A New Twist on Salmon

Mike’s been in the mood for salmon of some kind, and as luck would have it, I recently ran across a new way to prepare salmon that I was eager to try. It initially appealed to me for several reasons, mainly because

·it has feta cheese, so it must be delicious;
·it was a low-calorie meal that seemed like it would still be filling; and
·it seemed easy to make.

I am happy to report that all my expectations were exceeded. I was a little concerned with cutting the salmon in half to stuff, as we have tried cutting our own salmon portions before and mostly succeeded in mangling them, but the fantastic meat counter girl at Kroger offered to not only cut my 2 bigger fillets into 4 portions, but also to slice them for stuffing. She actually cut little pockets in each, which isn’t exactly what the recipe calls for (see my pic below), but it was a nice start and did help when Mike finished cutting them at home. The only things I did different from the recipe was to use shallots instead of red onion (the flavor is more mild, and I don’t have a bunch of red onion leftover in my fridge), and we ever-so-lightly sprayed the fillets and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper before baking them.

Needless to say, this is definitely something we’ll be making again. I’m normally not a fan of reduced-fat cheeses (if I’m going to have cheese, give me the real stuff), but mixed with the other ingredients and stuffed in salmon, you couldn’t tell, and it kept the dish healthier. I’m thinking about trying it with some of our fresh basil next time in place of the spinach, maybe using a little less than ½ cup since it has a stronger flavor. Even better, it makes 4 servings, so Mike and I each had more than enough for dinner and were able to pack up lunches for tomorrow (always a plus in our house)!

Here it is, as found on Holly Clegg’s Too Hot in the Kitchen. As a side note, I think this book would make a terrific gift, especially for lady friends of all ages. Don’t be surprised if a few copies are under the Christmas tree next month ;)

Simple Salmon with Spinach Feta Stuffing

2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
⅓ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped baby spinach
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the cream cheese and feta in a bowl with a fork, mixing until well combined. Stir in the onion and spinach. Split each piece of salmon in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through (to make a pocket, of sorts). Divide the filling evening among the fillets, spreading to cover. Place the top of the salmon back over the filling and arrange in the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes of until flaky and done.
We served the salmon with Annie's pasta and spinach salads.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finally Fall

Image
On tonight's menu...Monday Night Football and Moroccan Carrot Soup!  That peeler is one of the cheapest and best kitchen gadgets I own! Nothing says Fall has arrived like football and soup, and since the temps around here finally dropped below the 80s, it was time to break out the soup pot. I first tried this carrot soup at my aunt's house several months ago, and I couldn't wait to make it again so Mike could try it, too. It's really easy to make, and I believe relatively healthful. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from, so consider this one, "From the Kitchen of Aunt Sheryl." I used Greek yogurt, and doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers for lunches. The recipe as listed says it will serve 4. Drizzling in the honey... Moroccan Carrot Soup 2 Tbl butter 1 cup chopped white onion 1 lb large carrots, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces 2½ cups low-salt chicken broth 1 Tbl honey 1 tsp fresh lemon juice ⅛ tsp ground allspice...
Read more

Not Above Bribery...

No new recipe today, folks (that will come tomorrow). Instead, I'm introducing a month-long "game," if you will. Here's the deal: 1. During the month of February, be sure to not only visit my blog, but to also post comments on my blog posts. 2. For every comment you make on my blog, you will have an entry in a drawing I'm holding. 3. On March 1st, I will choose one name from the hat. The winner will receive a free copy of Recipes Worth Sharing , a fantastic cookbook valued at $24.95 that I use often (remember the shrimp and grits I made?). That's all you have to do. The more comments you make, the more chances you have at winning. I will limit it to one Comment per blog post so we don't have people posting one word at a time or something equally crazy. Please use your best judgement. I hope you're as excited about this as I am. After all, who doesn't love FREE stuff?!
Read more

Butternut Squash Soup, Take 2

Image
A few days ago, I posted a recipe for a super-simple, super-scrumptious Butternut Squash Soup. Unaware of how many squash to buy for that particular dish, I bought 2 and ended up needing only 1. And so, here is Butternut Squash Soup, take 2. I know, I could make myriad other recipes with my squash, but it’s cold and rainy, and who doesn’t love soup on a cold and rainy day? This time I went for a more “gourmet” soup, Creamy Butternut Squash and Ginger-Apple Soup from ** Starfish Café: Changing Lives One Recipe at a Time . The basics are the same: Sauté some onion in butter. Add squash and broth, and purée everything when tender. The “gourmet” part of this comes in the addition of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, and yogurt. Yummy indeed. Now, before you rush out to buy the ingredients and notice that saffron is crazy expensive, let me tell you something—saffron is crazy expensive. Don’t feel like you have to add it. Many recipes I read encourage using turmeric in place of saffron (...
Read more