Cherrywood Planked Copper River Salmon with Whiskey-Maple-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs Copper River Salmon
2 Cherrywood Planks

Instructions:

1. Soak your planks (totally covered in water) at least 3 hours (if new.)  If not new & re-using soak for at least an hour
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste
3. Place planks on heated grill
4. Place seasoned salmon on planks
5. Cover grill with lid & roast/smoke/grill/ salmon until desired doneness

Sauce:
1/2 cup Whiskey
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (the real stuff - NOT Mrs. Buttersworth!)  :)
1/2 lb. butter cut into pieces

 Instructions:

1. Pour Whiskey and Maple Syrup into large saucepan
2. Simmer on medium-low heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup
3. Add butter and keep warm until salmon is ready
4. Pour sauce over salmon and reserve extra for individuals to add as desired

This sauce is also excellent on corn on the cob OR maybe even pancakes or waffles!  :)

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Gourmet Magazine gets all the credit for this one. We tried this for the first time when we were visiting the McDougall's in Ft. Bragg and I've made it again since I got home. Its a simple way to prepare salmon and its really good especially alongside a spinach and strawberry salad for dinner. Try it out.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (see recipe below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

If you aren't able to grill outdoors, salmon can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

photo courtesy of Cooking Light

These shrimp tacos were a nice alternative to a regular fish taco, the fresh tomatillo salsa is a great addition too!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Shrimp:

• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. group red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can also by the pre-cook frozen shrimp)
• 2 tsp. EVOO

Salsa:

• 1/2 lb. tomatillos, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped
• 6 inch corn tortillas

Directions:

1. To prepare shrimp, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saute 4 minutes or until done if using raw shrimp.
2. To prepare salsa, place tomatillos and next 9 ingredients (through serrano chile) in a food processor (or blender); process until smooth.
3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide shrimp evenly among tortillas (I made 2 tacos for the 4 people I was serving, total of 8). Top each with salsa; serve with corn, rice and/or beans on the side!

Divine Sauteed Shrimp Cocktail

Well I have a new addiction-since recovering from my HGTV obsession I have moved on to the Food Network. This new infatuation is only slightly more practical in the sense that I may actually be able to do some of the things I see. This recipe is from Giada @ Home who seems to be able to make flavorful dishes with few ingredients, I happened on this one by chance but it is a keeper! Kerry and I ate it as a meal with some crusty bread but it is actually an appetizer.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail left on, deveined
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard (recommended: Maille)
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves
Directions
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and herbes de Provence. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes each side.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, maple syrup, turmeric, and basil until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place the yogurt mixture in a dipping bowl.
Place the bowl of dipping sauce on a serving platter with the cooked shrimp.

If you have never used herbes de Provence seasoning, or heard of it like me, it is worth the investment!! It was fabulous and easy to find and could be used for many poultry and fish dishes. I used lowfat yogurt and mayo. Don't omit anything, it all adds to the dish, however I would use a little less oil next time (and you could get away without the basil). For those of you that have a Target near by, they sell frozen, raw, peeled, deveined, tail on shrimp that is very good. The recipe makes a lot of sauce but don't worry, mix with some chicken the next day and you have a great chicken salad sandwich. Enjoy!

Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Zucchini and Sauteed Corn

photo from: Everday Food

Delicious summer time meal!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 lbs salmon
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
  
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
  
• 1 pound medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 3-inch spears (about 1/2 inch thick)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen corn kernels (4 cups)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 cup chopped scallions
  
• 1 container (16 ounces) prepared fresh tomato salsa (2 cups)
  
• Lime wedges, for garnish (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. Rub salmon all over with salt and pepper. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle top of fillets with 1 teaspoon chili powder. Arrange zucchini around salmon; sprinkle with remaining teaspoon chili powder, and season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Broil until fish is opaque throughout and zucchini is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add corn and garlic; cook, tossing, until corn is tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in scallions and salsa; season generously with salt and pepper. To serve, place fillets on plates, and serve with zucchini and half the corn. Reserve other half of the corn for next day. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.
   

Salmon with Mango Salsa

photo from: Everyday Food

I have gotten many good recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. The majority of the recipes I will post will probably come from there! I have really liked this magazine because the recipes are easy and have very few ingredients. They also rarely call for something that I don't already have in my cabinet. (i.e. no weird spices that you'll only use once!)

This Salmon with Mango Salsa is so fresh tasting and perfect for a summer evening. It says to cook the salmon in oven but I'm sure all of you BBQ owners out there could throw the salmon on the grill and it would be just as tasty.

Ingredients:
Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers!

• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, minced (ribs and seeds included for more heat, if desired)
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, and diced (about 1 cup)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 skinless salmon fillets, (6 ounces each) Rather than buying the individual fillets I buy a pound+a little of salmon for me and Ben and we usually have some left over.

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine salsa ingredients, season with coarse salt and ground pepper.
2. Heat broiler. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Lay foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange salmon on the foil, broil 4 inches from heat source until filets are opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. To serve, place fillets on serving plates, and spoon salsa over fish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Other notes:

I ususally serve this with rice and steamed green beans or some other green vegi.
I alway make the amount of salsa that it calls for because it is good to snack on later with corn chips.