Fun to catch, better to eat, salmon is rich in nutrients and Omega-3's, making it both a delicious and nutritious food source.
An old Irish blessing says, “May you be as healthy as the salmon.” Salmon has always been a staple in any Irish kitchen. Salmon was once considered a “king amongst fish” in Ireland and today abounds in the streams and rivers of the emerald isle.
While there are many ways to cook salmon, these dishes below are both innovative and easy to make. Plus, they are also considered to be good dishes to make for the festival of Mabon.
Celtic Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole salmon, cleaned, trimmed and scale-less (the fishmonger at the market should be able to do this if a salmon cannot be found already cleaned and scaled)
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley sprigs
- ½ cup of white wine
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 lemon
Directions:
- To begin, insert the raw shallot pieces and approximately 10 sprigs of parsley inside the cleaned salmon. Place the fish in a well-buttered and non-stick ovenproof dish. Then dab all over with butter, seasoning with the salt and pepper. Add the white wine to the dish, then cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, basting occasionally. After the 45 minutes, pour the cream over the salmon and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the salmon is done.
- Next, remove the salmon to a serving dish and keep warm. Strain the sauce the salmon has just cooked in into a saucepan. Simmer on low, reducing the amount of liquid slightly. Then add the juice of half a lemon and heat for another minute. Pour some of this sauce over the salmon, with the majority being poured into a sauceboat to be served at the table. Before serving, garnish the salmon with lemon slices and parsley. Serve with fresh vegetables on the side.
Salmon & Raisin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pound of cooked salmon (poached or baked is fine)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 cup of chopped figs
- ¾ cup of white wine
- ½ cup of pitted dates, chopped
- 1/8 tablespoon of ground ginger
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ cup of golden raisins
- ¼ cup of currants
- 2 9-inch pie crusts (top and bottom)
- 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds plus an additional ¼ cup of ground almonds
- Sprig of saffron
- 3 tablespoons of milk
Directions:
- To begin, drizzle the lemon juice over the salmon and set aside. In a small saucepan, simmer the figs in the wine on a low heat, for 15 minutes. Remove the figs, leaving the wine in the pan, and place the figs in a small bowl or cup for use later. Then simmer the dates in the already-warmed wine. After another 10 minutes, remove the dates and put them in a different bowl than the figs. To the figs, add the ginger, pepper, cloves, cinnamon and salt and combine well. Then add the sultanas and currants to the seasoned figs, again mixing well.
- Next, pour the fig and raisin mixture into the bottom of the pastry shell, spreading evenly. Toss in the chopped almonds and also spread evenly. Then add a layer of salmon pieces, followed by a layer of the dates and then a final layer of salmon. Put the pie top on and make sure to not only crimp the edges, but also cut a cross on the top before baking to allow the steam to escape.
- Before baking, glaze the pie crust by combining the 1/4 cup of ground almonds, saffron and milk in a small bowl. Simply brush the glaze on the pie top. Then bake the pie at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm with a side salad or other vegetable green.
Slainte!
The copyright of the article Simple Salmon Recipes in Dinner Recipes is owned by Jennifer Buchet. Permission to republish Simple Salmon Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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