Maple-Pepper Salmon Bites

These little salmon bites really surprised me. First of all, I was scared of all that pepper because I'm not a huge pepper lover and just the idea of so much of it was making me gag a little. So I dipped some in pepper and left some undipped. Then I got a huge glass of water ready and popped a peppery one in my mouth. It was sooo delicious...not only did I not gag, I immediately ate about five more. Then I tried a plain one and ended up dumping a bunch of pepper over it, so it would taste more like the other ones. Since these couldn't be easier, I'll definitely be making them for the salmon lovers I know (don't be scared).

MAPLE-PEPPER SALMON BITES

Serves 6 as an hors d'oeuvre

1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup soy sauce

24 oz. skinned salmon fillet, cut into bite-size cubes

1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper

vegetable or canola oil

1.       Combine maple syrup and soy sauce in a medium-size bowl and add salmon, making sure the fish is fully immersed in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

2.       Grease a sheet of aluminum foil with the oil (vegetable oil sprays work well). Preheat oven to 500° F.

3.       Put pepper in small bowl or plate and dip top of salmon pieces into pepper. Place each peppered piece on foil, then cook in oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Epicurious, January 1999 by Nancy Hawley

skinless salmon fillets

cutting

cubed

maple syrup

soy sauce

salmon marinating

dipping in black pepper

ready to bake

baked

close up

Just to prove that my ability to hurt myself with ordinary,
every day stuff is unparalleled...I managed to get a speck of
black pepper jammed so deeply under my nail that I couldn't
get it out. It hurt for two days (I made these salmon bites
about five days ago). It's finally numb or something because
the stinging stopped. Now I can get back to obsessing about
my twitchy eye (don't ask).

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Salmon with Dill-Pistachio Pistou

I've heard of pistou before, but I admit it, I never really knew exactly what it was. My best guess was that maybe it referred to any kind of herbaceous, chunky topping that's way too thick to call sauce. Which isn't all that far off. But it turns out that it's more well defined than that. It's a paste made specifically of garlic, basil and olive oil (like a French version of pesto, but thicker). So obviously this is not a traditional pistou, but its fantastic flavor goes perfectly with salmon. I especially loved the chucks of pistachio, the texture was excellent. Don't skimp on the pistou...I made the full amount, even though I cooked only half the salmon and let's just say there's an empty space in our fridge where a tupperware container should be.

SALMON WITH DILL-PISTACHIO PISTOU

Makes 4 servings

Dill-Pistachio Pistou:

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (about 2)

1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios, toasted and finely chopped

1/4 cup pistachio oil or extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons pistachio oil or extra virgin olive oil

2 yellow (or orange) bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup water

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

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1.      Mix pistou ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.

2.      Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas, garlic, and 1/4 cup water; sprinkle with salt. Sauté until vegetables are just tender and water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon pistou. Transfer vegetables to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve skillet (do not clean).

3.      Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, in skillet; cook until skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn salmon and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Arrange salmon fillets over vegetables on platter. Spoon some pistou down center of each fillet and serve, passing remaining pistou alongside.

barely adapted from Bon Appétit, August 2009 by Jeanne Thiel Kelley

big bunch of fresh dill from the farmer's market

chopping scallions (they're not finely chopped yet)

chopped pistachios (I pulsed them in the food processor,
that's why they're not very evenly chopped)

all the pistou ingredients mixed

orange pepper

orange and yellow pepper strips

sugar snap peas, trimmed

peppers in the pan

I didn't make pistachio oil (because I hadn't planned
ahead, so it didn't have time to sit overnight). I can
only imagine the awesome flavor boost if you do make it.

sugar snap peas, garlic and water added

adding some pistou to the vegetables

vegetables mixed with pistou

salmon fillets in the pan

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Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

These salmon cakes are a nice change of pace from traditional crab cakes. I'm one of those people who doesn't like "fishy" fish (I realize how stupid that sounds), so I appreciate that these are mild. They're crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The yogurt sauce adds some really nice tang, while the lemon just brightens it all up. Plus it's a great way to use up leftover salmon (I'd like to pretend I have that problem, but who am I kidding).

SALMON CAKES WITH LEMON-CAPER YOGURT SAUCE

Yield: 6 to 8 salmon cakes

Salmon:

1 lb. skinless salmon fillet

olive oil, for drizzling

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup chopped fresh chives

26 saltine crackers, crushed (put half in a bowl and reserve for coating)

1/2 cup corn kernels, cut from 1 ear of corn (or thawed if using frozen)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more, as needed

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce:

1/2 cup whole plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.      Salmon: Preheat grill to medium-high heat (or oven to 350º F.). Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until the flesh is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. (Or put salmon in a baking dish and bake until just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.) Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

2.      Patties: Using a fork, flake the salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a medium bowl. Add egg, chives, 1/2 of the crushed crackers, the corn, mustard, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix gently until just combined. Form the mixture into 2 1/2-inch diameter patties, about 3/4 inches thick. (If the mixture is too dry to form into patties, add extra mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time,) Carefully coat the patties in the remaining crushed crackers and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3.      In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels.

4.      Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.      Arrange the salmon cakes on a platter and serve alongside the sauce.

barely adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

raw salmon, drizzled with oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper

baked salmon (don't be skeeved out by the grey color on
the other side, that's just from where the skin was removed)

cutting kernels off the corn cob

chives

lemon zest

saltines

I crushed them in a large ziploc bag, but you can use
a food processor or any method that works for you.
(The crushing was a good job to give my 6-year-old.)

crushed saltines

flaking the baked salmon

I flaked mine a little finer than the recipe calls for
(I just wasn't paying attention and did it out of
habit, like when you make salmon or tuna salad).
The texture was still great though.

everything else added on top of the salmon

all mixed

formed into patties (one in the back already dredged)

If you have any trouble forming the patties,
try adding one more tablespoon of mayonnaise.

all patties dredged in saltine crumbs

I was pressed for time and skipped putting these in
the fridge for an hour before cooking. I was worried
they might fall apart a little, but no problem.

salmon cakes pan-frying

flipped and almost ready

thick Greek yogurt

chopped capers, lemon juice and lemon zest added

sauce mixed

salmon cakes on paper towels

salmon cake with a dollop of lemon-caper yogurt sauce

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