"Seacuterie" Christmas Wreath

We had some friends over for Christmas dinner and we made this impressive appetizer that was well received. It's a seafood-based variation of a charcuterie. But because of the holidays, it's also intended to mimic a Christmas wreath. 

The recipe comes from the Cornish Sea Salt company. We were buying some Cornish salt for a close friend whose recent DNA results showed that his ancestors were Cornish. As we explored the website, we found this recipe a few months before Christmas and we decided to try it as a part of our Christmas dinner.

There is one ingredient that needs to be addressed: Caper berries. We all know capers--the small, round, brined berries used in picatta recipes and more. The capers we mostly know are the flower buds of Mediterranean caper bush. The caper berries are the fruit that grows from flower of the caper bush. Each one is about the size of an elongated olive. There are many of the same salty and briny flavors but the inside of the caper berries contains seeds and they are way larger. Eating them is a different experience. Caper berries may not be available at your local supermarket but you can find them on Amazon (and, by extension, Whole Foods).

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Dip:

• Chives - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
• Parsley - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
• Dill - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
• Cream cheese - 6 oz., brought to room temperature
• Lemon zest - zest from 1/2 lemon
• Lemon juice - from 1 or more lemons (mostly used for flavor but also to thin the thickness of the cream cheese)
• Salt - 1/2 - 1 tsp. 

This can be made up to three days ahead of time.

Shrimp:

• Shrimp - 1/2 lb., peeled and deveined
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp.
• Lemon zest - zest from the other half of the lemon
• Salt - 1/2 - 1 tsp. 

Main Ingredients:

• Smoked salmon - 1/3 lb. 
• Radishes - 2-4, thinly sliced
• Cucumber - thinly sliced using a vegetable peeler and rolled into a spiral
• Caper Berries - 3 oz. 

Instructions:

Here are the original directions (with some of my edits):

1. Finely chop the herbs and then combine in a bowl with the cream cheese and the lemon zest of 1/2 of a lemon and the juice of 1-2 lemons. Season with salt.  (Can be made a few days ahead)
2. Heat the oil in a skillet. When hot and shimmering, add the shrimp. Cook for 3-5 minutes until pink, curled, and cooked through (Let sit for  3-5 mins. and then stir occasionally until shrimp are cooked through.) Add the lemon zest,  and lemon juice
3. To assemble the wreath get a large round 12" platter. Use the back of a teaspoon to spread some of the cream mixture around the edge of the platter. Then build a "wreath" out of the cooked prawns, smoked salmon, sliced radishes, cucumber ribbons, and caper berries.
4. Serve with optional lemon wedges, bread, or crackers (optional)

Mustard Roasted Salmon with Lingonberry Sauce

 I was digging around the back of the fridge and discovered a jar of lingonberry preserves. The reason I even have a jar of lingonberry preserves is due to the fact that the recipe below was my go to salmon recipe for quite awhile. It was adapted from a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit magazine. It is a festive (yet easy) dish that I have served for company on more than one occasion. In fact, some close friends we made this for created their alternative to this dish by using chipotle raspberry sauce in lieu of the lingonberry.

Upon finding the jar, I did a quick check to make sure I had the other ingredients on hand. I did so I decided to bring this back and serve it for dinner recently. It was like pulling out that record/CD that you used to listen to all the time but haven't for many years. I was surprised that I hadn't already posted it here. 

You may or may not be able to find lingonberry preserves at your supermarket. It can be ordered via Amazon. 

Lingonberry jam is a very popular condiment in the Scandanavian countries. Because of that, you may very find a jar at your local Ikea store.

A hearty side of roasted potatoes or a saute of leafy greens are two good choices for a side dish.

Mustard Roasted Salmon with Lingonberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• Dijon mustard - 1 Tbsp.
• Butter - 2 Tbsp (divided)
• Salmon fillets - 2
• Shallots - 1 medium, peeled and finely chopped
• Lingonberry preserves - 2 Tbsp.
• Raspberry vinegar - 2 Tbsp. 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a small prep bowl, melt 1 Tbsp. butter and add mustard. Stir until well combined.
• Oil a Pyrex baking dish and place salmon fillets skin side down. Sprinkle lightly with salt. 
• 
  Spoon mustard/butter mixture over the top of the salmon and spread it out across the whole fillet.
  Season generously with freshly cracked black pepper. Place in the oven for 15 minutes until mustard starts to brown (start monitoring at 11 or 12 minutes)--Fish may need a bit of browning under the broiler at the end (optional).
• As salmon cooks, heat remaining tablespoon of butter in a smaller saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots and saute for a few minutes until slightly softened.
• Add the lingonberry preserves and the raspberry vinegar and stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. 
• When the fish is cooked, remove from oven and let cool for a few
  
  minutes. Plate and spoon lingonberry sauce over the top and spread it across the entire fillet.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

We recently spent a getaway weekend with some good friends in Chicago. Our hosts nicely accommodated our pescetarian eating preferences. Because our days were full seeing the sights, we often made our lunches in the morning and enjoyed them later in the day picnic-style.

