Salmon Wellington

 

 

Don't you just love beef wellington, right! It's decadent, special, not your everyday kind of dish. It makes for a great holiday menu or a treat for a dinner party. But beef wellington isn't exactly a spring type of dish, by nature it's just a bit heavy.

 

But salmon wellington now that's a more appropriate spring time dish.

 

We were in the mood for something a little special, a little different so salmon wellington it became.

 

 

We found a great recipe posted from Seattle Fish Company that caught our eye. Puffed pastry wrapped around a salmon fillet topped with spinach and a crab salad. Oh yeah, we knew this needed to be made.

 

 

And don't be fooled it may look fancy and special but really it's not complicated at all to make.

 

 

Trust us you can lay down some puff pastry and layer salmon, spinach and crab.

 

Brush on some egg wash

and Voila, beautiful dinner you will have.

 

 

We enjoyed ours with a nice bottle of Washington 2013Viognier made by Cougar Crest. It was a good pairing because of it's light lime and honey essence paired with the rich salmon wrapped in puff pastry. We almost always stop by the Columbia Crest tasting room when we are staying in Spokane at the Davenport Hotel.

 

 

 

We did realize we could have cut the salmon fillets into even smaller portions as it was quite a rich dish and with the pastry pretty filling. We each only ate half of ours.

 

RECIPE:

 

Salmon Wellington with Spinach and Dungeness Crab - (Recipe from Seattle Fish Company)

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Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 lb King Salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed (We used silver salmon)
• 2 sheets of puff pastry, defrosted according to package instructions
• 1 lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed ( we used fresh and steamed it)
• 8 oz Dungeness Crab Meat, rinsed and picked through for any remaining shells
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp minced shallots
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Remove excess moisture from the spinach by wrapping it in cheese cloth or a clean kitchen towel, and squeezing.
3. Combine the crab, mayonnaise, shallots, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix together and set aside
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray. place one rectangle of puff pastry out on it. Place the salmon fillet in the center of the puff pastry and top with the spinach. Spread the crab mixture over the top of the spinach evenly.
5. Paint the puff pastry around the circumference of the salmon fillet with the beaten eggs. Top with the remaining piece of puff pastry and trim the excess dough from the package. Paint the top piece of puff pastry with the beaten eggs and crimp the edges of the top and bottom pieces of puff pastry to seal the salmon within.
6. Cut decorative vents in the puff pastry approximately every 2-3 inches down the length of the package.
7. You can use a cookie cutter to cut decorative pieces of puff pastry to place on top of your salmon Wellington prior to cooking if desired. Be sure to brush with egg wash prior to cooking.
8. Place in pre heated oven for 30-35 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove and allow to stand before attempting to slice for serving.

 



 

 

Parmesan - Crusted Halibut in Crazy Water

After what seems like weeks and weeks of heavy, not so healthy eating we decided not to calorie splurge for Sunday dinner this week which we usually do. During the work week we try to keep it relatively healthy, always for breakfast & lunch and mostly for dinners. But on the weekend we have  the time to cook and when we cook all day to make a meal it's usually not focused on being a healthy one. Just being honest.

But this past Sunday we both felt a need to keep it a bit lighter. We looked back in one of our favorite recipe resources, our collection of Cuisine at Home magazines (they are still one of the only cooking magazines we get that doesn't have their recipes available online.) We found a recipe we had marked as one we wanted to cook from a December 2008 issue that we had never got around to actually making. Perfect.

Parmesan-Crusted Halibut in Crazy Water with Zucchini, Tomatoes & Orzo sounded like a long title but absolutely right up our alley. We love halibut and the fact is in the winter we don't eat nearly enough of it. Crazy water sounded a bit interesting, after reading about the recipe we learned the recipe is based on an Italian recipe and it's called crazy water because the broth is made with wine, water, fragrant herbs, and veggies. Didn't sound too crazy for us. 

Luckily our favorite fish market nearby, Metropolitan Market, had some really good looking halibut. It was previously frozen given the time of the year but it looked and smelled about as fresh as we'd be able to find. 

The recipe starts with smearing the halibut with some store bought pesto (I also found some freshly made pesto at Met Market) and then creating a Parmesan and panko crust that goes on top of the pesto. 

Evidently to make the true Italian version of the recipe the halibut would poach in the "crazy water" but in order to keep the Parmesan crust crispy in this recipe we baked the halibut in the oven separately from the broth. And this absolutely was a great call. That crispy crust eaten with the savory, briny broth was fantastic.

It really was a deliciously, flavorful meal. All of the components played perfectly off each other; the kalamata olives, lemon juice, roasted red peppers contrasted with the crispy, pesto flavored sweet halibut. 

We enjoyed our wonderful Parmesan crusted halibut with an oaky  Walla Walla 2013 Waterbrook Reserve Chardonnay.

RECIPE:

Parmesan-Crusted Halibut in Crazy Water with Zucchini, Tomatoes & Orzo 

Makes 2 servings : Total Time about 45 minutes

Halibut:

1/4 C panko crumbs

2 Tblspns grated Parmesan cheese

Minced zest of 1/2 a lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

4 tspns purchased pesto, divided

2 halibut fillets, 1-inch each (4 0z. each)

For the Crazy Water:

1/4 C minced red onion

1 tspn minced garlic

1/4 tspn red pepper flakes

2 tspns olive oil

1/4 C dry white wine

2 1/2 C water

1/2 C halved grape tomatoes

1/4 C dry orzo pasta

1 tspn sugar

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 C coarsely chopped zucchini

1/2 C jarred roasted red pepper, cut into strips

1/4 C halved kalamata olives

2 Tspns chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450; coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Combine panko, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread 1/2 pesto on each piece of halibut and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Press panko mixture onto pesto side of halibut, spritz crumbs with nonstick spray, then refrigerate until ready to roast.

Saute onion, garlic, and pepper flakes in oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat for the 'crazy water.' Cook until soft, about 3 minutes, then deglaze with wine. Simmer until nearly evaporated, then stir in water, tomatoes, pasta, sugar, and thyme. Cook until orzo is tender, about 9 minutes.

Roast fish while orzo simmers. Cook fillets until crumbs are golden and flesh flakes easily with a fork, 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Add zucchini, red pepper strips, and olives to crazy water; simmer just until heated through. Off heat, stir in parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. To serve divide broth between 2 shallow bowls, top each with halibut fillet, and garnish with lemon wedges. 

Cheesy Shrimp & Grits

Hey, have you ever been scrolling through Twitter and see a delicious Cheesy Shrimp & Grits dish that a friend has posted and is eating that makes your mouth water? Well that's exactly how this dish came about. 

After seeing our friend's post we immediately knew we had to make this dish and make it tonight. We were out and about doing some errands but I googled some recipes and found one by Martha Stewart that we decided to give a try.  We pretty much had everything we needed to make it so we only had to pick up a lemon and some green onions.

The spicy shrimp were perfectly flavored and had just enough heat to make them wonderful. Our grits turned out a bit too lumpy and not as creamy as we'd of liked them to be but we can fix that by adding some more broth next time. 

This dish hit the spot.

RECIPE:

Cheesy Shrimp & Grits (adapted from Martha Stewart) 

Shrimp:

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch cayenne, pepper

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons red or green chiles, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Juice of 1 lemon

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Cheese Grits

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, green parts only, sliced on the bias

4 slices Maple-Glazed Bacon

DIRECTIONS

Place shrimp, 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and pinch of black pepper in a medium bowl; toss to combine.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp, celery, shallots, and chiles in an even layer in skillet and let cook for 1 minute, without stirring. Turn shrimp and add wine; let reduce to 2 tablespoons, about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and simmer until it begins to thicken, about 1 minute more. Stir in butter until completely melted; add lemon juice.

Divide grits evenly between 4 serving bowls; top with shrimp and sauce. Garnish with cilantro and scallions; top with a slice of maple bacon and serve.

Cheesy Grits 

2 cups stone-ground grits

2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as necessary

2 cups milk

1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place grits in a large bowl; add 4 cups water; stir (light bran will rise to the top); and drain.

