These salmon cakes are on another level delicious. There are so many components to these irresistible cakes that make them, well, irresistible. The salty capers with the fresh lemon finished with the golden crunch from the panko breadcrumbs and let’s not forget the star of the show, the salmon. Don’t skimp on the salmon here, make sure you are buying center cut, fresh, preferably wild salmon. You have to make the lemon herb dipping sauce with these guys, I mean HAVE TO, period. The creaminess (yes, I said creaminess) of the dipping sauce pairs perfectly with the crispy cakes and the fresh herbs and lemon, it’s like you’ve died and gone to heaven. You can serve these as a meal on their own, as an appetizer (if serving as an appetizer you might want to make them a little smaller), or over a bed of lettuce as a salad. Better yet, have a cake party and invite all of the beefcakes you know, serve them these salmon cakes and have cupcakes and bundt cake for dessert…just a thought, or maybe not. If it were me I would think about hoarding all of these for myself and maybe sharing a few with my family… but only if I’m feeling generous that day.
Stephanie Heymann Photography
- 1 lb center cut salmon - cooked
- 2 green onions, chopped - white part only
- 1 Tbsp capers, chopped
- ½ C panko bread crumbs + ¾ C to coat salmon cakes
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ C cooked corn
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 egg, beaten
- S&P to taste
- 2- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- ½ C Greek 0% yogurt
- 2 Tbsp Vegenaise or mayonaise
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 Tbsp chopped capers
- 1 Tbsp chopped scallions, green tops only
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives
- 1 Tbsp chopped dill
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ kosher salt
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Add salmon to a medium bowl, using a fork flake the salmon filet apart. Add remaining ingredients, minus the conola oil, mixing to incorporate all ingredients. Add S&P to taste.
- Heat canola oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Form salmon mixture into patties and coat the outside of each patty with the remaining panko bread crumbs. Add salmon cakes to the pan and cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on a cookie rack to let set. Serve with lemon herb dipping sauce.
Classic Tuna Melt
There is something about a chilly winter day (or at least chilly for AZ standards) that makes me crave a tuna melt. Like I have to have one, can’t wait a day type of craving. You know the type of craving, right? We all get them…or at a least I’m assuming we all get them. I sure hope I’m not alone with this!!
Anyways…I had to have a tuna melt so I made one and it was damn good!!
We lightened up the tuna by using 0% greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise, we also added chopped pickles and celery to add some crunch and finished it off with a squeeze of lime. We love to squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice into our tuna and chicken salad, it adds an unexpected zip.
Tuna melts are just screaming to be dipped in tomato soup, so if you are looking for something to serve the tuna melts with you can’t go wrong with tomato soup. Lucky you, we just so happen to have a recipe for the best tomato soup ever. We suggest you might as well go ahead and make both!!
- 1 can solid white albacore tuna packed in water
- 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp chopped dill pickles
- ½ C 0% plain greek yogurt
- juice of ½ lime
- kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
- 2 whole grain english muffins, cut in half
- ½ C grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Heat oven to broil.
- In a bowl add drained tuna and break apart with a fork. Add chopped celery, chopped pickles, greek yogurt and lime juice. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add S&P to taste.
- Use a toaster to lightly toast english muffin halves.
- Line english muffins on a rimmed cookie sheet or toasting pan. Top each english muffin with equal parts tuna (approx ¼ C per english muffin). Top with equal parts cheddar cheese.
- Broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and begins to bubble. Watch carefully as not to burn. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
Butter Lettuce Wrapped Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Lime Crema
These tacos stemmed from a trip to the grocery store, I was in the checkout line and what did I see on the end-cap just screaming my name? Tajin seasoning, the same stuff that is poured on anything and everything in Mexico. Well duh, kind of a no brainer. Clearly I had to pick up a bottle and get to work on creating a fun recipe. So thank you Tajin chile lime seasoning for being the brainchild behind these tacos.
So my pants were feeing a little extra tight so I thought it was probably best to skip the tortillas and serve these up in butter lettuce cups. I actually really didn’t miss the tortillas and side note…how pretty do these cute little lettuce cups look? If you are feeling the tortillas instead of the lettuce then go ahead and sub in the tortillas. Or you can be like me and convince yourself that since you skipped the tortillas then you should probably reward yourself with ice cream. Yep, I did that …it happens way too often too. Probably the reason why my pants are always tight! Note to self…for not tight pants maybe next time skip the tortillas and the ice cream. Realistically it probably won’t happen but it’s worth a try. Right?
