Saturday, November 14, 2009

Clean Plate Club - Baked Salmon

Hellooooo! Inch by inch, hand over hand, I’m summitting the mountain above the valley of the various viruses. Thanks for your warm wishes and messages during my blogging absence. All of my children officially rejoined the land of the living today, having recovered either from the dreaded H1N1 virus or nasty sinus infections. Recovery has been complicated by the resurfacing of my man-child’s seizures. He’s hanging in there, and so are we. Man-child? What's that, you ask? That’s what we call my 14 year old ... the man-child. Not only is he tall and handsome, he also looks much older than he is. He’s had a rough couple of weeks, but let me tell you, that kid has amazing strength of character. He’s the real deal, folks; an amazing young man. So say some prayers or send your positive thoughts his way.

I’m recovering as well. I managed to skirt the flu, but ended up experiencing the thrills of having a cracked molar extracted. Which promptly became infected. Then fate decided to bestow a dry socket on my healing crater. And just for grins, I got to relish the joys of having a bone stick through my gum which of course required another trip to the dentist to get filed down. As you can see, it’s been a festival here at Gouda central.Nevertheless, it’s not been all bad. I’m always telling my kids to try to look for the good in every situation. Here’s my good ... my clothes are much looser on me these days. Being restricted to liquids for a couple of weeks has that effect. Perfect timing before the holidays if you ask me!

Last night, my growling stomach cried out for something a bit more substantial than pureed mush, so I thought a nice, flavorful salmon fillet would be perfect. Now, I typically grill my salmon, however, last night I thought I’d fire up the oven to do double duty ... cook my meal as well as heat up the house. Like Alton Brown, I love multi-taskers!The results were terrific. After dinner, every single plate in my household was completely and totally clean. I mean they all but picked up their plates and licked them. My son, the man-child, had thirds and still wanted more. I served this with amazing oven browned, mashed potato croquettes and also some creamed spinach (only I had the spinach). I guess I’ll be making this again.

The trick to baking salmon is to not over-do it. The rule of thumb for baking time is 10 minutes per inch. Well, most salmon fillets that I’m familiar with are never more than an inch, so 10 minutes at 375 is all that's needed to provide you with a moist, tender, flaky result. You know how salmon fillets tend to be thick on one side and thin on the other? Well, this baking preparation does not require you to trim your pieces according to thickness. In fact, I just cut mine into hand sized pieces without trying to cut/sort by thickness. Now, preparing your salmon this way will not bless you with the crispy skin or edges that you get on the grill (which are so yummy); however, this perfectly prepared salmon is a great way to quickly get your meal on the table and definitely still provide a “wow” taste-bud factor.

Quick and easy is the name of the game, here. No marinades, no basting, no saucing, and no flipping. When I said easy, I meant E.A.S.Y.! In fact, the potatoes and spinach I made required more prep work and took longer to make than the fish did. Here we go ...

Baked Salmon
Fresh salmon fillet, skin on one side, cut into hand sized pieces. (I used 1-1/2 filets for 5 people)
Canola Oil
Salt
Pepper
Softened butter, about a heaping teaspoon per number of fish pieces
Herbs to season the butter. I used season salt, ginger, old bay seasoning, garlic salt, onion powder, and Spike.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rub oil on both sides of your fish, and season the skin side with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on the foil. Prepare your seasoned butter by mixing your favorite herbs and spices with the softened butter. Smear a heaping teaspoon on top of each piece of fish. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let sit for a couple minutes before plating.Take a bite. Mmm, mmm, mmm! See how beautiful it looks. Isn’t it perfect? Just the right blend of spice, salt, and butter. Plus, it's gluten free, too. Baked salmon is now one of my favorites, and reigns supreme in the clean plate club category. Yum! So tell me, what recipes do you make that qualify for the clean plate club?

29 comments:

Linda said...

I'm happy to see you're back and with a great recipe too! We love fish around here and I'm more of a griller too but I'll have to give this a try as it looks so easy!

pam said...

I'm glad everyone is doing better. As I would rather do just about anything than go to a dentist, your dentist tales still has me shivering.

Marjie said...

Oh, that looks wonderful! I'm so glad to see you back in top form! Ryan somehow didn't spread his flu throughout the household, so we were fortunate!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Glad to hear everyone is well on the mend. Salmon is so chocked full of nutrients it is a perfect "recovery" dish and so datn tasty!!

Mickle in NZ said...

So happy that you're back, and tempting me with food.

I'm guessing that the assorted viruses your Son was fighting off have upset his internal system well and truely. With time it will settle down again. Distressing for you all right now, the Paula cooking will help him back to an equalibrium.

