Smoked Salmon Faux Frittata

I don't know what else to call it. A frittata is started on the stove, then transferred to the oven. I must confess that I do not have an oven-safe skillet. Thus, the "faux."

Preheat the oven to 300° and oil a baking dish. In a frying pan, cook thinly sliced onions until they are translucent. Add flaked smoked salmon and sliced black olives. Pepper to taste. Warm through and set aside.

Whisk six eggs together with a splash of milk and a couple spoons of sour cream.

Add the salmon, olives and onions to the baking dish. Spread some diced tomatoes and chopped fresh basil over the top. Cut a package of cream cheese into cubes and evenly space them in the pan. Now gently pour the egg mixture over the top.

I baked this for 30 minutes and then turned the broiler on for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with some slices of avocado and enjoy. This came out better than I could have hoped. Simply delicious!

Bon appétit!

Smoked Salmon Ravioli

Homemade pasta filled with homemade smoked salmon? Sure. Why not? I have an old ravioli maker from my grandmother. Still in the original box no less. And I have a hand-crank pasta maker as well. I was set.

I mixed the pasta dough with my hands. There really is no other way. I didn't have semolina flour so I used regular all-purpose flour. Two cups flour, two eggs, two tablespoons each of olive oil and water. The dough is a little rough to knead together. After it is well-mixed, let it rest for 15 minutes.

I set up the pasta maker on the counter and divided the dough into quarters. Working with a quarter at a time, I cranked it through the pasta maker, progressing from setting one through four, running the developing sheet through each setting a couple of times.

I lightly floured the ravioli maker and lay the pasta sheet across the top. Taking about a tablespoon of shredded smoked salmon, I pressed it into each indentation of the ravioli maker.

Then make another pasta sheet to go on top. Prior to laying it on though, brush a little water on the pasta in the tray. This will help in sealing the ravioli. Lay the sheet on top and gently work out any air bubbles that may be present. Then, using the small rolling pin from the ravioli maker, seal and crimp the ravioli. Gently remove the ravioli from the mold and onto a cookie sheet. I have found that popping these into the freezer makes separating the ravioli a whole lot easier.

I made a second set of twelve raviolis, and froze them all. I returned to the freezer later to gently shake the raviolis to help keep them from freezing together.

The raviolis are cooked in gently boiling water. They only need a couple minutes to cook the pasta and heat the salmon filling. I served these with sun-dried tomato tapenade, slices of steamed zucchini, sliced avocado and shaved Parmesan cheese. Garlic bread on the side. Of course.

Bon appétit!

Grilled Salmon

For our Sunday entree, I planned to grill the remaining fillet from the salmon that Brian had delivered a few days earlier. I was going to a baseball game prior to dinner so this had to be kept simple. In hindsight, I could not have made it simpler.

I chopped up some thyme, Italian parsley and dill. In a bowl I mixed some olive oil and naranja agria, then added the herbs. I used a spoon to kind of mush the herbs a bit in order to get the juices flowing. I popped this into the fridge until I returned from the game

Naranja agria is bitter orange juice and is available at Latin grocery stores. It is fantastic for marinades!

When I returned home, I fired up the grill and laid the salmon on the rack. Then I spooned the marinade onto the fish. C'est tout! After 10-15 minutes it was time to eat.

Sometimes I think I need to perform a lot of fancy culinary tricks to achieve deliciousness. This was a time when I was reminded that sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest.

Bon appétit!

Smoked Salmon

Ah. Smoked salmon. Who does not love smoked salmon? Even the devoutest of vegetarians might make an exception for good smoked salmon.

It has been a while since I last did this, but here goes. First, get a salmon. I have a great way for doing this. One of my Special Olympics athletes, Brian, is quite the fisherman. Two days ago he showed up at my door with a salmon in a plastic bag. A fifteen-pound salmon, give or take. (I did buy him an OREGON t-shirt that I'll give him at the baseball game tonight).

There would be a few firsts in this process. It was the first time I filleted a salmon with a real fillet knife. And it was the first time I filleted a salmon in our house, with its ample counter space. A few years ago, I struggled with a regular kitchen knife on the tiny bit of counter in my old apartment. Filleting a salmon is an art, one which I make no claims to having mastered. But I did find that given the proper knife, and enough space, the process went smoothly. Too smoothly?

I then cut the fillet into pieces, or slabs, about 1-2 inches thick. As I do this, a simple twist of the knife removes the skin from the fish. I like to leave the tail portion about six inches. No reason. I just like to.

The pieces of salmon are dredged thoroughly in a mixture of equal parts iodized sea salt and brown sugar. Really pack it around the fish. The pieces are placed on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerated for a day or two. The salt and sugar draw out excess moisture from the meat in preparation for smoking.

Now, rinse the salt and sugar from the pieces of salmon. You cannot scrub too hard here. The sugar will have infused the fish. You just don't want it to be too salty. Place the salmon onto clean waxed paper and blot excess water with a paper towel. At this point I like to brush the fish with some maple syrup, and pop it back into the fridge overnight.

Now we are ready to smoke the salmon. Get the smoker ready to go and retrieve the salmon from the refrigerator. Place the pieces of fish on the smoking screens, allowing space between them. I give them another brushing of maple syrup before I pop them in the smoker.

I just use the store-bought smoker chips. Fill the chip pan, place the racks in the smoker, and...plug it in. After an hour I put new chips in the smoker pan. After two hours, the smoked salmon is done. Sometimes a little more, or a little less time. It depends on the consistency you're looking for. I like a caramelized outside with a tender inside.

Now the only thing left to do, is to eat it.

Bon appétit!

Baked Salmon with Pesto Crust

This is one of my favorites. For serving when we have guests. And for eating. Elegant and so very, very simple. All you'll need is some salmon, dried bread crumbs, and pesto. OK, four, a little olive oil for the pan.

I buy pre-cut portions of salmon at Fred Meyer. They are uniform in weight, and in shape. (Important for baking time). I buy cheap packaged bread crumbs. The pesto will add the flavor. And I have pesto that I made and froze. The trip to the store is the most difficult part of this recipe!

Now the easy part. Mix the pesto and bread crumbs until a thick paste is formed. No measuring required. Just eyeball it. Then set the salmon portions on a working surface and blot them dry with a paper towel. This will allow the pesto crust to adhere better. Grab some of the crust mixture and work it onto the top surface of the salmon. As thick or as thin as you'd like. Just be even so cooking will be even as well. (See picture).


Place the crusted salmon portions in a baking dish that has been oiled and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Let the fish rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven. Just do it.

Bon appétit!