These tacos are so full of flavor, the pineapple salsa mixed with the chile lime flavor of the tajin seasoning is kickin. I love the simplicity of the white fish paired with the bold flavors of the pineapple, chile and jalapeño and finished with a drizzle of lime crema to balance everything out. Pure perfection, all wrapped up in a cute butter lettuce taco. Yum!
- 1 lb white fish like rockfish, mahi mahi, halibut, etc
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 2 tsp Tajin seasoning - can find in most grocery stores in the hispanic section
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated and cleaned
- 1½ C fresh pineapple, chopped
- 1 medium avocado, chopped
- ¼ C red onion, sliced thin and chopped
- ½ jalapeno, seeded and choppped
- ¼ C cilantro, chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- pinch of kosher salt to taste
- ½ C 0% plain greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lime
- kosher salt to taste
- Cut fish against the grain into 2 inch strips. Add fish to a low bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil and all remaining fish ingredients except for the butter lettuce. Turn to coat evenly. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
- While the fish is sitting, fold together all ingredients for the pineapple salsa in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together ingredients for lime crema and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet. Add the fish, cooking each side approximately 3 minutes until cooked through.
- Lay butter lettuce flat on a plate, top with fish, pineapple salsa and lime crema. Add additional lime juice, cilantro and Tajin seasoning if desired.
Soy Ginger Glazed Salmon with Black Rice
I don’t think think I could ever get sick of salmon. Well, there was actually this one time years ago that a friend of ours was staying with us for a couple of months. She was training for a fitness competition and she literally ate salmon every night for dinner. We weren’t eating the salmon with her every night, but just watching her eat it for 2 months straight definitely made me a little sick of salmon! Random story and lucky for me I’m over my temporary aversion to salmon.
Definitely our favorite way to prepare salmon is to sear each side to create a golden crust. Since we always recommend buying center cut salmon, you should usually end up with a thicker cut. We prefer flash searing each side for about 2 minutes per side and finish the cooking in the oven on high heat for a couple of minutes.
Add a spoonful of the soy ginger glaze over the top of the salmon before it goes into the oven and serve it over edamame black rice. This is definitely one of those dinners that will be on repeat for us in 2021. Happy New Year and happy healthy cooking!!
- 1 lb. wild salmon - center cut
- 1 lb. wild salmon - center cut
- olive oil
- olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of salt
- ¼ C soy sauce
- ¼ C soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
- ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 C cooked black pearl rice
- 2 C cooked black pearl rice
- ½ C edamame
- Preheat oven to 450 °. Heat a large oven proof skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle salmon with olive oil and top with pinch of salt.
- Cook salmon skin side up for about 2 minutes until a golden crust forms. Turn salmon over and cook for another 2 min.
- Drizzle soy ginger sauce over top of salmon and transfer to oven for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and serve over black rice with edamame.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, ginger, dijon and brown sugar until combined.
- Cook according to package directions. Once rice is cooked, stir in edamame.
No-Stir Oven Baked Risotto with Grilled Lobster
I love risotto but I rarely ever make it because I hate standing over the stove for an hour constantly stirring. There are about 100 other things I’d rather be doing than stirring risotto for an hour. I have a hunch that I’m not in the minority with this. Everything changed when we recently discovered that you can add chicken stock to Arborio rice and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes….no stirring required. Say what?? Yeah, we almost peed our pants too, it’s pretty epic. Major game changer in the risotto department.
When your oven starts dinging at you after 45 minutes, just remove the risotto, add a little more chicken stock, wine, cheese, a touch of cream and some S&P. That is seriously it…no fuss risotto just like that. We thought since it’s almost Valentine’s Day we should not only make life changing no-stir risotto, but also kick it up a major notch with grilled lobster tails. Just when you thought this dinner couldn’t get much better it just did.
Have you ever grilled lobster tails? If not, it might seem intimidating but it’s actually a cinch. Just use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut the back of the lobster tail shell down the center. Brush the flesh with some olive oil and season with S&P. Grill flesh side down for 5 minutes, flip it over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Think you can handle that? See, I told you it was easy.
It’s all about timing, so 10 minutes before the risotto is ready to be taken out of the oven is when you want to start grilling your lobster tails. The lobster will be done a minute or two before the risotto. When the risotto comes out of the oven you will quickly finish it off and then remove the lobster meat from the shells. Plate up the risotto and top it with the perfectly grilled lobster meat and just like that you will be enjoying one of the most delish dinners EVER!
