Grilled Mustard & Dill Salmon

First of all, I'm thrilled (and a little bit amazed) to have won the most recent installation of the Swedish food event Cyberkocken. A huge thank you to Anne for hosting, the judges for, um, voting for me, and most of all to the mussles for not giving us food poisoning in spite of the less-than-stellar treatment they got on the way home. Tack!

Now that's out of the way, this was one of the things I thought about entering to the Finnish food blog challenge, the theme of which is grilled/barbecued food. I've only recently started enjoying cooking fish - I've always liked eating it - but this was one of my first times ever grilling fish. A big fillet of salmon lends itself really well to this purpose, as it's not going to overcook and turn dry in a matter of minutes the way smaller white fish would, and the ease of preparation was a major plus. The minus being... the taste of the topping. The mustard was a bit overpowering, and I was using bought mayo which was just a bit too sharp here. With some tweaking (maybe some yogurt or soft cheese replacing part of the mayo?) it'll be wonderful - you just slap the fish on the grill and top with the seasoning and leave it for about 20 minutes and it's done! - but it's not exactly a challenge entry yet. Good thing we got an extension due to our general summer laziness...

Speaking of laziness, I'm just going to link you to the recipe.

Recipe after the jump!

Risotto med musslor & rökt bacon (Mussel & Bacon Risotto)

This is my entry for this month's Swedish food blog challenge. Scroll down for the English writeup & recipe.

Normalt brukar man ju skriva ganska vitt och brett om sina hopkok, men nu blir det faktiskt nästan bara ett recept för månadens cyberkock - om jag skall hinna somna innan väckarklockan ringer så blir det ingen tid över till annat pladder fast rätten eller snarare ingrediensanskaffningen nog torde kunna dryftas. (Tänk dig bara att sitta med ett nät musslor i en solgassad, fullproppad buss vars värmesystem gått totalt ur balans så att det blåser hetluft på dina stackars fötter. Ja, musslorna såklart också. Men dom är uppätna nu, medan mina fötter fortfarande liiiider.)

Månadens ingredienser var förutom musslor ingefära, koriander och nånting rökt. Det rökta blev för min del bacon och färsk koriander smakar tvål så den bytte jag ut mot persilja, men om man har såna smaklökar som står ut med eller rent av njuter av det så lär koriander passa hur bra som helst. Titta in på Annes mat senare i veckan för att se resten av bidragen!


In English: Cyberkocken is a monthly event where you prepare a dish or meal containing four given ingredients. This month's hostess is Anne of Anne's Food, and the ingredients mussels, ginger, cilantro (or coriander, as the Swedish word is the same for both spice and herb) and "something smoked." I could tell you stories about finding the mussels, but since I was in too much of a hurry to do so in Swedish when I posted this, I shall just say that heat is evil, my shoes are evil, and the bus I came home on tried to steam-boil both my feet and my mussels by running the heater (my feet were just by an air-vent) in 25°C weather. It's a miracle I didn't give all of us food poisoning, but miraculously a decent amount of the mussels survived the trip.

I'm not a fan of cilantro (it tastes like soap) so I substituted fresh parsley, and my smoked ingredient was bacon, because nothing can go wrong with bacon. Yesterday was perhaps not the perfect day to make risotto, but eating it was wonderful. Recipe in English follows the Swedish one after the jump.

Risotto med musslor & rökt bacon

ett nät blåmusslor
ett paket rökt bacon (eller vanlig)
en stäng selleri
en rödlök
en ca. 4 cm lång bit färsk ingefära
3 dl arborioris
2 dl vitvin + lite till till musslorna
ca 1,25 l (tillredd, sjudande) hummerfond
1 knippe vårlök, strimlad
persilja/koriander, grovhackad
peppar

Skär baconen i små bitar och stek en stund i en medelstor kastrull på ganska låg värme - avsikten här är att få fettet att smälta. Hacka selleri och rödlök fint och stek dem med baconen i några minuter. Riv ingefäran och tillsätt den. Rör ner riset i grönsakerna (tillsätt lite olja om det ser torrt ut) och låt värmas nån minut tills riset börjar se lite genomskinligt ut i kanterna. Häll i 2 dl vin och rör om tills riset sugit upp vätskan. Sen kommer det roliga med risotton: tillsätt hummerfond (eller kräft- eller fiskbuljong, antar jag) en slev i taget allteftersom riset suger i sig vätska. Det hela borde ta en knapp halvtimme eller så, och vätskemängden kan variera.

Under tiden: pochera (de tvättade) musslorna i en slurk vin tills de öppnar sig, ställ åt sidan.

När risotton är mer eller mindre färdig: rör i den strimlade vårlöken och hackade örter. Smaka av med peppar (salt behövs knappast, det är ganska mycket bacon) och blanda i musslorna.

