Some of Our Favorite Salmon Recipes

On July 21, 2023July 21, 2023 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes1 Comment

Salmon is extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes and styles of dishes. It can be baked, grilled, pan-fried, or even broiled with equally delicious results. It can be added to salads or casseroles as well, but we enjoy it as a main dish. One of our go-to meals is to have salmon and rice with hollandaise sauce, but these are some of the different recipes that we’ve made that we’ve enjoyed.

Our Version of Salmon Oscar with Asparagus

Salmon Oscar – During our trip to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, we had a very delicious meal that the restaurant called Salmon Chesapeake. It was salmon topped with lump crab meat with a cream sauce. For our attempt to replicate this meal, we went with a cross between a Veal Oscar and a stuffed flounder. This isn’t a complicated recipe at all, but it looks and tastes wonderful, so it is a perfect dish for entertaining.

Salmon with Capers and Honey Sauce – We had so many similar style dishes when visiting the Mediterranean regions, we only wish that we could have been sitting on a beach while we ate. The sauce is a combination of sweet and savory and can be used on a variety of proteins including chicken or other types of fish as well. Having salmon with a light and refreshing sauce such as this makes for a wonderful weeknight dinner. We decided to bake the salmon, but you could just as easily pan fry it if you would like to create a crispy skin.

Salmon with a Spicy Pepper Sauce – During our trips to Mexico, we have always enjoyed having seafood cooked with local preparations. Not all food in Mexico is spicy and this recipe isn’t overly spicy, but it does have a little bit of heat. Although you can certainly use a fish other than salmon, we found that salmon was able to hold up to the bold taste of the creamy pepper sauce. We have often made a hollandaise sauce to go with salmon, but using the peppers provides a different alternative.

Achiote Marinated Salmon – This is another dish that is inspired by our many trips south of the border and one of the things that we enjoy about Mexican dishes are the various spices and peppers that they use in them. This dish has spice, but it isn’t at all spicy. Achiote is made from a hard seed that is ground up and provides a deep red color to whatever it is prepared with. We made a simple paste from the Achiote, which comes as a thick block with the consistency of clay. Using fresh lime juice brightens up the dish and makes it even more savory.

Salmon with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce – This a very simple dish, but it is also quite delicious. The combination of lemon, butter, and capers can make the fish both sweet and sour, as well as salty, which is a really nice combination. Like many of the recipes, it is something that works well with other fish as well, but salmon is able to take on the flavors while still having flavor of its own.

Baked Salmon Filets with Farro – One of the ingredients that you will sometimes find in Tuscan cooking is a grain called farro. We decided to bake the salmon and serve it with farro, which turned out moist and was quite delicious. We found it nice for a weekend meal since it has several steps to prepare, but it could be done on a weeknight as well.

Although these are some of our favorite recipes from the past, we certainly look forward to trying salmon in many different ways in the future. We also enjoy trying salmon during our travels and then seeing if we can replicate them after we return home.

Polish Sausage, Peppers, and Onions, and a Warm, German Potato Salad

On July 8, 2020July 8, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes1 Comment

Sausage is something that can be found throughout the world, but we definitely had plenty during our time living in Europe. We have a local butcher who prepares different styles of sausage based upon what is fresh and available during the time of year. We went to the butcher a couple of weeks ago and picked up some Polish sausage as well as a red pepper sausage. We decided to take the Polish sausage and combine with a sautéed peppers and onions. Even though we never had warm potato salad while in Germany, it is something that we enjoy and this was our first time making it at home. We used fingerling potatoes, which held up nicely and added a little color to the salad.

INGREDIENTS

Sausage and Peppers

2 Polish Sausages
1/2 Red Pepper – roughly julienned
1/2 Yellow Pepper – roughly julienned
1/2 Red Onion – sliced
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Warm Potato Salad

1/2 lb Fingerling Potatoes
1/8 lb Bacon
1/3 Red Onion – chopped
1/2 Stalk Celery – chopped
1/4 tsp Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the potatoes in half and add them to a pot with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender, when a knife easily slips in and out of the potato. Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl, and set aside. In a skillet, cook the bacon until it is almost crispy and then place on a paper towel. If cooking an entire package of bacon, as we did, drain all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and whisk until smooth in order to make a roux. Add the water and vinegar and continue to whisk until the liquid is slightly thick. Roughly chop the bacon and return it to the pan along with the onion and celery. Cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender and translucent. Pour enough of the dressing over the potatoes and toss until the potatoes are coated (you might not need all of the dressing). Cover the potatoes to keep warm or place them in the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

In another skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and cook the sausage until fully cooked and the skin is caramelized. Remove the sausage and let rest. Add the other tablespoon of oil, the peppers, and the onion and cook the vegetables until slightly soft. Add the sausage back to the pan for a couple of minutes to heat them back up. Slice the sausage on a bias and serve with the peppers along with the warm potato salad. Serves two.

Polish Sausage with Peppers, Onions, and a Warm, German Potato Salad

Memphis Style Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs

On June 24, 2020June 24, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes5 Comments

We don’t cook baby back ribs that often, but when we do, we usually do a wet marinade. This time we decided to try our hands at creating a Memphis style rub for a change of pace and it turned out quite delicious. We cooked the ribs on the grill, but we didn’t put them directly on the rack, but instead used a foil-lined baking sheet. They turned out to be moist and tender with just enough spice to have a little zing. The rub is something that could be used on different types of meat such as pork or chicken as well. We matched it with a Southwestern Pasta Salad that we’ll share the recipe for next week.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs – membrane removed
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Paprika (we used a hot paprika, but smoked paprika is fine)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or to taste
1/4 tsp All-Spice
1 tbsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all of the spices in a bowl. Using your hands, rub the ribs generously with the spice mixture. Let the ribs marinade in the rub for 2 to 4 hours in order to let the flavors absorb into the meat. Heat a grill to a medium-low heat, about 325 degrees. Place the ribs, bone-side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with a non-stick spray. Set the baking sheet onto the grill and close the lid, keeping the heat around 325 degrees. After 10 minutes, flip the ribs to meat-side down. After another 10 minutes flip the ribs back to bone-side down. Cook another 10 minutes and remove from the grill. Let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve.