10 Ways to Make the Most of a Whole Salmon

I had salmon for dinner last night and then again for lunch today – I eat a lot of salmon. Every time Tesco has whole fish at half price price (so about £16 depending on the size) I buy one and eat it all myself – my real man, of course, not liking it.

So, I thought I’d go on a bit about salmon and some great ways to eat it.

When I first took to buying whole salmon, I didn’t have the shop scale and fillet it for me because I know how to do it. After a while I realised my silliness – it saves quite a lot of work and mess if they do it for you and they still let you take home the head and bones.

I always put the skeleton and head in a large pot with just enough cold water to cover it. Bring it to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 mins till the flesh is translucent. Drain (there is not much point in keeping the “stock” it won’t have assumed much flavour in that short time) and set aside till cool enough to handle. Then, using your fingers, remove every useful bit of salmon you can from the wreckage. 

See later in this post for ideas for these scraps.

When I portion the salmon fillets I usually get about 12 x 170g/6oz fillets, I have, however, a small (but perfectly formed!) appetite so I often have a little salmon leftover after dinner. Adding this to the scraps removed from the bones I generally get 18 or 20 meals out my salmon so it’s quite a bargain.

Easy & Delicious Ways to Cook Salmon Fillets

Roasted Salmon with Asparagus & New Potatoes

This is what I ate last night, I have been having this a lot recently, it is so summery and we do have a sack of new potatoes to eat up! (Another salmon recipe here too!) 

Per person …

4 or 5 new potatoes – skin still on

1 x 170g/6 oz salmon fillet

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

a handful of frozen peas

6 asparagus spears, halves – woody ends discarded

generous knob of butter

½ lemon

~ Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6.

~ Wash and prepare enough new potatoes for one.
~ Cover potatoes in cold water, add a little salt, bring to the boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook till tender – about 20-25 minutes.
~ When the potatoes are almost done coat the salmon piece(s) with a little oil and season.
~ Place in an oven proof pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
~ Now cook the peas and asparagus – just put together in a small pan, cover with boiling water, put on the lid, turn down the heat and simmer 5 minutes.
~ When the potatoes and the vegetables are cooked drain and leave warm in their pans till needed.
~ When the fish is cooked remove from the pan and set in a warm place lightly covered with foil.
~ Add a generous knob of butter to the warm pan, turn the potatoes and vegetables in the butter.
~ Return the salmon to the pan and turn gently together with everything else.
~ Add a good sprinkle of lemon juice.
~ Serve.
~ Drizzle with mayonnaise.

Salmon & Leek Gratin

Per person …

170g salmon fillet

1 small leek – cleaned and thinly sliced

(see here for a good way to clean leeks)

15g butter

1 tablespoon of dry white wine or stock

90g double cream

a girly handful of breadcrumbs

~ Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the leeks to coat thoroughly.
~ Turn down the heat and press something suitable (ie. a butter wrapper, greaseproof paper of piece of foil) directly onto the surface of the leeks. Cover the pan.
~ Cook gently for 10-15 minutes keeping an eye on things and giving the occasional stir till very tender.
~ Place the piece of salmon on top of the leeks and cook for another 6-8 minutes till the fish flakes easy with the simple application of a fork.
~ Set the fish aside, and crumble the vegetable Oxo or similar into the leeks.
~ Add the wine or water and stir to dissolve the stock cube.
~ Add the cream, bring to a boil and cook a minute or two.
~ Taste and season.
~ Remove from the heat, flake the salmon and fold into the creamy goo.
~ Turn into a heatproof dish, sprinkle with the crumbs, dot with butter and finish under a hot grill.

Marmalade Glazed Salmon

Simply glaze salmon by brushing a little marmalade (almost any will do!) over the fish for the last few minutes of baking or grilling. I like a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper on mine.

Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

Cook your salmon as you wish; roast, fry, poach, etc and serve with Hollandaise Sauce which is a perfect complement to most seafood.

Salmon Poached in Ginger & Lemon Tea

This is something I made when reviewing fruit and herb teas – it was a peculiar idea but worked so well I have made it several times since. 

And here are ideas for the …

Salmon Trimmings & Leftovers

Salmon & Boursin Pâté – ish Stuff

This was today’s lunch, it is delicious, rather strange and a bit of a cheat. Call me Delia if you wish!

Put the leftover pies of salmon into bowl together with an equal-ish quantity of herb and garlic Boursin. Add a generous squirt of roasted garlic mayonnaise (I always keep M & S roasted garlic mayo in stock because my real man doesn’t like the smell of garlic so I don’t often roast my own) and a teaspoon or two of sweet chilli sauce. Mix and stir and crush to amalgamate. Eat with toast and a glass of white wine.

Lemony Salmon Salad

See here for Six Sexy Salads for Summer including this salmon salad.

Tagliatelle with Salmon Alfredo

Gently warm the salmon leftovers in this lovely Alfredo Sauce and maybe add a touch of lemon and some black pepper.

Alternatively toss with pasta in garlic butter with lemon and herbs. Top with pangrattato for a lovely, quick, easy, cheap, crunchy finish

Seafood Chowder

Use salmon scraps in this gorgeous seafood chowder recipe.

Salmon, Chilli & Sweet Potato Cakes

Or other fishcakes, of course, but these are good.

100g cooked salmon 

1 sweet potato – approx. 200g

sweet chilli sauce to taste – about 2 tsp

~ Peel and dice the sweet potato, cover with cold water, add the salt, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes till tender.
~ Drain and cool to room temperature.
~ Break up the salmon, add to the sweet potato together with Sweet Chilli Sauce, if using, and munge the lot together.
~ Taste and season, form into cakes, coat in seasoned flour and shallow fry till hot and crisp and golden on both sides.