Hope those pets snuggled up to help their significant Humans heal.

Sending care, love and many healing huggles, Michelle and my much loved Zebbycat (he ealps to heal me) xxx and purrrrrumbles

grace said...

i don't know that i've ever found fish appetizing, but this is certainly the closest i've come--that last shot is absolutely enticing!
i'm glad that the end of the battle seems to be in sight for your crew (man-child included--i love that you call him that!). :)

Cathy said...

Hi Paula, I'm so happy to read that you all are feeling better. All your dental problems make me shudder. I hate going to the dentist.

Your oven baked salmon looks heavenly. Sounds like everybody's appetites have returned...a very good sign.

George Gaston said...

I definitely would be in the 'clean plate club' if this marvelous meal was served to me. It is cooked to perfection!

Glad to hear that your a conquering 'Mount Virus' and look forward to more of your 'clean plate' recipes. Thanks

noble pig said...

Oh man, I've had the dry socket and was somewhere for 5 days without treatment. I thought I was going to die, worse than the flu anyday. Glad you are back to recovery over there.

Jennifer said...

I am so glad to see you and am thankful your family is feeling better! I am not a huge fish fan, but I would gobble that up!

Tatersmama said...

YES! Now I have reason to buy those gorgeous salmon filets at Costco!
I love salmon, but unfortunately with the Old Guy, he's just not as enamoured as I am...

I'm glad that you're all on the mend, but to deal with everything you've had to deal with, and then deal with dental stuff??? Well, we have no doubt now, that you show amazing grace under fire!

Deborah said...

Oh, my - it sounds like it's been a bit rough around your house! I'm glad everyone, including you, is on the mend! I am a huge salmon lover, so this is right up my alley!

DayPhoto said...

Oh! You are back! I'm glad. You have been missed very much!

Linda
http:coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Pam said...

I am so sorry for your tooth issues - ugh. At least YOU didn't catch the flu too. The salmon looks really delicious.

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm so glad you're back and everyone is better!!! I'm going to have to try this--we went from grilled to broiled salmon and one day I revolted...I'm starting to miss it again!

Zupan's Markets said...

Glad to hear the family are back in good health and able to enjoy a tasty, healthy meal from Mom. Isn't it amazing how a little butter + the right seasonings can make a dish come alive?

Lisa said...

Your salmon looks perfect! Glad to hear you are feeling better. That flu or whatever it is that is making the rounds is no fun. Best wishes to all of your family for a full and speedy recovery!

Cindy said...

I hope you like the turkey tetrazzini recipe, we just had frozen leftovers from it last night :) My husband reacts like that to bandaids also, he has found that he can use the Curad Sensitive Skin adhesive bandages otherwise his skin does the same thing. Something is mixed in with the adhesive and it's not good!

Anonymous said...

The salmon looks terrific. However, the proximity of the wet pink salmon to your saga of bones and gums made for dicey reading.
Glad you're on the mend.

La Bella Cooks said...

Wow, you have been through quite a lot lately! I am so glad to hear you and the family are on the road once again.

Maria Verivaki said...

so glad you are back and cooking
i hope we hear some good news about your man-child too
thinking of you lots...

dp said...

Glad to hear your family is better. I can only imagine how crazy it was for you during that time. I'm sending positive thoughts for your son. Hope you guys have a good holiday weekend.

Manggy said...

I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers for your son :) And to you and your teeth as well! I'm glad they were able to accommodate this delicious salmon! :)

Jan said...

Oooh nasty - I hate the dentist!
That baked salmon looks so good!

Jason said...

Wow, that looks awesome. I love your blog, keep it up =)

DayPhoto said...

Paula I wanted to tell you I made your Homemade chicken and rice noodle soup and it was delicious! Since we are a gluten free household with grandchildren also struggling with Celiac's disease your recipes are really a nice addition to the cookbooks I buy.

I also made Chestnut, Quiona Crepes with dried cherries and cottage cheese cream as desert. The whole meal was wonderful!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Lo said...

So glad that you're feeling better. I know it's been a long haul -- but it looks like you're eating well!

Don't talk to me about the dentist -- I have three part procedure coming up this month, and I'm NOT looking forward! NOpe, nope.

Judy said...

The salmon looks great, but I am so sorry for all your tooth troubles. I hate going to the dentist and I really empathize with your pain.

Sarah @ Taste My Plate said...

I love salmon made this way! Simple and always tasty :)
Can you tell me how you made your oven browned mashed potatoes? They also look delish!