baking salmon

 Every time I cook salmon, I have to look it up again.  So, putting it here. 

Frankly, I really like pan fried fish - I like that crispiness.  But, I hate the smell of fish cooking which is worth in a skillet.  Oven, less smell.

So:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

 

Lightly grease baking dish.  

 

Season salmon.  (I'm using lemon no-salt Dash now and I like it!)   

Bake in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. (No need to flip the fish.)

Flakiness indicates doneness.  It will cook more when out of the oven. 

 

canning salmon

Notes so I remember next time. 

Last year I canned sockeye salmon because a friend's boyfriend had too much and so they shared, and it was FABULOUS.  I especially like the salmon patties I make with it.  Also of course I love it because it's free. 

Well, this year isn't free, but I found a source with coho.  He says it'll be great for canning because of all the good oil.  I'll give it a whirl. 

Last year I canned all pints (except a practice run with some past-prime pink fillets my friend's kid gave me; they were not great but dogs have enjoyed that).  This year I realized that half-pints would expand how often I use it.  It's a commitment to open a pint and have to eat it quickly, especially since the dog can't eat it (she gets stomach problems).  But a half pint I could make into a sandwich spread and eat for breakfast on toast.  Oh, yes.  So, I pulled out all the half pint jars and ... I need more.  It'll still be mostly pints. 

So, today I went and got the coho and it was such a delightful experience to chat with the fellow and learn. 

I got 20# with the heads on, gutted and bled.  That was 4 fish ($80 as it's $4/#).  I'll mark here when finished how many jars that makes.

I need a good fish knife.

It took me about 1.5 hours to process the fish - chop off the heads (save to make fish broth to can so that I can make salmon chowder in the deeps of winter, and then bokashi the fish heads since I can't just bury them outside), chop off the tail and fins (then chop to put into bokashi bin), cut into pieces.  I wash the fish off in cool water and scrape off easy scales, but I don't really scale the fish, and I don't remove bones or skin.  I don't usually eat the skin when canned, but it slides right off (MUCH less waste than trying to skin it raw).  The bones get soft and are crunchy, and a good source of calcium.

My canner (an electric Carey canner aka Nesco, that I use A LOT) only holds about 4 jars, but I think I can stack the half-pints on top of the pints, so I can do 4 pints and 3 half-pints per load.

Pressure can on high for 100 minutes. 

So I can do one load tonight and hopefully can finish tomorrow.  I have to let my canner cool down and rest between loads, but I'm guessing I'll be doing about 18 pints worth, so ... maybe 3 loads tomorrow?  I can start early since I just have to warm lids and fit it into jars and roll.  Then I'll make the fish broth and can that. 

Not bad.  Maybe two hours worth of work and $80 for 18 pints of fish and a few quarts of broth. 

If I'm still feeling chipper when all done processing, I'll ask him to try again for some sockeyes on his next run ($5/pound). 

I'm gonna need more jars!

salmon patties with oats

Most salmon patties are made with bread crumbs - and that's fine, and I usually have some on hand.  But I have 10# of rolled oats to use up and so I wanted to do something with those.  These are very tasty and are good warmed up for breakfast (with potatoes and sour cream, which is how I like most things).  They're on the dry side, which is what I wanted.  From here.

Mix together:
1 pint jar canned salmon with skin and oil removed (keep the bones and crush them up)
1 egg
3/4 cup oats
1/4-1/3 c. milk
1 tsp dill
2 T onion finely diced or a shallot or onion powder
a dash of sriracha

Let it sit for 15 minutes or so.

Shape into 6-8 patties and cook about 4-5 minutes per side.  

potato canned salmon dish

This is quite tasty!  The reviews on the post said it was bland, but I wonder if that depends upon the quality of the salmon - and what I have is great.  I did also have a heavy hand with the salt and pepper, and I don't know how it will be as leftovers.  But, it's very nice when from oven.

Ingredients

1 14.75-ounce can pink salmon (with bones), drained
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup milk
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
3 tablespoons (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped green onions (1 bunch)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil pan (pie plate or oval baking dish).  Separate salmon into chunks, leaving bones intact (bones are very soft and will blend into potato mixture). Remove black pieces of skin; feed to dog. Set salmon aside.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Mash.  Add milk and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in eggs. Stir in salmon and green onions. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.