Also, of course, salads, sandwiches etc.

As you can see there are lots of ideas for leftover salmon in this post, this is because I love leftover food, it inspires me so much that I have even written a book about them!

Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers

Great Preview Here!

Easiest, Deliciousest Pâté from leftover Salmon!

~  Menu  ~

Sudden Salmon Pâté

Toasted Sourdough

White Wine Spritzer

A Marvellous Chocolate Experience

Black Coffee

I always find salmon rather filling and as it is one of my favourite meals leftovers occur frequently, today I mashed up about 60g of leftover salmon with the remains of a packet of Boursin which was about  a tablespoon (isn’t Boursin yummy by the way!) and a similar sized dollop of roasted garlic mayonnaise.  It worked very well, I thought it would.

Lindor Balls!

My lunchtime pudding was rather special.  This year Santa brought me a great deal of chocolate and such like (I’d been very good) including a bag of wonderful Lindor thingies.  When I went to eat some I found that being near the fire the middles had melted.  Lush! 

They were difficult to unwrap due to being soft but well worth the patience because once in the mouth the chocolate shell broke open to release a gush of lovely liquid chocky goo.

I got the picture off the Lindt site; I hope they don’t mind but it just about sums up how lovely an experience my lunch pudding was. I turned the image upside down to more accurately portray the melted filling pouring down my throat.  I had a cup of black coffee with these for lunch and for dinner pudding ate the same thing but with a brandy.  Sadly they are all gone now.

Addenda

I love the above salmon pâté it has become one of my favourite lunches – these days I add a splash of sweet chilli sauce too.  Try it!

Marmalade on … Salmon!

~  Menu  ~

Courgette & Lemon Fritters

Hot Smoked Salmon in Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Small glass of Sauvignon Blanc

Coffee

Sticky Toffee Sauce Scrapings

We bought a side of hot smoked salmon, half price, the other day which I portioned and froze all except one piece which I had for dinner that night.  It had been sold with slices of orange and a sachet of orange glaze which I didn’t want to open for just one piece (or possibly at all).  I was about to stick my bit of fish in the oven when I remembered the remains of a jar of marmalade in the cupboard so I brushed the top of my salmon with this before baking.  Gorgeous! but of course too much for me to finish in one sitting.

We had also bought a few baby courgettes so today I made courgette fritters as per my all purpose fritter recipe which I flavoured with grated lemon zest. I served it, to myself, topped with the leftover smoked salmon turned in a spoonful of roasted garlic mayonnaise – one of my store cupboard staples.

Lucky girl me. 

Clearing up after lunch I found a Sticky Toffee Sauce pan from last night with just a little sauce left in it.  To be frank I had kept this back purposely as I was going to suggest my real man cook his morning porridge in it for a little added je ne sais quoi but forgot to tell him about it this morning.  So I scraped the pan and ate it myself for lunch pudding, with a cup of coffee!

Now I know this post isn’t very informative inasmuch as there are no new recipes (although some links to earlier recipes) but it does demonstrate how with a combination of imagination and greed, a collection of bits, pieces, leftovers and bargains can make a lovely sudden lunch.

I love cooking with leftovers, they inspire me so much!  I have even written a book about them, Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers in which I give all the recipes, ideas, handy hints, cook’s treats and more that I can think of for 450 potential leftovers.
  

Read more here.

I am also inspired by a bargain! Here is a pineapple we bought yesterday, not quite ripe as it happens! 

You may remember I had myself a little rant the other day about best before dates.  I confuse myself because when we get something like this fine pineapple I am simultaneously delighted and cross – strange feeling!  I have started a collection of irritating, wonderful bargains on Pinterest ~ Best Before, or it it?

.  

Summertime ~ Salmon & Leek Gratin & Elderflowers

~  Menu  ~

Salmon & Leek Gratin

A little Salad

Elderflower Cordial and Sparkling Water

I was counting all the meat in the freezer this morning (you have to make your own entertainment in rural areas) when I found a salmon fillet.  As I always have a few leeks about which are a basic for me, this enabled me to have a little gratin for my lunch.  This is something we used to have on the menu at our restaurant, The House on the Strand, years ago.  It was a popular dish.

Salmon & Leek Gratin

Serves 1 (because that’s how many I am, real man not wishing to eat such fancy cooking).

170g salmon fillet

1 small leek – cleaned and thinly sliced

15g butter

90g double cream

a girly handful of breadcrumbs

~   Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the leeks to coat thoroughly.

~   Turn down the heat and press something suitable (ie. a butter wrapper, greaseproof paper of piece of foil) directly onto the surface of the leeks.  Cover the pan.

~   Cook gently for 10-15 minutes keeping an eye on things and giving the occasional stir till very tender.

~   Place the piece of salmon on top of the leeks and cook for another 5 minutes till the fish flakes easy with the simple application of a fork. 

~   Set the fish aside, and stir the cream into the leeks.

~   Taste and season – I added a little crumbled veg Oxo.

~   Bring to a boil and cook a minute or two.

~   Remove from the heat, flake the salmon and fold into the creamy goo.

~   Turn into a heatproof dish, sprinkle with the crumbs, dot with butter and finish under a hot grill.

The elderflowers are fast fading in the lanes.  I wanted to have a go at making elderflower cordial but the caravan is just too small for such outrageous behaviour.  I’ll do it next year when we’ll be in a real house – grown up or what! 

In the meantime I contented myself with picking a few of the flowers (and learning that they don’t last long in a vase) and drinking some cordial a friend made.