Bring chicken stock and milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When liquid begins to boil, slowly whisk in grits; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Stir in both cheeses until melted and well combined. If grits seem a little too thick, add more stock to loosen. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Squid and Fennel Pasta with Lemon & Herbs

Maybe because it's been raining for like 30 days straight here or because light and fresh food are calling our names, either way this Squid and Fennel Pasta with Lemon & Herbs that we made during this last summer has become worthy of sharing and is sounding pretty delicious right about now. 

We love calamari and/or squid, but mostly at a restaurant. Of course deep fried is always great at happy hour or sauteed as an appetizer before a great Italian meal but it's rare that we cook it at home. Mostly because the odor is fairly strong and it's so delicate to make well. 

So on this late summer night we agreed we'd make this fresh squid recipe that we found in Bon Appetit magazine but that we'd make it outside on the grill. 

We sauteed the fennel and veggies on the side burner but we grilled the squid on the grill separately and added it to the pasta. Squid is very delicate you have to cook it so carefully to not over cook it and keep it tender and flavorful. We've all had rubbery calamari, really is there nothing worse? Well maybe overcooked clams or any type of seafood actually.

This was a great summer pasta dish enjoyed out on the patio with a great Pacific Northwest Sauvignon Blanc. Both the lemon and herb flavors gave it a fresh and delicate flavor that a hot late summer day calls for. Looking forward to one of those warm DRY days to come soon.

RECIPE:

Squid and Fennel Pasta with Lemon & Herbs (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound squid (bodies and tentacles), bodies sliced ¼ inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced lengthwise, plus 2 tablespoons fronds

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ lemon, seeds removed, very thinly sliced, divided

12 ounces linguine or fettuccine

½ cup parsley leaves with tender stems

Preparation

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over high. Working in 2 batches, season squid with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 3 minutes (don’t overcook or it’ll get rubbery). Transfer to a small bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-high and heat 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet (no need to wipe out). Add fennel slices, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, 10–12 minutes (some nicely browned bits should be stuck to skillet). Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and half of lemon slices; cook, tossing occasionally, until garlic and lemon are soft, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 ½ cups pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta to skillet along with 1 cup cooking liquid. Toss, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing and adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Add squid and give it all another toss to combine.

Toss parsley, fennel fronds, remaining lemon slices, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta topped with salad.

Spicy Shrimp Tempura with Peach Avocado Salad

It was one of those Saturday mornings where I was dragging my feet a bit getting dressed, a bit bummed I had to go into work on the weekend. So while I was getting dressed I was distracted both by my bully and the Food Network.

The show The Best Thing I Ever Ate/Made was on. And while trying to stop Sally from chasing my sock I noticed Beau Macmillan was talking about this amazing shrimp tempura dish he had made that was sweet, spicy and spectacular.

I immediately went downstairs to download the recipe so on the way home from school I could pick up the ingredients to make it. 

He explained it was easy to make. Yes, easy to make but lots of steps and prep too. I decided to skip a step and instead of making the jalapeño jelly I would instead use some of the habanero peach jelly we had canned last summer to replace it. It was actually a perfect switch.

I tried to find mangoes but couldn't, not even frozen, so instead I had to go with frozen peaches. Winter is tough to find sweet fruit. 

The flavor profiles of the dish were pretty amazing. I'd never made tempura before and it turned out perfect using the rice flour and carbonated water (I used soda water.)

And the coconut sticky rice was delish.

G & I both agreed this may be the best dish we've ever made. And that's saying a lot we cook a ton of food. But this really was EXCELLENT!

RECIPE:

Spicy Shrimp Tempura with Peach Avocado Salad - adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Coconut Sticky Rice:

1 cup white medium-grain rice, such as Calrose

One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk

Red Pepper Jalapeno Jelly: (We skipped this entire step and used our homemade canned Habenero Peach Salsa.)