Surprise your sweetheart or make it a family affair and whip this up for your entire crew this NYE. You will score major points with this meal
- 1½ C Arborio rice
- 5 C chicken stock
- ½ C dry white wine
- 1 C quattro formaggio cheese blend or pecorino romano cheese
- ¼ C heavy cream
- 1 tap kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
- 2 lobster tails
- good quality olive oil
- S&P
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a large ovenproof dutch oven, add Arborio rice and 4 C of chicken broth. Place the lid on the pot and bake for 45 minutes.
- While the risotto is baking, begin to prep the lobster tails. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut lobster tails down the middle of shell to butterfly. Brush the flesh with olive oil and generously sprinkle with S&P. During the last 10 minutes that the risotto is cooking begin grilling the lobster tails. Place the lobster flesh side down on the grill, about 5 minutes until the shells are bright in color. Flip over and grill for another 4 minutes until lobster meat is an opaque white color - do not over cook! Remove lobsters from the grill and set aside.
- Remove risotto from oven. Add remaining 1 C chicken broth, wine, cheese, cream and S&P. Stir until incorporated.
- Transfer risotto to individual bowls, top with lobster and garnish with chives, serve immediately.
Seared Ahi with Wasabi Cream
Stephanie Heymann Photography
The prep is simple, heat a skillet over medium–high heat (more on the high side), add a touch of olive oil, generously salt and pepper the ahi and sear each side for approximately 2 minutes per side. Ahi is served rare/slightly raw in the center so the cook time is minimal. Let the fish rest for a few minutes before cutting against the grain. Ahi is great as a protein over salad, in a rice bowl or on it’s own with a side of steamed veggies.
Stephanie Heymann Photography
We prepared this ahi with a simple wasabi cream to drizzle over the top. The wasabi cream adds a bit of heat and compliments the ahi. Ginger is a great garnish to have on the side. This is a quick and easy meal that anyone can make; it requires very few ingredients and very little time. It’s the perfect weeknight meal!
- 1 lb ahi tuna steaks
- kosher salt
- course ground pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ C Fage 0% greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp vegenaise or mayonaise
- 2 Tbsp prepared wasabi paste - can adjust by adding more or less depending on the level of heat preferred
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- add all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Generously season both sides of ahi tuna steaks with kosher salt and course ground pepper. Sear each side for approximately 2 minutes per side. Ahi should be served rare, you want a very rare center with seared sides. Remove from pan and set aside to rest for a couple of minutes. Cut against the grain into approximately ½ inch strips. Serve with wasabi cream drizzled over the top or on the side.
Pan Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa
Stych Photography
Stych Photography
- 1 pound (16 oz) center cut salmon - always ask for the center cut
- 1 tsp good quality olive oil
- S & P
- 1 mango, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ C chopped red onion
- ¼ jalapeno, seeded with white ribs removed and finely chopped - add more if you like more heat
- ¼ C loosely packed cilantro, chopped
- ½ avocado, cut into ½ inch cubes
- juice of 1 lime
- kosher salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut salmon into 4 equal portions. Heat a large ovenproof grill pan over medium high heat with olive oil. Season salmon with S & P. Make sure pan is nice and hot, place salmon filets skin side up in pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes until there is a golden crust on the salmon. Remove from heat and flip salmon over to skin side down. Place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes monitering closely as you do not want to overcook. Remove from oven. When plating slide a spatula between the salmon skin and the meat to remove the skin, it will slide right off the salmon. Serve with mango salsa piled on top.
Grilled Salmon with Oven Roasted Veggies & Lemon Dijon Sauce
Start by preheating your oven so it gets nice and hot while you are prepping the rest of the dish.
Toss the broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes and garlic in a bowl with a little olive oil, then spread them out on a parchment lined sheetpan and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Pop them into the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.
While the veggies are doing their thing in the oven, you can whip up the lemon dijon sauce. On a side note, sauces and dressings are literally game changers and they don’t have to be complicated. We do a ton of homemade dressings and sauces and they are never more than a few ingredients whipped up in the blender.
For this sauce, all you need is shallot, honey, dijon, greek yogurt, lemon, and olive oil. That is it! Add them all into a blender minus the olive oil and blend them up. Slowly add the olive oil until it’s nicely immulisified. Season with a little salt and pepper and set it aside.
Season the salmon with a little olive oil and kosher salt and sear it flesh side down on an oven proof grill pan. It’s best if the pan is nice and hot so you get those pretty grill marks on the salmon. Cook for 3 minutes then turn the fish over and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
To top it off, place the salmon in the oven with the veggies and cook for another 3 minutes. Keep an eye on everyone as we don’t want any burning to take place!
