Phyllo Wrapped Salmon Fillets

Phyllo pastry is an easy way to dress up an endless array of ingredients. Most stuffing requires some cooking before being wrapped because the phyllo only takes about 15 minutes to bake in a 425F oven. Tonight I have chosen salmon, one of my favourite fish, to prepare with phyllo. Seeing as the cooking time for salmon is about the same as the phyllo, I will wrap it raw but marinated.

If you are using frozen phyllo, it must be completely thawed and room temperature before use.

Fish Marinade
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 vegetable oil
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/3 cup green onions, minced
1tbsp capers, minced
1/2tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves, crushed
1tsp thyme

• lay fish in marinade for 20 minutes and flip 1/2 way through, if not submersed.
• remove and pat dry before laying the fish on the phyllo

Wrapping
2 sheets of phyllo per (5-7oz) fillet
melted butter, as needed

• lay down 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry flat surface.
• butter the edges and a small amount across the middle using a basting or pastry brush.
• lay the 2nd sheet directly on top, smoothing it gently. Phyllo tears very easily but you can repair it using a little of the melted butter as glue.
• lay the salmon a few inches from the bottom, in the middle of the phyllo. Roll the salmon with the phyllo upwards, careful not to tear as you go.
• Before the last flip up, fold the ends into the center.
• Seal the last flip with some more of the butter.
• Lay on parchment (not wax, it burns) lined pan and bake in a 425F oven for 15-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

drape with
Creamy Garlic and Parmesan Sauce
1cup whole milk or light cream (3-5%)
1tbsp butter
1tbsp all purpose, white flour
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch nutmeg
tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

• in a small sauce pan, melt butter, add garlic and cook slightly without browning the butter or the garlic.(browing at this stage will mean the sauce won't be white.)
• stir in the flour and cook another 1/2 minute more
• using a whisk, add the milk stirring continuously until the sauce begins to thicken.
  
• Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring till incorporated
• add the remaining seasonings and salt to taste
• serve sauce immediately, over the fish

I enjoyed my dinner with a side of steamed asparagus spears.
*before cooking, asparagus should always have the ends snapped off, or shaved using a peeler, because they are woody.

Steelhead Salmon in a Pesto Rub

Dinner last night was in short order for the extra parental heads that were joining us around 8pm. My fridge was looking a little desperate so I headed out for a quick run up the food aisles. With the recent weight gain of our loon there were many sales to indulge in, including some steelhead fillets, fat enough to feed 5. I snatched one up to prepare an old standby that never fails to impress. And it's easy too; a half an hour from start to finish.***

The Rub
Salmon is a fish rich in oil. So for this dish I've chosen to omit the olive oil from a standard pesto, creating a perfect balance.
2 tbsp dry basil
1/4 cup pine nuts (either crushed in a mortar and pestle or finely ground in a food processor)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

• combine ingredients in a small bowl

The Fish
1 steelhead salmon fillet, large enough to feed 4-6 adults, dusted with salt and freshly cracked pepper

• Preheat the oven to 450F
• Spray lightly, a baking sheet, with oil
  
• Spread the rub evenly over the seasoned fillet
• drizzle with 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• let the fish cook at 450 for 15-20 minutes
• Turn the oven to broil and finish till the rub is nicely toasted

What I served it with

• wild rice pilaf~cooked in chicken stock with mushrooms, red pepper and red onion
• snapped asparagus~steamed in chicken stock and lemon juice

***The rice will cook in time with the salmon. And the asparagus will cook in time with the finishing of the fish under the broiler.


~You're welcome ;o)

Berry Glazed Chinook

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup frozen mixed berries and 1/2 cup frozen mango with a pinch of salt, 2 dashes of allspice and...

...1/4 cup of raspberry vinegar and 1/4 cup of really tasty, really cheap red wine.

Take a large chinook salmon filet(about a pound), on the skin, and cover in 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2tsp rosemary and fresh cracked pepper. Let marinate while....

...you let the sauce reduce for about 10 minutes.

Then add 4 unpacked, heaping tbsps of brown sugar and reduce for atleast 10 minutes longer.

Once the sauce has reduced to about the consistency of syrup, blend with a hand mixer till it resembles jam.

In the mean time you may have placed the salmon under the broiler for 10 minutes.

Now cover the broiled chinook with the berry sauce and broil for another 10-15 minutes.

VOILA!

Serve with snapped asparagus, steamed in chicken broth.

It's ok bebe. Mommy's done cookin'.