1 1/2 red bell peppers, diced

1 jalapeno, sliced with seeds

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 to 2 pinches red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon liquid pectin

Mango and Avocado Salad:

1 avocado, sliced

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced

1 fresh mango, chopped ( We had to use frozen peaches, no mangoes to be found)

1/4 of a fresh jalapeno, sliced

6 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

3 green onions, chopped, plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chili paste

Pinch black pepper

Tempura Shrimp:

8 large shrimp or tiger prawns

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1 1/2 to 2 cups carbonated water ( we used soda water)

Canola oil, for frying

Directions

For the sticky rice: Wash the rice until the water is clear and all the starch is washed off. Put the rice in a shallow cooking pan and add the coconut milk and 3/4 cup water. (Trick - place your hand flat in the pan and pour in the water. When the liquid reaches your middle finger knuckle, you have the right amount.)

Bring the rice and coconut milk to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

For the jelly: Put the bell peppers, jalapeno, sugar, cider vinegar and red pepper flakes into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Add the liquid pectin to give it a jelly-like consistency. Then set aside.

For the salad: Combine the avocado, cucumber, mango, jalapeno, cilantro, green onions, sugar, oil, vinegar, chili paste and black pepper in a bowl and mix together.

For the shrimp: Peel and clean the shrimp. I like to use tiger prawns - big daddy shrimp!! Frozen shrimp is fine - just let them thaw out and rinse them in water.

Whisk together the rice flour and carbonated water until it reaches a batter consistency (alternatively, you can get premade tempura batter at Asian markets). It's key to not whisk too much, you want a nice fine batter without much air in it.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Next, take a heavy-bottomed pot and fill it with canola oil. Don't fill the pot too much! If using a 1-gallon saucepot, use 1/4 gallon oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it's about 350 degrees F. You can test if the oil is ready by dropping some of the tempura batter into the oil. If it floats to the top, it's ready to go!

Dredge the shrimp in the batter and drop into the oil. The shrimp will cook all the way in 2 to 3 minutes. It's key to not add too many shrimp at once, just add 3 or 4 at a time.

When the shrimp floats to the top, they should be done. You can test them by taking one out and cutting into it to make sure it's opaque, and then taking a bite. Place the shrimp in the oven until you are ready to plate.

Combine all the components: Put the fried shrimp in a bowl with some pepper jelly and toss to coat them. Next, take a little bit of the jelly and place on the bottom of each plate. Put some sticky rice down on the plate on top of the jelly. Place 2 shrimp on top of the rice. Add some mango and avocado salad. Garnish with a little extra cilantro or sliced green onions.

Shrimp Curry with Bok Choy

Don't you just love a recipe that is sophisticated, simple and full of flavor. We do especially on a weeknight after a crazy busy day. And when such a recipe includes shrimp and curry all the better. 

This simple stir fry curry shrimp was a delicious meal to end the day during our Whole 30 challenge.

This simple stir fry curry shrimp was a delicious meal to end the day during our Whole 30 challenge.

RECIPE:

Shrimp Curry with Bok Choy

1 large head bok choy

1/3 pound wild-caught shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

3 Tablespoons curry powder

3 Tablespoons coconut aminos

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh basil

Rinse the bok choy and remove the large white veins near the bottom of each leaf. Chop the leaves lengthwise and set aside.

Place the shrimp in skillet and stir in the fish sauce, curry powder and coconut aminos. Saute' for 4-5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and basil and continue to cook until shrimp is completely opaque. Add the bok choy and saute' 1-2 minutes until it begins in soften slightly.

Remove skillet from the heat and serve immediately. 

Paleo Paella

So the deal with Paleo that attracts it to us is that it never, ever feels like a diet because although there are certain foods you never have like; dairy, wheat, rice or sugar, there are so many incredibly delicious foods that you do have that we rarely miss those things. Well, except cheese for me to be honest! But not as much as I would expect to. 

This recipe for Paleo Paella is one that totally keeps us committed to make it through these 30 days. We love making traditional seafood Paella. The flavorful sofrito, the crispy rice that forms at the bottom of the pan. Such great flavors.

So when we found this recipe in the 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking cookbook for a paella that is made with 'riced cauliflower' we were sold on giving it a try. Although we were definitely skeptical about the idea of shredded cauliflower even being remotely like rice we were curious enough to give it a try.

