Simple Lemon Salmon

Tonight I made one of my "go-to" meals. It looks and tastes delicious but requires very little prep-time or work. Also, it is a great source of protein, vitamin-D and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s assist with immune function and may reduce inflammation.

I always use High Liner Wild Pacific Salmon- which has 4 individually frozen salmon filets in a 1lb bag. Sometimes "wild" fish (as opposed to farmed fish) is seen as expensive, but I buy my salmon from... you guessed it... Shoppers Drug Mart. The pack of 4 filets is usually $7.99, but I got mine on sale for $5.99. Sometimes when Shoppers is giving away bonus points for their rewards program, I like to stock up. The wonders of frozen food!

The package says it is not necessary to defrost the salmon before use but I do it anyways. I place the filets I will be using in a ziplock bag and place the bag in a bowl of cold water. If I remember to defrost the salmon at least 8 hours before serving, I keep it in the fridge. If I don't remember to defrost until a few hours before serving, I just keep the salmon in its bowl of cold water on the kitchen counter. Never defrost your salmon with warm water. "Soaking" the filets using a ziplock bag and water allows the cold water and frozen salmon to come to the same temperature. (I learned this in grade 12 math class- thermal equilibrium).

This meal can be prepared a few hours ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to cook (and eat)!

Ingredients:

2 filets of salmon (defrosted)

1 lemon

1 tsp each of dried parsley and thyme

2 tsp of olive oil (optional- salmon has its own oils too!)

Salt and pepper

What you need:

Oven-safe dish, large enough for the salmon (I usually use a brownie pan or a glass dish)

Parchment paper

Spatula (to handle the cooked fish)

Directions:

*** Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit ***
1) Cut lemon in half. Slice one half of the lemon into 6-8 slices and reserve the other half for juicing.

2) Line your baking dish with parchment paper.

3) Place salmon filets on top of parchment paper.

4) Sprinkle parsley and thyme on top of salmon filets. Add oil and salt and pepper as desired.

5) Juice the reserved half-lemon on top of salmon filets.

6) Place lemon slices on top of salmon filets.

7) If there is excess parchment paper in the baking dish, try your best to fold it into the pan (using a heavy spoon to hold the paper in place is efficient). This is not necessary but prevents the parchment paper from burning.

8) Bake your salmon at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. Salmon is ready when it can be flaked apart with a fork. Plate using a spatula. Serve with rice and a simple salad.

Salmon Croquettes with Lemon-Mayo

Today I had an appointment with my gastroenterologist. Everything went well but he asked me to get some blood tests to check my white blood cell counts. There was a long lineup at the outpatient lab so I made good use of my time and did some recipe planning on my blackberry.

A while ago, canned salmon was on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. Naturally, I stocked up. I tried to have the canned salmon for lunch in a cold salad but was put off by the fishy taste.

Using Google to look up "canned salmon recipes", I came across this Lemon Salmon Burger recipe.

Obviously I had to make some adjustments to suit my dietary restrictions (substitute bread crumbs, omit red pepper flakes and onion), but I was determined to have some yummy salmon for lunch.

When I got home, I considered defrosting the gluten-free bread I had in the freezer for bread crumbs. Then, I realized what I could use instead: stale potato chips!

There aren't many snacks I can have that are cheap and readily available but plain potato chips are often made with just potatoes, oil and salt. I usually buy the Lay's brand "lightly salted" variety. My bag of potato chips has been going stale for a week. I was ready to throw them out but thought "people use stale bread in recipes all the time, why not use stale potato chips?"

Ingredients:
For the croquettes:

1 can salmon (I used Clover Leaf brand Wild Red Pacific Sockeye Salmon).
If you see salmon skin and bones, try to remove these as best as possible. In a croquette, these are just not appetizing.

1 small ziplock bag full of potato chips (about 30 chips), crushed in bag.

Handful of parsley, washed and chopped.

2 eggs (beaten)

Salt (about 1 tsp) and pepper (about 8 grinds of the pepper mill)

2-5 tbsp Cooking oil (I used leftover bacon grease)

For the lemon-mayo:

2 tbsp mayo

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Pinch of dried basil

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine salmon, potato chips, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.

2) Heat a non-stick pan to medium (6) and add cooking oil.

3) Form the croquettes using a fork and the palm of your hand. Place each croquette in the pan as it is formed.

4) Cook croquettes on first side until bottom is slightly browned (approximately 5 mins). Flip the croquette and brown the other side (approximately 3 mins). Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to repeat this process a few times. Give the croquettes at least a 1/2 inch "breathing space" on each side.

5) While croquettes are cooking, mix mayo, lemon juice and basil in a small bowl.

6) Serve immediately. Makes about 8 palm-sized croquettes.

I have a few croquettes left over- these would be delicious with a salad for dinner tonight. You can also make the croquettes smaller and serve with a variety of flavored mayos as an appetizer or finger food.