Friday, February 17, 2012

Crab-Stuffed Salmon w/ Corn Red Pepper Relish, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, & Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc


So maybe that title could have been a little bit shorter, eh?  I just wanted to make sure I had your attention!

This was, by far, one of the best meals that has ever been cooked in this household.  Andy DEVOURED this plate.  Seriously, I've never seen such a constant smile on his face after eating a meal.  You just know it's gotta be a winner then!

Before we get into anything... how are you guys?!  I know I'm sporadic in my posts, but I try to do one at least every other week.  Things are just getting crazier and crazier!  School, work, school.  And this week I helped make hors d'oeuvres for a fundraiser that the restaurant on campus is holding tonight.  I made some sweet potato biscuits and sandwiched in between them are some fig preserves, country ham, and manchego cheese.  DELICIOUS.  Hopefully they'll be a hit tonight!

Anyway, let's get to some salmon.  Don't be weary about the seemingly long list of ingredients.  Everything comes together quite quickly (less than 45 minutes) if you have everything prepped and ready when you need it!

Salmon:

2 - 8 oz. salmon fillets
1 cup lump crab meat
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Corn-Red Pepper Relish:

1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (I used shoepeg because Andy loves shoepeg, but sweet yellow would be great too)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:


5 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc:

1/2 cup white wine
1 small shallot, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
juice from 1 lemon
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
salt, to taste

Like I said, don't be scared!  Everything is super easy, and you don't necessary have to have all the components - but I promise you, if you do... it'll be one hell of a knock out dinner if you're trying to impress someone special!

So first, let's prep the crab stuffing.  Super easy.  In a medium bowl, combine the crab meat, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic.  Season with salt to taste, and bam.  You've got crab stuffing.


Now let's stuff out salmon.  But first we have to cut a slit down the middle of each fillet.  You don't want to go all the way through, maybe leave anywhere between 1/4 to 1/2 inch on the bottom. 


Place about 1/2 cup of the stuffing in the slit (and on top of the salmon). 


Place in a container and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in the fridge until ready to use. 

Now we can make our mashed potatoes and relish at the same time. (But for ease, I'll describe each one separately).

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Place the garlic in a small roasting dish and toss in olive oil.  Season with a little bit of salt.  Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until garlic is golden and soft.  Let cool.

Drain the potatoes and add roasted garlic, sour cream, butter, and heavy cream.  Mash until you've reached your desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the relish, add a little bit of olive oil to a large saute pan and heat under medium high heat.

Add corn and scallions, cook for about 2-3 minutes.


Then add red bell pepper and garlic.  Cook until pepper is slightly softened, but still has a bit of a bite, about 2-3 minutes.


Turn off heat and stir in parsley.


Place mixture in a medium bowl and add in lemon juice and honey.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.


Now we can make our sauce while the salmon is cooking (hope your oven is still at 375!)

Place the salmon on a baking sheet and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until at your desired doneness.

In a medium sauce pan, add shallots, thyme sprigs, and white wine.  Place under medium high heat and reduce wine by about two-thirds.

When wine is reduced, slowly add in one or two pats of butter at a time, whisking constantly to form an emulsion.  Don't add any more butter until the last bit of butter is almost emulsified.  Continue adding butter until all is incorporated.

Whisk in lemon juice and season with salt, to taste.  Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.  (A great video on a beurre blanc is this one - so versatile, add whatever aromatics/flavors you desire)

To plate your final dish, first make sure all of your components are warm.  If you did this all at once, everything should still be okay (if not, nuke it in the microwave for 30 seconds and you're good to go!).

Place about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes on the center of the plate, slightly flatten out.  Place salmon on top, slightly to the right or left of center (in other words, not exactly in the center, hehe).  Place a small handful of the relish next to the salmon and drizzle the beurre blanc around the plate and a little bit on top of the salmon, as well.  And voila... a plate designed to impress and satisfy any seafood-hungry stomach!


Hope you guys have a great weekend and see you soon =)

40 comments:

  1. Always good to hear from you, Peggy. Glad school is going well. This dish looks amazing! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!