The Paela turned out fantastic. You have to try riced cauliflower. It is so surprising. G said he didn't miss the crispy rice bottom of our usual paella recipe at all. We also added ground chorizo that we feel really helped bring out the traditional flavor we love. We both agreed even after the 30 days this recipe will be on our usual Monday through Friday Paleo rotation.

RECIPE:

Paleo Paella (from 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking)

1 head cauliflower, grated

1 TBLSPN ghee (clarified butter)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 lb. ground bulk chorizo

1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 lb. wild caught shrimp, peeled & deveined

4-8 strands saffron

1 TSPN turmeric

2 TSPNS smoked paprika

1/4 TSPN chipotle powder

Salt & pepper to taste

1 handful flat leaf parsley plus extra for garnish

1. Use a large box grater or food processor to shred the cauliflower florets into a rice-like texture. (We used the food processor and it was simple and fairly mess free.)

2. In a large dutch oven heat the ghee over medium heat.

3. Add the carrot, red pepper, and onion to the dutch oven and saute' until softened.

4. Add the smashed garlic to the pot along with the chorizo and chicken breast. Cook 2-4 more minutes.

5. Add the shrimp and cook until translucent.

6. Season with saffron, turmeric, smoked paprika and chipotle. stirring to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed.

7. Add the riced cauliflower to the pot and stir to combine.

8. Season with salt & pepper and add the parsley. Continue to cook until cauliflower softens.

9. Garnish with extra parsley if desired and serve. 

GCC: Scallop Sauce with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Hot Pepper

This week for Gutsy Cooks Club Marie from Weekend Viands, our July host, served us up a fantastic Italian recipe for scallop sauce. One of our favorite shellfish options. 

It was Italian simplistic; the best seafood you can find, simple olive oil, garlic, parsley and hot pepper. Couldn't be much more simple and delicious.

We actually LOVE scallops. Sweet, succulent and with a smooth texture when cooked well. The original recipe called for chopped red hot pepper. We went with a dried ancho chile instead that I used some Rick Bayless technique on. In most of his recipes he first basically deep fries his chiles to rehydrate them which gives them a fantastic deep, complex flavor. We did this and chopped it up for the sauce.

This recipe first started with a great classic combo of garlic, olive oil and the pepper brought up to high temperature without burning the garlic. Not easy for me to do usually.

The thing with scallops is they are best when seared well. And its hard to get a good sear when buying frozen scallops which is most typically what you will find in the grocery stores even in a seafood haven like the Pacific Northwest. We used Sea scallops instead of the small Bay scallops the recipe called for. 

To achieve as much 'dryness' as possible I typically first ensure they are fully defrosted. Then I place them between layers of absorbent paper towels with weight on top to absorb as much moisture as possible. This helps. But having a hot pan, and we find the cast iron skillet works best for this, is another technique to help with this searing process. 

The recipe called to serve them over pasta. We had just had pasta the night before and having pasta two nights in a row for us, being not huge pasta consumers, was just not in the cards. We decided to make some Israeli Couscous to serve them on instead. 

We loved this simply elegant and delicate delicious dish. So, so good. 

Find the recipe it's linked here. Thanks Marie for a great line up of Italian recipes to try this month. 

Fresh Salmon Spring Rolls

We were having one of those... we’re really not on the ‘same page’ kind of menu planning days. We both wanted salmon that was the only common denominator. G was thinking more; cedar planked and rubbed with some yummy spices. I was thinking, “let’s trying something different.”

I had just read Diane’s post on White On Rice Couple’s blog post about fresh spring rolls. She had some great tutorials and always has photos that inspire my thinking. She shared her love for all things spring rolls and how she often tries to change it up a bit from the typical pork or shrimp spring rolls, think BLT spring rolls. 

This got my recipe tweaking brain parts thinking. 

"What if we made spring rolls with the grilled salmon. Mmmmm....I thought , I might be on to something here.” I shared my idea with G, he was less than initially tempted but ultimately is starting to understand “Happy Wife = Happy Life” so he said, “Sure, let’s give it a try if you want to.” Meaning he thought they didn’t sound very good but he knew I was pretty solid on wanting to give this idea a try.