Mussel & Bacon Risotto

a net of mussels (I... have no idea how much that is. A pound and a half?)
170 g smoked bacon
1 stalk celery
1 red onion
a scant-two-inch-long piece of fresh ginger, grated
300 ml arborio rice
200 ml white wine + some more to poach the mussels in
1¼ l prepared, simmering lobster (or fish or prawn) stock
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
parsley or cilantro, roughly chopped
pepper to taste

Cut the bacon into smallish pieces and cook in a medium-sized pot on a medium-low heat. You're not crisping them here, just releasing the fat. Chop the red onion and celery finely and add to the pot, stir-frying until translucent. Add the grated fresh ginger, stir for a minute or so, then pour in the rice and keep stirring until the rice starts to look a bit translucent at the edges. Pour in the wine and stir until it's been absorbed, then add the stock, one ladleful at the time, stirring often, until the rice is ready.

Meanwhile, poach the mussels in a bit of wine in a large, covered pan until they open - just a few minutes really. Set aside.

Once the risotto is almost ready, stir in the sliced scallions and chopped herbs. Taste off with pepper (what with the stock and the bacon, I shouldn't think you'll need salt, but of course tastes vary.) and stir in the mussels.

Recipe after the jump!

Ansjovis- och lökpasta (Sprat & Onion Pasta)

As before, there's a writeup and recipe in English if you scroll down.

Tidigare i veckan skrev jag ett inlägg om nåt som jag kanske mot lite bättre vetande ville kalla "frestelse" - främst för att det är roligare att tala om "temptation" än om "casserole" som låter direkt mos(s)igt. Nå, oberoende fick jag till min stora förvåning reda på att det vi på svenska (och finska, måste man väl därmed anta) kallar ansjovis inte alls är anchovies på engelska, utan sprats. (Anchovies är sardeller.)

Nu har jag en längre tid kockat främst från engelska recept, ganska ofta från sådana som innehåller "anchovies" ty det blir gott och pikant tycker jag. Fast jag alltså gjort helt fel hela tiden. Efter att ha återhämtat mig från chocken insåg jag såklart att detta i praktiken utökar min lista på favoritrecept avsevärt, eftersom man ju såklart måste testa allting också på det avsedda viset.

Sen hade min närbutik inga sardeller alls, så då fick jag nöja mig med det gamla vanliga ändå. Lite snopet, såklart, men å andra sidan kan jag då lägga in det här receptet i Jespers ansjovistävling. Så värst originellt eller nyskapande är det ju inte, men tycker man om karamelliserad lök (vilket jag gör) så blir det här en mumsig och enkel (om än inte så snabb) pastarätt.

I övrigt är det på riktigt bästa ansjovisreceptet gubbröra, men det har jag aldrig gjort själv, bara glufsat i mig mammas och mormors.



In English: having detailed my problems with the "my anchovies aren't anchovies but sprats" conundrum earlier this week, here is a recipe that would probably work just as well with either fish. Not fast, and not very elegant (a broader pasta would do the trick but I didn't have any), but if you like caramelized onions (and I do), this makes for a very pleasant lunch.

Ansjovis- och lökpasta
för två-tre personer

3 stora lökar
en slurk olivolja
8 små ansjovisfileer (hälften av en 80g burk)
5 soltorkade tomater
(en slurk vin eller sherry)
lite persilja
peppar
pasta (själv har jag en konstig med fullkornsspagetti, men man tager såklart vad man haver lust för)

Skiva löken fint och fräs den mjuk i en ordentlig slurk olja (använder jag oljedränkta tomater så tar jag av den) på relativt hög värme. När löken börjar ta färg sänks värmen och stekningen fortsätts (under omrörning) tills den är helt igenom gyllenbrun.

Tärna den soltorkade tomaten och ansjovisen fint och blanda dem med löken, eventuellt också med en slurk vin eller sherry. Koka i några minuter, smaka av med peppar och blanda i persiljan.

Blanda med den färdigkokta pastan i kastrullen och servera genast, med parmesan om du inte är Fiskpasta Utan Ost!!!-purist.

Sprat & Onion Pasta
serves 2-3
3 large onions
a tbsp or two of olive oil
8 small sprat filets (or anchovies, about 40 g drained fish)
5 sun-dried tomatoes
(a few tbsp of wine or sherry)
a few tbsp of fresh parsley
pepper to taste
pasta

Slice the onion thinly and soften on moderate heat in the oil (if I'm using oil-stored tomatoes, I use oil from the jar). Once it starts getting a bit of color, lower the heat, cover, and keep frying, stirring every now and then, until the onion is a deep golden brown color.

Chop the sprats and tomatoes finely and add to the onions, possibly with a splosh of wine or sherry. Keep frying for a few minutes, then toss in the parsley and season with freshly groud black pepper. Mix with the pasta and serve immediately, with parmesan if you don't disapprove of the cheese-and-fish combo.

Recipe after the jump!