Bake casserole until golden and heated through, about 30-45 minutes.

salmon-broccoli-brown rice casserole

Looking into my refrigerator, I see broccoli that needs to be used up.  I look at cupboards and see brown rice and canned salmon also needing to be used.  Plus, frozen onions.  So, some ideas from here.  I wanted to use sour cream instead of mayonnaise, but I am somehow out of sour cream.  I have no idea how that could be the situation in my refrigerator, and I keep staring in there as though it's tucked behind some sauerkraut or daikon.  It's not.  Aghast.  This time I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 yogurt and it was fine.  I think it was a bit too rich so I've cut back the cheese to the recipe.  It is quite tasty though and will be used again.  

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 jar salmon, drained, skin removed (crush the bones - they're good calcium)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or sour cream?  and/or yogurt?)
salt & pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (or less)

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet, saute onion and then broccoli in butter until tender.

Remove from the heat; stir in rice and salmon. Combine egg and mayonnaise; stir into the salmon mixture.  Add salt and pepper.

Spoon half into a greased 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining salmon mixture. 

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

salmon potato hash

I'm trying to use up the food I already have, as I overspent my food budget this month.  (How?  I have no idea.  It's already generous. Oh right - I cooked for parties and guests.)

I have about 30 jars of canned salmon to use up, which is such amazing abundance and I feel so lucky.  And I had potatoes.  And a bag of little peppers.  So, I cooked up a big pan of salmon potato hash that will serve as leftovers for days to come.  Breakfast skillet with a duck egg?  Yes, please!  Ideas from here.

***
4-6 potatoes, in small cubes
1 T butter
2 T oil
1 onion, chopped
peppers (bell, sweet mini, etc.)
garlic powder
salt, pepper
1 jar of salmon (I pulled out skin and bones and fed to dog with the juice)


Heat oil in large cast iron pan over medium heat.  Add potatoes and let cook covered for about 10-15 minutes.

Add in onion and peppers and seasonings.  (I think some other herbs could be good, as well as vegetables.)  Cook about 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.  Add in the jar of salmon and let it cook another 5 minutes or so. 

I ate it with some sour cream and hot sauce, of course.

easy canned salmon hash

I've looked some things up to figure it out, and I'll try to make this soon and will update accordingly.

Salmon hash

Boil potatoes whole for about 20 minutes.  Cool, then chop into chunks or slices.

Chop 1 onion and bell peppers if have them, and saute until translucent.  Add in the potatoes and fry until potatoes are browning. 

Stir in the salmon from one can (removing bones and skin) and heat through, adding salt, pepper, and chives. 

Cook an egg on top? 

salmon fried rice

This isn't spectacular salmon fried rice, but it works.  I added in some cabbage with the onions and wish I'd put in more.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup diced red onion
• 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 4 cups day old cooked white rice (from about 2 cups of raw rice)
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 cups cooked salmon in large chunks
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens
• Cilantro (or parsley) for garnish

Stir together soy sauce and brown sugar, set aside.  Whisk 3 eggs in separate bowl, set aside.

With oil heated over medium-high heat, cook onion and bell pepper for about 5 minutes until browning.  Turn heat down to medium and add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or so.

Add eggs and stir and cook until just barely done.  Add in the cooked rice and mix it up and let it cook 5 minutes or so.  Add in the peas, salmon, and green onions, and cook a bit longer (thaw peas, etc.).  

salmon loaf

This is a pretty tasty salmon loaf that goes well with potatoes and vegetables.  I get a pound package of frozen salmon pieces which I use, but in the future when I have access to salmon that I can, I'll use that.  I didn't make the sauce though the reviews say it's great.  From here with some changes.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed (or 1# frozen package)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

 OLIVE CREAM SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the salmon, onion, bread crumbs, and butter. Stir in the egg yolks, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into salmon mixture.
• Transfer to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Place in a larger baking pan. Add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in olives. Serve with salmon loaf.