The One About the Parmesan Salmon Bake

Hon-some and I love the Parmesan-crusted Cream Dory at Cookbook Kitchen and he has been telling me to recreate it at home.  Well, now that we're on a health freak mode, fish has become a much-needed fare on our dinner table.  Hence, I was only too happy to oblige.

I did some tweaking on the recipe (because I don't know the recipe to begin with) so this is pretty much all my own.

First, I used salmon (instead of cream dory) and steamed it.  Since this dish will be baked, you can skip the steaming.  But I love the taste of steamed fish (it tastes fresher); plus, it doesn't take long to steam fish.

While the salmon is steaming, I sauteed garlic in butter - again, I eyeball my ingredients; I never measure - and added flour to make a roux.  Then I added chicken stock and half-and-half.  Add some freshly grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  I added a handful of grated cheddar cheese to make it tasty.

After the salmon has been steamed, I flaked it and spread it onto a baking dish.  I covered the fish with the creamy sauce.  Then I topped the whole thing off with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and cubes of butter.  I baked it in the over just until the topping formed a lovely crust.

I served it with buttered French beans. :)

Yummy!  Try it; you'll love it. :)

The One About the Seafood Chowder

Another successful kitchen adventure!  The taste of this seafood chowder still lingers in my mouth.  It's THAT good!  And easy! :)




Here's what you'll need:

Butter
Garlic, minced
Onions, chopped
Shrimp
Squid rings
Fish cubes (dredged in flour then pan-friend; you can also poach the fish in milk)
Mushrooms
Cream of mushroom soup
Parsley
Potatoes, cubed

Here's what you do:

1. After pan-frying the fish, put a pat of butter in a pan and quickly cook the shrimp (heads removed) and squid.  Set aside.

2.  Saute onions and garlic.  Add the shrimp heads and, using a wooden spoon, squeeze out all the yummy . flavor from the shrimp heads.  Add the potatoes.

3.  Add water (or fish stock).  Water is fine because the flavor from the shrimp heads will be enough to intensify the seafood flavor of the dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.

4.  Add cream of mushroom soup (or milk or cream).  Add sliced mushrooms.

5.  Put the seafood back, sprinkle with parsley, and simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

I served the chowder with garlic bread.  Hon-some and I stumbled on this garlic bread recipe and it's the best garlic bread ever!!!

In a bowl, mix the following:  softened butter, chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and lemon zest.  Spread on bread and lightly toast in the oven!

I am suddenly reminded of how perfect this dish is now that the rainy season has officially begun in my home soil.  It's hearty, warm, filling, and it really hits the spot. :)