Actually we used to make fresh spring rolls a bit more frequently than we have been lately. We’ve been known to even host a make your own fresh spring roll party or two or three in our time together. Which are always an interactive, hands-on way to get everyone involved in the kitchen.

My love for making spring rolls actually started early in my teaching career. One of my fellow teaching colleagues, Jim Warnke, hosted an after school spring roll party in his room. He showed us how to soak the skins and wrap the rolls. Being that was at least 15 or 16 years ago I can’t remember what prompted this after school gathering or any of the details. And it does seem like an odd at school activity but regardless whenever we make spring rolls I think of that experience and it was him who then inspired us to try hosting similar parties on our own. I haven’t seem Mr. Warnke in years but this memory always makes me smile and I remember his personality in general always made me smile and coming to work fun. 

We rubbed and grilled our salmon as we typically do and then let it sit and come to room temperature. 

I then prepped ingredients that I thought would pair well with salmon (grilled asparagus and sliced avocado) to wrap with the more typical spring roll makings (cucumber slices, red leaf lettuce, cilantro, rice stick noodles.) 

I additionally made our favorite chile sauce for dipping our salmon rolls. Once everything was prepped and ready for assembling I started the rice paper soaking and rolling. It was about this time that I thought, “Oh yeah, I forgot how temperamental these wrappers can be, maybe this is why I haven’t done this in awhile.” The good thing is the package of wrappers comes with far more than we would ever need so a few torn test wrappers was no reason to give up. 

Once I kind of got the hang of it again I was able to wrap a good amount of rolls. Mind you not nearly as lovely and sturdy looking as Diane’s appeared to be. But they were edible at least for a bite or two before they sort of just needed to be stuffed in your mouth all at once to not drop all the goodies inside. Definitely not a graceful eating experience.

But G’s was in LOVE. He said, “Babe, these are the sh_ _.” Which around here means they were fantastic. And they were. Especially paired with the chile sauce we typically use for our shrimp & pork spring rolls. I wasn’t convinced at first that this would be a good match but went with it anyway. They were light and fresh and the salmon was the perfect protein with the crisp (cucumber, lettuce & avocado) and the creamy (avocado) ingredients. 

I knew I had come onto something when the first thing G said when he got up the next morning was, “ I want some more of the salmon spring rolls.” Yep, it was one of those times where I felt like gloating and saying, “ I told you so.” But I kept that thought to myself and just smiled and said, “Yep, we’ll need to make those again soon.” And truth be told I’m already plotting making them again next week.

To see a great tutorial on how to best wrap your spring rolls go to White On Rice Couple’s blog and read Diane’s step by step process. 

RECIPE:

Fresh Spring Rolls with Grilled Salmon

1/2 lb fresh salmon filet

2 Tblspn Rub with Love for Salmon 

1/2 Cucumber, seeded and sliced into sticks

1/4 lb aparagus, grilled, blanched and cut into sticks

1 avocado, sliced

8 red leaf lettuce leafs, rinsed

1 bunch clean cilantro

1 bag rice stick noodles (cook as directed by package)

1 package rice paper spring roll wrappers

Rub salmon with seasoning. Grill until done. Remove from grill let sit at room temperature. Once salmon is cool cut into slices to be wrapped in spring rolls. Prep all spring roll ingredients. Try to cut cucumber and asparagus to similar lengths. Have all ingredients organized and laid out for easy assembling. 

Carefully soak wrappers in luke warm water one at a time. Soak them only enough to soften or they will start to tear. (If you tear one throw it out and try again. It might take a few test wrappers until you get the feel for how long to soak them.) Once wrapper is pliable lay it on cutting board. Start layering; lettuce, cilantro, cucumber, asparagus, salmon, rice noodles. Keep ingredients in to one side of the wrapper. Fold bottom third up over ingredients. Then tightly hold ingredients as you wrap wrapper around (think burrito style.) Stack rolls on plate. Best eaten right away with the chile dipping sauce.

Chile Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar, divided

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon Garlic Chile Sauce

Heat vinegar and half of the sugar in saucepan on stove until sugar dissolves. Add remainder of sugar and salt until full dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in garlic chile sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.