Remove the veggies and salmon from the oven, plate them and drizzle with the lemon dijon sauce. Enjoy! This dish has the potential to make it into the weekly rotation more than once!
- 1 lb center cut wild salmon filet, cut into 2 equal portions (skin on)
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 Tbs + 2 tsp good quality olive oil
- 1 C mini hierloom tomatoes, halved
- 1 C brocolli, chopped into small florets
- 6 spears asparagus, chopped at an angle - tough stalks discarded
- kosher salt
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 Tbsp raw honey
- 1½ Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp 0% greek yogurt
- juice of 1 large lemon
- ¼ C olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- In a medium bowl add garlic and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add tomatoes, brocolli and asparagus and toss to coat.
- Line a small rimmed sheetpan with parchment paper. Spread veggies out evenly across pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Set oven timer for 15 minutes.
- While the salmon is cooking add shallot, honey, dijon and lemon juice to a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend on high until pureed. With the blender running slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season with kosher salt to taste. Set aside.
- Heat an oven-proof grill pan over medium high heat. Coat salmon flesh with remaining olive oil. Season with kosher salt.
- Sear salmon flesh side down for 3 minutes until golden brown sear marks appear. Flip the salmon with a spatula and cook with skin side down for an additonal 3 minutes. Time the salmon being done on the stove with the oven timer turning off.
- Transfer salmon (keep on the grill pan) to the oven and set the timet for an additonal 3 minutes. Keep the veggies in the oven as well. Watch carefully as you don’t want the salmon to overcook.
- Remove salmon and veggies from oven. Use a metal spatula to slide the salmon off of the skin, place the salmon on serving plates. Top with roasted veggies and drizzle with lemon dijon sauce.
Grilled Shrimp with Chimichurri Sauce
You also don’t have to have a food processor. This recipe can be made by simply chopping up all of the ingredients and mixing in a bowl. It can be made a day ahead as it just gets better over time. The flavors really come together.
To get the shrimp going, give them a nice rinse and peel. Skewer them and place them on the grill. Spoon some of the chimichurri over the shrimp and grill for about 3 minutes on each side. Just cook until they are not opaque and a nice pink color. Remove from the grill and serve with the remaining sauce.
- 1 pound wild shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 Tbs fresh oregano leaves chopped
- 1 C chopped flat leaf parsley
- ½ C cilantro
- 3 Tbs fresh basil
- ½ fresh jalapeno seeded and minced
- ¼ C red wine vinegar
- ½ C olive oil
- 1 Tbs minced shallots
- juice of 1 medium lime
- ¼ tsp salt
- skewer stick - preferably metal but can use wooden as well, make sure to soak for at least 30 minutes ifnusing wood.
- Using a food processor add oregano, parsley, cilantro, basil, jalapeno, vinegar, olive oil, shallots and lime juice. Pulse until broken down but not completely pureed. Add kosher salt to season. Set aside in the refrigerator - can be made up to 1 day ahead.
- Heat grill to high heat. Thread shrimp on skewers. Spoon chimichurri sauce over both sides of each shrimp.
- Grill 3 minutes per side until no longer opaque - do not overcook. Remove from grill and serve with remaining chimichurri sauce on the side.
Herby Cedar Plank Salmon
We prefer wild salmon. You can have them cut into single serving portions at the market. You don’t have to do this but it just makes prepping and serving even easier so why not? So to start off, you will just drizzle the salmon with a little olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.
Place the beautiful green tarragon and rosemary sprigs on top of the salmon and place the salmon pieces on the plank. Place the plank on a pre-heated grill and close the lid.
Cook the salmon for 12-14 minutes until it’s a nice medium rare. Remove the plank from the grill and serve immediately. You can serve the salmon with any of your favorite sides! We love a grain like rice or quinoa and a yummy salad or steamed veggie. One of our favorite sides to go along with this dish is cauliflower garlic mash
- 2 lbs wild king salmon - cut into equal .5 lb portions
- good quality olive oil
- small bunch of rosemary
- small bunch of tarragon
- kosher salt & cracked black pepper
- 1-2 cedar planks for grilling (large enough to fit salmon)
- Pre-soak cedar planks for 30-60 minutes.
- Drizzle olive oil over salmon and rub over salmon to coat. Generously season salmon with S&P. Top each filet with a sprig of each rosemary and tarragon. Place salmon on cedar planks.
- Place the cedar planks directly on a pre-heated bbq (med-high heat). Allow to cook for 12-14 minutes until medium rare. Remove from bbq, plate and serve immediately.