Tag: salmon
Salmon with Blood Orange Glaze
This is a very simple and flavorful dish. I served it with black rice and roasted butternut squash- absolutely delicious!!
- 1 large salmon filet, 3 to 4 pounds
- 1 cup blood orange juice
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- Juice of half a lime
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Transfer all the ingredients to a saucepan. Bring a boil and simmer and reduce by half. Place the salmon filet on a lined cookie sheet and pour the glaze all over. Broil on high for 5 to 6 minutes or till just cooked through. Serve warm.
Monaco and Nice
Today was our day to visit Monaco. After yesterday I wasn’t too sure what to expect.. I thought Cannes was okay, nothing special.. like I mentioned, it looked it a bunch of rich people walking around with fancy clothes and bags- definitely not my scene. So this morning I was not too excited as Monaco is known for the very very rich and famous. We caught an early train from Nice and were there within half an hour. The first images of the country were absolutely stunning! The ocean and the mountains against the beautiful buildings was breathtaking.. I also like how the modern buildings kind of just blended in with the old palace, etc. It looked like a very well kept little country- I guess if you have loads of money and there are about 37,000 people- it is quite easy to keep the country in good shape. Also, it seems there is a cop for every 6 people! I can see why people with money come here- it truly looks and feels like the play ground for the rich and famous.
We walked up the palace and witnessed the changing of the guards, which was not as elaborate as in London but still nice…We then made our way to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, which was great fun. We went up to the top floor to check out the cafe that had great views of the water… but the food seemed average and we didn’t want to get stuck with subpar food.. so even though we were hungry, we decided to leave and walk into the old part of Monaco and find a place. Most places were a mix of French and Italian. Obviously Monaco is known for its fancy Michelin starred restaurants but that is not what we had in mind.. 🙂
We chose a corner restaurant with outdoor seating… I ordered the three course meal and started with a warm goat cheese salad- it was delicious! There was a toasted slice of baguette topped with melted goat cheese placed over a mixture of fresh lettuce, tomato and mushrooms with a yummy dressing.
Goat Cheese Salad
Filet of Salmon
Nougat Ice Cream
Did I mention what I was sipping? Well, it was a glass of delicious Rose!! Next came my entree, which was a filet of salmon topped with a white sauce served with mixed vegetables and rice. The salmon was tender and delicious.. the veggies were crunchy and fresh tasting. I was very happy, sipping my delicious wine and people watching. I was looking forward to my dessert which I had already decided on- creme caramel- one of my all time favorites! I grew up with it and love the combination of custard and caramel. Well, it turned out, they were out of it so I ordered the nougat ice cream served with a drizzle of caramel and loads of whipped cream- my favorite… It was soon time to head back to Nice and walk around and go back to the ice cream place!!!
We came back, went to the pool and headed for dinner. Today I had the good sense to make reservations at Chez Acchiardo, a small restaurant in the old part of Nice. We headed there and immediately got a great sense as we walked into the cozy restaurant. We ordered a delicious bottle of Merlot and started the dinner with some yummy foie gras with some yummy condiments.
Foie Gras
It was just the right thing to start the evening off. Next, I ordered a steak with parsley garlic and anchovies and my husband ordered a seabreem fish with a red, puttanesca kind of sauce. Both the dishes were sublime. My steak was out of this world- I guess maybe because I love the combination of parsley, garlic and anchovies… I thought, why haven’t I made this at home before??? Will have to do so very soon….
SeaBreem
Steak with Parsley Garlic & Anchovies
Overall it was a fantastic evening- very good food and great atmosphere. The service was wonderful and we came out very happy and walked over to the ice cream place from last evening- I was looking forward to it all day!! I had the caramel again but this time I paired it with passion fruit and of course topped with my favorite- whipped cream…. tomorrow we are off to Marseilles….
A Day in Como, Italy
Day two in Switzerland started with a delicious breakfast filled with lots of cheese, bread, some salami and lots of delicious coffee. One of the advantages of being in Lugano is that we are half an hour away from the Italian border! That makes me happy. I couldn’t wait to make our way there.. even though we were there a month ago- I can’t get enough of the good food, cheap and delicious wine and the sweet life! I feel blessed to be able to enjoy some quality time with my family while eating delicious food.
We made our way there via a speed train. Thirty short minutes later, we were in Como.. and a short ten minutes later we were by the beautiful lake. We decided to take a ferry ride and admire the lovely villas and homes around the beautiful lake. There wasn’t a whole lot of difference between Lugano and Como.. except Como seemed more populated. Also, the prices in Como were much cheaper than Lugano. Switzerland on the whole is quite expensive overall, including food and wine.
We made a couple stops for gelato con panna (whipped cream) and then finally settled down for a yummy lunch break. We ordered a mixed salad, a zucchini lasagna and pasta with salmon. All the pasta was made fresh, of course! We also ordered a carafe of a local Rose. The simplest things taste good in Italy- it is all about the ingredients… fresh and delicious… A couple of hours later we made our way back to Lugano.. can’t wait to explore some more tomorrow!
Pasta with Salmon
Zucchini Lasagna
Miso Marinated Salmon
I love miso flavored anything. I first had the alaskan butterfish marinated in white miso at Ming Tsai’s restaurant, Blue Ginger in Boston. It was so fabulous that I replicated it at home with great success. Alaskan butterfish or black cod is quite expensive and is definitely not for a regular weeknight meal. I wanted to use similar flavors and try it with another fish. Salmon came to mind since it is one of the healthiest fish to have and it is not as expensive.
I bought fresh Alaskan salmon at Whole Foods. I am a little leery about using the farm raised variety, especially since they add color to make the salmon pink- I really don’t like that idea at all. I would rather have salmon less often and pay more for the wild variety.
I bought a big piece and and marinated it with white miso, tamari and a little mirin. The flavors are wonderful together and compliment the fish really well. I also made a fried rice with the fish – I had fresh corn and bok choy in the fridge and decided to combine the two in the rice (recipe to follow on Monday).
It was great healthy meal. My daughter does not like salmon- at all. So, I had her try a bite (she hated it) and then gave her the fried rice and made a chicken sausage for her on the side. She is usually such a good eater that I didn’t have a problem with her not enjoying the fish. It is probably the only fish she doesn’t like. All in all it was a successful meal.
- 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each, about an inch thick)
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon butter
Mix the miso, tamari, sugar, honey and mirin together and marinate the salmon for 2-3 hours.
Arrange fish in a shallow dish lined with aluminum foil. Spoon the left over marinade evenly over the fish. Distribute the butter evenly over all the fillets.
Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Serve with fried rice.