They had the fixings for these excellent smoked salmon sandwiches that we made each morning. One day, we enjoyed these sandwiches on the new 606 walkway; another day at Starved Rock State Park; and again on the shore of Lake Michigan. Since coming home, we have continued to make and enjoy these for those times you need a quick and easy dinner or a weekend lunch.

One of the key ingredients is the Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayonnaise. If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby you can Google the term and find some workaround recipes that you can make at home. It is worth it to take the time to have this ingredient in the sandwich.

If you have Trader Joe's and a Costco nearby you are set.

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• Slices of smoked salmon
• Havarti cheese - sliced
• Arugula (or spinach)
• Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayonnaise
• Pesto
• Bread

One slice gets pesto. The other gets the wasabi mayonnaise. Add the smoked salmon to one side and top with cheese. Add a layer of arugula.

Salmon Loaf - Revisited

It's fun sometimes to go back and revisit those classic recipes that you remember from childhood. We both have fond memories of our mother's making a pretty tasty salmon loaf (mostly on Friday nights). But when you really look at it, it's actually a pretty basic meal that was more likely made for its value and its ability to feed a family.

This web site, dedicated to preserving vintage cookbooks and recipes, has a scan of a salmon loaf recipe from 1942 (that included Rice Krispies!).

A few months ago, we noticed the canned salmon at our local supermarket and decided we should pick up a few and make that salmon loaf again someday. Well, that day came to pass recently.

I found lots of basic salmon loaf recipes online. But then I decided to take a different approach and do my interpretation of a recipe update. I'd keep the basics (canned salmon, eggs, bread crumbs) but up the herbs and seasonings. So that "dash of pepper" is updated to "generous." Many recipes call for only dried parsley so I broadened the list to add some variety. Then I decided to top it with something thoroughly modern - panko bread crumbs.

It's still a "value meal" and still quite tasty. Some roasted fingerling potatoes from the box and a bottle of Pinot from our cellar rounded out the meal. Our cat purred contentedly as we enjoyed it.

Salmon Loaf - Revisited

Ingredients:

• 1 can (16 oz.) salmon
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 3 Tbsp. minced onions (I used about 1/4 of the red onion in the box this week)
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• generous amount of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Penzey's Mural of Flavor seasoning - or use any herb mixture: Italian Seasoning mix, bouquet garni, or whatever you have
• dash of lemon pepper
• pinch of "heat" - cayenne pepper, ground chili powder - I used Penzey's Arizona Dreaming seasoning
  
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Open the can of salmon and flake the meat into a bowl removing any skin and bones (Feed your cat the skin and water).
3. Add all other ingredients except panko bread crumbs. Stir to mix but get your hands in there and really mix it up.
4. Place the mixture into a buttered casserole dish.
5. Form the mixture into a loaf with your hands.
6. Press a thin layer of panko bread crumbs into the loaf.
7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until loaf is firm.

The Night Before Going Back to Work

It was Sunday night after a busy two weeks of family, friends, and food. Our refrigerator was full with a wonderful variety of leftovers from the holidays: Heavy cream and mushrooms from a tart I hope to post someday, smoked salmon slices from an appetizer for relatives for the day after Christmas, leftover yellow onions from the box recently. I looked around the fridge and came up with the following dinner for the Sunday night before going back to work. This also represents how I cook most weeknights after work. I just try to use up what's in the fridge and not follow any particular recipe. Most of the time it works out. The results here were delicious. I mixed in both cream and skim milk just so it wasn't a "heart attack" alfredo sauce. The salmon slices almost tasted like pancetta in the cream sauce. All of the measurements are approximate as I pretty much just winged it with the ingredients I had on hand. 

Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta 

Ingredients:

• pasta; I used Cavatappi
• butter, about 1-2 tablespoons
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• mushrooms, about 2 cups, chopped
• garlic, 3 cloves minced
• smoked salmon, sliced thinly, about 2-3 cups
• heavy cream, probably 1/2 cup
• skim milk, probably 1/4 cup
• pepper: freshly ground black pepper if you like it mild; a generous pinch of red pepper flakes if you like it spicy

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. As water boils, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in butter until tender.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Stir in cream and milk. Heat to just below boiling point and cook over low heat for 4 minutes.
5. Toss in smoked salmon, and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve over pasta.

Smoked Salmon

I'd seen them before. They would be at our local Farmer's Market from time to time. They seemed very friendly and would offer a sample. But I avoided making eye contact with them and would politely decline. I mean, you don't go to the farmers market to buy smoked salmon! What are you guys doing here, anyway?

Last week, I decided to adopt a new attitude and I marched right up and gladly accepted a sample. One taste was all we needed. We went home with a package.

The company is Blue Ocean Smokehouse (the web site needs some development), they are based out of Half Moon Bay, and they make some excellent, tasty smoked salmon.

Most smoked salmon (especially the icky store stuff) has a chemical aftertaste. But this tasted exactly like, well, smoked salmon. The fish was quite tender and fresh tasting. We paid a pretty penny for it but it was worth it. We got a head piece (thicker fish). The vendor said some people prefer the tail because the flavor is more intense (next time).

We made a simple pasta dish with sauteed onions, tomatoes, and basil. Added the flaked salmon at the last minute. Some cheese sprinkled on top. We saved enough salmon to have some in our scrambled eggs on Sunday morning. Good stuff!