Herb and Potato-Crusted Salmon with Italian Sauteed Spinach Salad

Image September 4, 2022 Tangie Holifield

Commercially prepared shredded potatoes, sold in plastic bags in the supermarket frozen-food department, usually end up as hash browns. This recipe suggests an entirely new use for them: seared onto fat fillets of salmon to form a fantastic crisp crust. Serve up the salmon with a side of sautéed spinach, onions, garlic, and fresh tomatoes is beyond delicious and extremely easy to make.

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Salmon:
4 cups frozen shredded potatoes (hash browns), thawed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons snipped chives
2 tablespoons minced dill
2 tablespoons potato starch
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 8-ounce skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Spinach:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 peeled and julienne red onion
3 finely minced cloves of fresh garlic
2 each tomatoes cut into wedges
10 oz fresh baby spinach
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:
For the Salmon: In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the chives, dill and potato starch and season with salt and pepper. Lay the salmon fillets, skin side down on a work surface and season with salt and pepper, then evenly spread on the mustard. Next, evenly add a layer of shredded potatoes onto the top of each fillet. Pat the potato down on the salmon to make sure it stays in place.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil and melt the butter. Carefully add the salmon fillets to the skillet, potato side down, and cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until browned, about 8 minutes, or until a dark brown crust has formed on the potatoes. Carefully flip the salmon and cook for 1 minute longer. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the salmon to plates. Using a clean paper towel, blot off any excess oil from the salmon.

For the Spinach: Heat a large sauté or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat and caramelize the onion and garlic, until the garlic is golden brown, about 2 minutes, add in tomatoes and sauté for 2 to 3 more minutes. Lastly, place in the spinach and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

To serve, transfer the spinach salad and salmon to plates and serve.

Scallops with Lemon-Caper Pasta and Baby Spinach

Image January 23, 2021 Tangie Holifield

We have all had many a piccata-esque dishes before, at banquet dinners and weddings. including the old stand-by, the dry chicken breast and super-salty capers with some subpar pasta. But this recipe proves different and you will be surprised by the delicious and succulent version of this dish with creamy sauce and delicate pasta. This caper sauce is all the latter, none of the former, and instead of boring, dry chicken, you will have succulent sweet scallops to sop up the good flavors, in this dish.

Adapted From
Sarah Thomsen
Home Chef
January 2021

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 large lemon
1/3 cup croutons
5 oz. Linguine pasta
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound scallops
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 tablespoons Better than bullion Organic Vegetable Soup Base™
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 oz. Baby spinach
1 tablespoons capers

Directions:
Halve lemon lengthwise. Cut one half into wedges and juice the other half. Coarsely crush croutons. Set aside until ready to use.

To start the pasta, bring 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. Reserve pot; no need to wipe clean. While pasta cooks, cook scallops.

Using clean paper towels, pat scallops dry, and season both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper. Scallops will vary in amount as they are portioned by weight. Don’t worry, the sweet flavor and tender texture will be the same. Place a medium non-stick pan over medium-high and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add scallops to hot pan and cook until golden brown and scallops reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 ° F, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove scallops to a plate and set aside.

Return pot used to cook pasta to medium heat. Add pasta cooking water, mirepoix base, and a pinch of salt to hot pot. Stir to combine. Stir in cooked pasta, sour cream, and Parmesan until pasta is fully coated. Add spinach, capers, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir often until spinach begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Remove from burner.

To serve, add the pasta to the center of the plate, twirling with tongs to give height. Top the pasta with scallops and garnishing with crushed croutons. Squeeze lemon wedges over to taste.

Bon appétit!

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Mrs. Cubbison’s French Bread Croutons, Garlic & Butter, 5 oz

Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base 16 Oz, Reduced Sodium

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Shrimp Scampi Florentine Pasta

Image May 10, 2020 Tangie Holifield

The classic Florentine preparation places the main ingredient on a bed of buttery spinach, topped with sauce and cheese and browned under the broiler. We’ve replicated the basic idea, giving you all those rich and cheesy flavors, but with less effort than a full-on Florentine. We’ve even improved it, with a bit of heat from the red pepper flakes. Tip: An easier way to mince parsley? Gather them all in one hand and lay on the cutting board. Use your knife in rocking motion to cut, then turn 90 degrees and repeat until the herbs are properly minced!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS:

5 ounces spaghetti pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound 16-20 count shrimp, peeled and deviened
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
¼ bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
2 teaspoons mirepoix base or vegetable
¼ cup light cream
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 3 1/2 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. While pasta boils, cook shrimp.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, until oil is shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add shrimp to the skillet n and cook undisturbed until seared on one side, 1-2 minutes. Flip shrimp, and add shallot and garlic. Cook until aromatic, 30-60 seconds.

Lower heat to medium. Add the parsley and spinach to the skillet and stir occasionally until spinach is wilted. Add the shrimp and stir to cook until the shrimp is opaque and pink when it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145ºF, 2-3 minutes. Stir in cream, Parmesan, half the pasta cooking water, mirepoix base, and pasta. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Once simmering, cook until sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. If too dry, add additional pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Remove the skillet from the heat and season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste.

To serve divide, the shrimp Florentine between two plates and garnish the pasta with parsley.

Bon appétit!

Cook’s Notes:

Many chefs consider mirepoix to be the key ingredient for adding that extra umph to a dish. It’s the secret sauce; the essential ingredient; the reason your food tastes so good. Mirepoix plays an important role in flavoring soups, stews, casseroles, braised meats, and marinades. 358 (1)

You can find mirepoix soup bases in the soup aisle of your local supermarket. If that is not the case you buy it online at speciality gourmet shops. Click here for the link.

To learn how to make your own mirepoix base, just click here for the link to a great teaching video.