for the Crawleys in Downton Abbey and served it to them on a silver, dome-covered tray for breakfast.

Recently I decided to make kedgeree. It was all because I had a lot of salmon leftover from dinner. OK, I know salmon isn't exactly smoked haddock or even close in taste, but so what! I made Salmon Kedgeree. It made a terrific leftovers dinner and I ate the rest for breakfast the next two days (alas, no sterling silver serving utensils, no kedgeree forks and no person to serve it to me).

I've never tasted kedgeree so I have no idea if what I made was the way it's supposed to taste. All I can say is: it was absolutely delicious and I wish I had more and will make this again. 

Salmon Kedgeree

• 1 cup white rice
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 2-3 large eggs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or 4 whole cardamom pods)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped (or 1 cup cut up cherry tomatoes)
• 2 cups cooked leftover salmon (or smoked haddock)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place the rice in a saucepan, cover with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for one minute, stir with a fork, turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 18 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Set the pan aside off heat. Cook the eggs and bay leaf in simmering water for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Peel, cut into quarters and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the curry powder, salt and cardamom, cover the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the pieces are golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the rice and add the rice to the pan. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the salmon and lemon juice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are hot. Spoon into a serving bowl. Place the quartered eggs on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Salmon with Hazelnut Crust

I think I could write a cookbook just about salmon, because we eat it so often and I am the kind of person who likes to change things up and not eat the same old same old for dinner.

So I have lots of recipes for salmon.

This one is among the easiest also. And fast. The essence of "quick and easy."

 

Roasted Salmon with Hazelnut Butter

 

• 4 salmon fillets or steaks, about 6 ounces each, about 1 1/4 inches thick
• 1-1/2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons crushed hazelnuts (or almonds)

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Place the salmon in a baking dish. Mix the butter, chives, lemon peel and mustard and spread this mixture evenly over the surface of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and scatter the nuts evenly on top. Roast for about 15 minutes, depending on thickness, or until nearly cooked through but still darker in the thickest part of the center.

Makes 4 servings.

Salmon Spread for Easy Summer Entertaining

My mother was one of those women who always had too much food in the house. Just in case.

Just in case company came. You can't just let them sit there and not eat.

Just in case you needed a little something extra for supper. Or as a snack over the weekend.

Just in case you had some leftovers and you didn't want to throw them out.

If you ever took a look in my freezer, my fridge and my kitchen cabinets you would know, like mother, like daughter.

I have a ton of food things.

Just in case.

This past weekend when my cousins came for a sleepover, I discussed this with my cousin Leslie, whose mother was my Mom's sister. She was bemoaning her overstuffed freezer, refrig, pantry. With all the "just-in-case" stuff. 

We are who we are, products of our upbringing, including our need for just-in-case food.

But I did point out to her that with the leftover salmon I made the other day, the dill, lemons, celery and cream cheese I always have on hand, I made this spread. Which is a perfectly easy-to-make, quick-as-a-wink to make hors d'oeuvre to be served with chips or crudites. And I served it over the weekend.

Easy. 

You can do it too. And if you don't have leftover salmon, you can used canned salmon, tuna or sardines. It's also delicious with leftover cooked bluefish.

 

Salmon Spread

• 8 ounces cooked salmon, crumbled
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Place the salmon, scallions, celery, cream cheese, lemon juice, dill and Dijon mustard in the workbowl of a food processor and process until thoroughly blended. 

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Roasted Salmon with Mustard and Chives

I realize that the Republican nominee for president for 2016 has already been chosen and the primary today in the state of Washington will not change that.

Still, I have to give the nod today to Washington, not for the politics but for the food. Two of our best ingredients come from there: apples and salmon.

So, here's to Washington. This salmon dish is amazingly easy to make (if you don't have chives you can chop some scallion tops). (You can also make the same dish using Arctic Char.)

If you'd like to follow on with a wonderful apple dessert, consider one of these: German Apple Cake, Apple Brown Betty, Apple Pie, , Apple Crisp or Applesauce Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

Roasted Salmon with Mustard and Chives

• 24-32 ounces salmon (or use Arctic Char)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the fish on a parchment-lined baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, mustard, garlic and chives. Add the lemon juice and whisk it in until the mixture is well blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 12-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked to desired doneness and the surface is lightly crispy.

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze

After any big holiday -- like Passover -- where there's been tons of food and extra goodies like chocolate matzo bark and jelly rings, I need to pare down. Pare down me I mean. Me, lover of matzo, who probably ate 3 boxes worth over 8 days.

It's over.

More thoughtful dinners are in order. 

Simple food is on the menu. 

Also, after all that holiday cooking, meals that are quick and easy to cook.

It's just Ed and me tonight.

So, this salmon dish, along with some veggies ---

 

Roasted Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze

• 24-32 ounces salmon

• 1/4 cup sake

• 1/4 cup mirin

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives (or scallion greens)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the fish in a roasting pan. Place the sake, mirin, soy sauce, vegetable oil and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Stir until the ingredients are blended. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is reduced and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the liquid over the fish. Sprinkle with chives. Roast for 12-16 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.

Makes 4-6 servings