Salmon en Croûte - Indbagt Laks

Salmon en Croûte - Indbagt Laks

This is one of my favorite dishes to make for an spring or summer buffet. I'll just use more puff pastry and a large piece of salmon fillet.

The creamed spinach is to die for. The sweet, creamy and a bit tangy taste pairs well with any fish or smoked sausage. This recipe makes too much for this dish, but I always serve it as a side for the fish.

Ingredients:

• 300 g salmon filet, deboned and without skin

• 1 package puff pastry, defrosted

• 1 egg for egg wash

Creamed Spinach:

• 450 g baby spinach (you can use frozen leaf spinach)

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 250 ml heavy whipping cream

• 1 lime, zest and juice

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator according to instructions on the package. 

Creamed spinach:

Melt the butter in a sauté-pan, steam the spinach in the butter a few minutes until it is wilted down, and you have cooked most of the water from the spinach down. Sprinkle the flour on the spinach, and stir until incorporated. Stir in the cream and cook the spinach until the sauce thickens, about a few minutes. Finally add sugar, lime juice and zest and season with salt, pepper and additional sugar. Cool the creamed spinach to room temperature, before adding it to the puff pastry.

Roll the puff pastry to two 16x8-inch (40x20 cm) rectangle. Place the on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Place a dollop of spinach in one end of the pastry, make sure to leave a ½-inch border to seal the pastry. Place the salmon on the spinach, and add more spinach on top. Fold the pastry over the filling, and close the pastry package by pinching it shut. Repeat with the next, and brush the packages with egg wash. Score the top with a sharp knife.

Bake the salmon for 25-30 minutes.

Serve the salmon with a nice salad.

Enjoy! 

Smoked Mackerel on an Open-faced Sandwich

Smoked Mackerel on an Open-faced Sandwich

Smoked mackerel on a slice of Danish rye bread is a real summer treat for me. My mom always bought smoked mackerel or herring for our weekend lunches in the summer period. And we all loved it. So I was very excited, when I finally found smoked mackerel from Ducktrap River of Maine (not smoked pepper mackerel) at my local Whole Foods. Of cause this is not the same as getting a freshly smoked whole mackerel, but its pretty close in taste, but a bit firmer in texture.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 pack 7-oz mackerel fillet
• 2 slices of Danish rye bread
• 2 radishes, in slices
• chives, finely cut
• Butter, optional

Directions:

Spread some butter on the bread. Remove the skin from the fish, and cut the fish, so it fits the bread-slices. Top the sandwich with radishes and chives. 

Enjoy your sandwich with a glass of cold milk or with a cold beer!

Pistachio crusted Halibut.

Pistachio crusted Halibut

I have been looking for ways to have more fish on the menu. Most times we end out having salmon. I really wanted to have more white fish. 

In Denmark you normally have halibut smoked for lunch on an open faced sandwich. So the fresh halibut was new to me, but it’s so meaty and the color so bright white. 

Putting halibut together with pistachios and lemon zest is a winning combination.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

4 (1 1/4-inch-thick) pieces skinless halibut fillet (about 6 ounces each)

1 cup whole milk

2/3 cup shelled pistachios

2 tablespoon parmesan,  grated

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, the zest of

Directions: 

Put fish in a ziplock bag, pour milk over it, and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the pistachios finely and mix it with lemon zest, parmesan and oil in a bowl.

Heat the oven to 425°F

Remove fish from milk, letting excess drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, top up with pistachio mixture to form a thick coating on the halibut.

Bake the fillets until the topping is crisp and browned and the fish is cooked through, 10 to 12 min., depending on thickness. Serve immediately.

Serve with roasted potatoes and a spicy sour cream sauce. 

Baked Salmon - the best ever!

Baked Salmon.

I love baked Salmon, the soft moist mild fish. It's so easy to make and is perfect to serve when you're having guests. Serve it with a cream sauce and pasta, sour cream dip and fingerling potatoes, the options are never-ending.

You can cook salmon in many different ways, but baking it like this is by far my favorite one, and properly one of the most healthy. 

Serves 3. 

Ingredients: 

• 3 pieces salmon, portion sized

• 1 lemon

• salt

• 1/2 cup wine or water

• 1/2 teaspoon canola oil (for greasing the baking dish)

Direction: 

Salmon ready for the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the skin and bones from the salmon.

Place the salmon fillet in an oven-safe baking dish greased with oil. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon on top of the salmon and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Slice the other half of the lemon in slices and lay them on top of the fish. Add wine or water to the baking dish. Bake in the oven for roughly 12-18 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. 

Enjoy.