Sunflower-Parmesean Crusted Salmon Sticks

I love homemade fish sticks! We had these tonight, and they are fantastic.

1 16-20 ounce salmon filet, skinned

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

3/4 cup panko

3/4 cup crushed sunflower seeds

3/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Preheat the oven to 450.

Cut the salmon filet into 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch strips. Make the strips as even as possible for even baking.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and mix in salt and pepper. In a second bowl, beat eggs. In a third bowl, mix together sunflower seeds, panko and parmesean.

In order dip the salmon pieces into the flour, then eggs, then cheese mixture, gently pressing the fish to make the mixture stick. Place the salmon pieces on an oiled baking sheet (to prevent sticking). Drizzle lightly with olive oil, or use an olive oil spray to lightly coat the fish.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Salmon Cakes

This were pretty good! Maybe a bit dry (add a little more oil? Some milk?), but I did over-cook them a couple of minutes since the phone rang at the same time they were ready to come out of the oven! There are lot of variations to this: you could add dill, oregano, cumin, etc. My favorite flavor with salmon is dill, and I would have done that except I was using leftover salmon that had been BBQ’d with some other flavors. Anyway, I served this with three dips…two of which are good enough to pass on to you: cilantro-yogurt dip and yogurt dill sauce.

• 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 smallish onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 cups cooked salmon, flaked
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 cups (about) fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (I used two pieces and a heel)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat  1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into  patties. I made golf-ball sized balls and then flattened them, and produced about 14 patties.

There are a few ways you can cook these.

First, you can fry them by heating oil in a pan and frying them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties. Place them in the oven and bake until warmed through (about 10-15 minutes).

Next, you could bake them. Either place the patties directly onto a pan coated with cooking spray and bake 15-20, or until heated through. If you want the browned-on-the-outside look, coat your frying pan with a high temperature cooking spray, and brown the patties on the stove top before cooking them in the oven (just 1-2 minutes each side).

These were pretty tasty–and a great way to use leftover salmon!

Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges

Yogurt Dill Sauce

4 tablespoons lowfat yogurt
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Mix that all together and you have  a tasty, low fat dip perfect for salmon!!

Hot Crab Dip

 

Yum! This looks awesome. I decided not to make it for our New Year’s Party this year, but I’m going to have to get to it soon.

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup green onions, minced, optional
• 5 to 6 roasted garlic cloves or 2 cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (as always, I would use Sriracha)
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or toast points.  I think I would probably bake this in a few smaller crocks so that you can set them around at your party. If it’s all in one spot…all the people are in one spot!!

Recipe by Paula Deen, Food Network

Chipotle Fish Tacos

Love, love, love this recipe. The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are the perfect flavor. These come in a small can and can be found in the asian section of my grocery store. You always use just a small portion of the can (since they are really spicy). Just dice the leftovers, freeze them in 2-3 tsp portions and then you have them ready for your next recipe.

Fish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound flaky while fish (cod, halibut, tilapia)

Chipotle Cream Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced

Also needed:

• 8 corn tortillas (white corn tortillas are much better than yellow, in my opinion)
• shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup corn, cooked
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• lime wedges

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish filets and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade, grill on a pre-heated grill over medium high heat about 3 minutes per side (or until cooked through and flaky). Let rest for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the corn tortillas on the grill for about 30 seconds each side.

Flake the fish with a fork, and top each tortilla with fish, chipotle cream, lettuce, corn and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.