salmon spinach salad with crispy potatoes

here's a super quick and delicious way to use up salmon burgers without making burgers. it was an incredibly simple supper but I liked it.

Salmon Spinach Salad with Crispy Potatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 salmon burgers
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 lemon, cut in wedges

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, crispy and golden brown, 5 or 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add salmon burgers. Cook until golden brown on both sides - about 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

Combine the shallots, vinegar and about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool a minute and then whisk in buttermilk. Place spinach leaves in serving bowls and toss with the salad dressing. Top with potatoes and salmon burger and squeeze lemon wedges on top.

salmon burgers

I've really been loving salmon burgers lately. I could eat them every day. They are so easy to make, healthy and a quick dinner. I purchase a bag of Trident wild caught Alaskan salmon burgers from Costco and quickly saute them in a large skillet for about 4 minutes on each side until they're nice and golden. Then I lay then on a toasted bun with a bit of basil mayonnaise, fresh baby spinach leaves some tomato and red onion. Mmmm. try it sometime.

braised cod with roasted tomatoes and zucchini

Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods. It's easy and almost always produces a moist and flavorful dish. Plus, if you're like my husband, there's usually some sort of broth or sauce to dip your crusty bread in.

Last night I made Braised Cod with Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini. I used cod because I can afford cod - not because it's my first choice. If I could have found halibut for less than $12 a pound then I would have used that. However, cod worked fine.

2 (7 ounce) cod steaks, skin and bones removed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
kosher salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/4 inch slice
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Sprinkle both sides of cod with oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle the tomato and zucchini slices with salt and pepper as well.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. When hot, add zucchini and saute until browned on one side (about 1 minute). Flip over and saute until brown on the other side and tender. Remove zucchini from pan and divide among two serving dishes.

Add cod steaks and tomatoes to the saute pan (adding a bit more olive oil if necessary). Cook until cod steaks are golden on the bottom (about 4 minutes). Turn cod and tomatoes over and add 1 cup of water and the garlic. Bring liquid to a simmer and let cook until the cod feels firm (about another 4 minutes). Place cod, tomatoes and broth of the zucchini and garnish with parsley. I also suspect some freshly grated parmesan reggiano on top would be a delicious addition but we're trying to cut down on extra calories around here.

baked cod

I know that just hearing the word “casserole” probably makes your stomach gurgle with the thought of cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise (I’m already nauseous) but this is no casserole. There’s no cream, no canned soup and certainly no mayonnaise. There is, however, some delightful Gruyere cheese baked on top and I just can’t say no to Gruyere cheese. I served this up with some Haricot Verts (French green beans) lightly steamed and then finished off in a sauté pan with a swirl of olive oil, garlic and sea salt. I am making this one again and again.

Baked Cod


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, very thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine (I used non-alcoholic wine from Whole Foods which is the greatest thing ever)
1 1/4 pounds cod, cut into 4 pieces (Trader Joe’s is a great place for this – frozen)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups finely chopped whole-wheat artisan bread, (about 2 slices)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just starting to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until the wine is slightly reduced, 2 to 4 minutes.

Place cod on the onions and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Cover the pan tightly with foil; transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Toss bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, paprika and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Spread the bread mixture over the fish and top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque in the center, about 10 minutes more.

grilled halibut over black bean salsa and steamed rice

Tonight was one of those nights when we didn't have much in the house. I was in gym clothes and needed to shower so I was not about to go to the store. I had to make do with what we had and it turned out quite good (we also ate this with a bowl of chilled, fresh beets - yum!)

Black Bean Salsa
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can white corn, drained
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 small jalapeño, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Chill while steaming rice and grilling halibut.

Grilled Halibut
4 (6 ounce) halibut fillets
2 limes
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Lightly oil a grill pan with olive oil, heat over medium heat. Wash halibut fillets and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Gently place fillets in the hot pan and let cool over medium heat for 5 minutes. Squeeze limes over fillets, flip over and let cook for another 5 minutes until cooked through.

To serve: Place a mound of steamed rice on serving plate. Drizzle salsa over rice, making sure to get some "juice". Place halibut fillet on top, sprinkle some chopped cilantro over the fish and serve.

the dish begins

Welcome, Welcome! Since I went to culinary school, I often get asked for recipes and tips on how to do certain things. Blogging is an excellent avenue for sharing all things food and so here's my attempt to assist all aspiring chefs to become better at cooking. There are lots of excellent food blogs out there (including my favorites: FoodBeam, Bake & Shake and Rookie Cookie) and I don't profess to being on their level, but here's my attempt. So, here's to lots of cooking!

(image from Whole Foods Market)

Let's start with one of my favorite things ever: Salmon. I like to make salmon at least once a week since it's so incredibly good for a person. Plus, I like it so much that I could probably eat it every day. (See: Rancho de Tia Rosa Salmon Tacos in Mesa, Arizona)

I also like to make salmon because there are so many things that pair up deliciously with it. For example, Salmon and a citrus glaze: yum. Salmon and A1 sauce: yum. Salmon and cream cheese: yum. Salmon and mango salsa: yum. The possibilities are endless. However, today we'll start with something very simple: Salmon, lemon and fresh dill.

1 pound salmon fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch of fresh dill weed (or dried), coarsely chopped
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil (probably 1 - 2 Tablespoons) over the fillets. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Place baking sheet in oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice over the fillets. Top each fillet with a good amount of dill weed. Return to the oven for another 8 minutes or so until the inside of salmon is no longer dark pink.

Note: I love to serve this with brown basmati rice and steamed broccolini. I usually just steam the broccolini and drizzle a little of the lemon juice on top with salt and pepper. No need for butter even! Yipee!