Chermoula Salmon

Another simple salmon recipe: just slather salmon with chermoula–a pesto-like Moroccan marinade–and roast until done (in my toaster oven, this takes 20 minutes at 425 degrees, but your mileage may vary).

Tapenade Salmon with Orange Spinach en Papillote

Tapenade Salmon en Papillote over Orange Spinach before baking

This is an easy, low-carb make-ahead supper. Well, it is easy if you buy a jar of  olive spread (I used Ta’amti tapenade).

It also helps if you know how to cook “en papillote,” which is a French term for cooking something wrapped in paper. According to the dictionary, the term doesn’t come from “papier” (paper) but “papillon” (butterfly). Maybe because the paper is traditionally cut into a heart shape, folded in half, so it looks a bit like a butterfly? I don’t know . . . But, you can even more easily wrap the fish in a rectangular piece of foil and that will still accomplish the primary “en papillote” goal of trapping and infusing flavor during baking. I have made this fish in foil and in paper and both ways work.

Here is what you do: saute baby spinach with garlic and orange zest and then lay it on a piece of parchment or foil (traditionally, the paper is greased, but I didn’t bother and it was fine). Spread a piece of salmon with tapenade and place the salmon over the spinach. Squeeze over a little lemon juice. Wrap the fish up in the foil or parchment (here is how you crimp the parchment, if that is what you are using). Set the package aside in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before you want to serve the fish. Then cook the fish and serve.

You could also make this fish without the paper or foil, just roasting it uncovered on a baking sheet. The spinach can be cooked separately on the stove instead of with the fish in the oven. The en papillote method seems to infuse the flavors more, plus you get a delicious blast of savory aromas when you open the package. Olive, orange and garlic fuse together, creating an aroma that is intense, almost meaty in its umami-ness (if that is a word).

The spinach all by itself is lovely, fragrant with garlic and a hit of orange that is both unexpected and yet absolutely right. If you want to make the spinach separately, you can just leave the spinach in the pan in which you wilt it, cover it and cook it another 20 minutes on low before serving.

Salmon Puffs

Imagine little borekas, but with a surprise bite of Dijon Dill Salmon on the inside instead of the usual potato or cheese or spinach. If that appeals to you, then you will love these little puffs.

This is adapted from Chavi Sperber’s recipe for Salmon Pastry Boxes in the Joy of Kosher Magazine. The original recipe called for making puff pastry and cutting it into eight squares (5″ square). I used pre-made puff squares (about 3″ square). Instead of cutting the salmon into eight chunks, I cut it into 18 pieces and made smaller two-bite puffs. I shaped and baked the puffs differently, too. Instead of baking them at 350, I baked them at 375 degrees, convection mode (400 degrees regular mode). One more thing: I eliminated the cute scallion garnish (you tie the puffs like little packages).

These are delicious and different. And easy, too!

Suzy Cohen’s Moroccan Salmon

Salmon simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, olives and chick peas. This easy but different fish course comes from Suzy Cohen. “Great for Friday night dinners,” she wrote on the recipe, “A real crowd pleaser!”

Pan Seared and Slow Roasted Salmon Trio

Cook’s Illustrated had a article on making better glazed salmon. The basic idea is this: (1) coat the salmon with a mixture of brown sugar and cornstarch (1 tsp. brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, black pepper, as needed); (2) sear the salmon in a hot pan to brown it; (3) cover the salmon with a sauce that has been cooked down a bit with a little cornstarch to thicken it and make it stick to the salmon; (4) bake the salmon at 300 degrees until done.

Easy Summer Salmon, with Tomato and Basil

This recipe for Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil is adapted from Mark Bittman and Jean-George Vongerichten (it appears in Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times, and is also in The Essential NYT Cookbook).

Last year, I made (but never posted about) a similar, but slightly more complicated fish dish from Dorie Greenspan, called Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote.

The recipe is so simple that it is more of an idea than a recipe: put salmon on foil with basil leaves, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Wrap and roast until done. Dorie’s version adds scallions, thyme, lemon zest and lemon slices, and gives you the option of caramelizing the tomatoes first. Dorie also calls for a slightly different assembly.

Sesame Salmon Fillet

This is from Taste of Home. I found via Judith Trachtman’s post in the Jewish-Food group on Yahoo. My in-laws collected a bunch of fish recipes from the Jewish Food Mailing List and other sites, and I am gradually working my way through them.

Orange Ginger Salmon with Mango Salsa

I made this recipe from Israeli Kitchen and served it with a mango salsa from www.aboutseafood.com.

Easy Broiled Salmon

I have found a really easy, really fantastic way of making salmon.