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  2. This looks awesome and yummy

    Aarthi
    http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/

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  3. I'm definitely making this! I think crab is my favorite food. We've made crab stuffed haddock, but not salmon....I'm in!
    Have a great weekend :-)

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  4. Mmmmm! I'm in love with crab meat these days!

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  5. You just made delicious salmon even better! Kudos!

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  6. The name does sound complicated but after your step by step explanation, I get a better idea of the dish. This dish is fabulous!

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  7. I'm abig fan of salmon,especilly with special stuffed with great ingredients like this one,,,YummY :)
    thanks for sharing this,i know you are bussy,glad to see your post again :)
    Ridwan

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  8. Oh my! Stuffed salmon goodness. Yummy!

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  9. You bet that title caught my attention... crab stuffed salmon? Yes, please! Sounds so good... and I love that beurre blanc! I love this meal... Great post!

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  10. This dish looks FANTASTIC!!......Abrazotes, Marcela

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  11. This looks fantastic and it's SO nice to re-connect with you! I've missed you and I'm not surprised that he loved this one...it's FAB! Have a GREAT weekend!

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  12. This is a gorgeous plate of food. I can see why you and Andy loved it so much! Hope you're enjoying culinary school!

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  13. I love salmon ...and your recipe looks very very yum

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  14. It's amazing that such a fancy sounding dish can come together so quickly

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  15. oh my goodness! this looks so goid!! thank you for posting this! def another must try of yours!!!

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  16. This reminds me of how much I wish my hubby liked sea food. I never get to make it because he won't eat it. This looks delicious!

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  17. Hi Peggy! From the sounds of it, may I just order it from you? Crab stuffed salmon, oh my.. simply delish. I could imagine myself serving it with lovely lemon dill butter sauce. Yummmmmmmmmm..... Btw, thanks for stopping by over at my blog. Have a good week!!! xoxo, Jo

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  18. Crab stuffed Salmon?! Umm, Yes please! I know this is going to sound a little SPAM-y, but did you know ItMustBeGood.com is available for only like $10 a year? You should totally buy it.

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  19. Can I just say wow at this dish? Not only is it beautiful but the title TOTALLY got my attention. Every component sounds gourmet and delicious. It's going on my must try list!

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  20. So good to read you and what a fabulous recipe; everything on that plate is talking to me. this is one I am saving for Special Meal for 2; I often do that on the weekends. Pretty sure this will be a hit on my Pinterest.
    Rita

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  21. This does look like an amazing meal. I have had crab stuffed fish before when I lived in FL and it was very good. Getting fresh fish here is a challenge. I do all the extra touches you added like the beurre blanc and the relish. Well done!

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  22. Wow this is insane! I can tell why you loved i so much!
    Seems like you are enjoying school, even if it does make you crazy busy!!

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  23. I bet your fiance liked this dish! It sounds (and looks) fantastic...a great Sunday night special meal! Theresa

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  24. WOW!! AH-MAZING ... and can't wait to try it myself!!

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  25. Wow!! I'd eat salmon ALL the time if it was crab stuffed. This sounds incredible and I have to try it immediately. YUM!!

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  26. This looks fantastic. So many interesting flavours and textures.

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  27. Salmon is my favourite, not to mention it's stuffed with crab!! Yummy!

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  28. It looks so delicious!!! Love your recipe:)

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  29. Crab-stuffed salmon has to be my all-time favorite. Love your recipe, and step-by-step photo direction! Thanks for sharing, and stopping my my blog to comment:DDD

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  30. Ooh, I can see why this was a favorite! I'm giving it rave reviews just from the photos and recipe...it looks amazing, Peggy!

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  31. Peggy this is amazing. Your photos are absolutely fabulous.

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  32. I get that your crazy busy, but really you totally could fit in making me this meal right? I'm sure there's a way. I would be all smiles too. It sounds wonderful.

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  33. Yes, the title grabbed my attention and got my tastebuds drooling. Love this gorgeous dish. Salmon sometimes needs to be livened up a bit and oh boy is this lively salmon!

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  34. Peggy, this is one amazing meal! (I also liked the sweet potato biscuits you mentioned...) I agree with everybody above!!!

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  35. Thank you Peggy for hopping over and for the lovely thought. OMG this looks amazing!! lovely presentation.

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