Crispbread-crusted Perch Fillets

hapankorppuleivitetyt ahvenfileet / surskorpsbröade abborrfileer

There was a time when "fish" to me meant something oven-baked. Seasoned, foil-wrapped baked fish is all very well and good, and above all healthy, but it's not, you know, very fun. Because fun = butter, I suppose.


I had some breaded teeny-tiny perch fillets at a restaurant in Tampere last month, and there was no mistaking the fact that they were made with lots of fun, er, butter. It seemed simple enough, and indeed my own attempts almost surpassed the restaurant's at the first try although, or possibly because, I couldn't find perch fillets as tiny as theirs. The breadcrumbs are made of sourdough thin crisps (hapankorppu/surskorpa), which may of course be a bit hard to find since they're a Finnish speciality, but I should think any sour rye bread would yield a similar result.


We had ours with Elise's Sesame Spinach and some chive-studded mashed potatoes. (I totally fail as a photographer for not noticing how utterly unbeguiling the lump of mash in the background was. Agh! Alas, there were no leftovers to rectify things with.) At the last minute I realized it could probably do with some kind of sauce, so I threw together various liquid-or-meltable dairy things and some garlic and chives.

Crispbread-crusted Perch Fillets
serves 3
9 perch fillets à about 30 g each
salt & white pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
60 g thin crisps, crushed
2 tsp dried dill (or a bit more fresh, finely chopped)
butter for frying

Very Improvised Sauce
100 ml or so cream
3 tbsp crème fraîche
3 tbsp soft goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
some chopped chives
salt & pepper

Mix all the ingredients (except chives) for the sauce and bring to the boil. Simmer gently while you prepare the fish, then add the chives and taste off with salt and pepper just before serving.

Season the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper.

Mix together egg and milk in a bowl and breadcrumbs and dill on a plate. Dredge the fish first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat both sides and dusting off excess crumbs.

Fry the fish in a medium-hot pan in a bit of butter - a very short time on each side is enough for fillets this size. (I'm hedging here because I didn't exactly time it. 45 seconds? 30? They were extremely thin!)

Serve immediately.

Recipe after the jump!

Salmon Blobs with Bell Pepper Sauce

Such an attractive appellation, don't you think? I happen to be a staunch proponent of truth in advertising, and the original recipe called these "Salmon Bacon Balls" - which is just a dirty dirty lie on several levels: there's no bacon, just crisp-fried strips of cold-smoked salmon, nor could I come up with a way of forming actual balls from a batter that was just this side of runny. To make matters worse, this post could also be called When Bad Photos Happen to Good Dishes. Sometimes things just don't work out the way you planned, especially the first time around.

If I haven't scared you off with the blunt name and picture, let me just assure you that while not pretty, round or bacony, what these little spoonfuls (well, little and little, I may decide to go for teaspoons instead of soup spoons for forming them next time) of salmon pâté are is yummy and easy. And the sauce (not pictured - sorry about that!), which is really just a mixture of thick yogurt and ajvar relish, is a perfect contrast to the crisp, super-salty strips of smoked salmon. I'll probably develop this recipe further on my own (some capers or maybe a roasted bell pepper thrown in the salmon batter would not have gone amiss, I think) but they were very nice in this plain version, too.


Expect a post on bagels in the not-too-distant future. ;)

Salmon Blobs with Bell Pepper Sauce
from Hufvudstadsbladet 29.3.07 (The Easter food article was fabulous, there will definitely be more featured here.)

300 g salmon fillet
1 egg
2 tsp sambal oelek
125 ml light cream (recipe called for 250 ml, but I'm pretty sure that would have left me with a soupy batter)
salt & pepper

150 g thinly sliced cold-smoked salmon

for the sauce:
300 ml yogurt (I used 250 ml super-thick Turkish yogurt)
3 tbsp ajvar relish (ours was mild and worked very well, which is not to say the hotter versions wouldn't)
salt & pepper to taste

Cut the salmon fillet into chunks (and remove bones if it has any), then mix in a blender with the egg and spices until you have a smooth paste. Drizzle in the cream and blend well. Let rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil, then drop balls of the salmon paste into it (with the help of two spoons) and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning about halfway through.

Meanwhile, cut the smoked salmon slices into 2-cm strips and fry (in a dry pan) until crisp on both sides. (My salmon turned out to be pretty thickly sliced, which is not something you can do much about when you notice it ten minutes before the rest of the meal is ready. Thinner slices would have made for easier/prettier assembly, but we don't really care about such things. Do we?)

For the sauce, if you're using regular yogurt, drain it for an hour or so, then mix with the ajvar relish and heat gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fish out the fish blobs with a slotted spoon, top each with a strip or two of crisp salmon, and serve with the sauce.

Recipe after the jump!

Pasta with Asparagus and Shrimp

Depending on where you live, you may already be sick to death of asparagus, but over here I've just barely started finding decent ones. And I always knew that the first batch would go to this, a recipe my mom came upon sometime last year.

I've always found boiling asparagus to be incredibly tricky - the timing between just right and eeww, mushy has always been a problem - especially as you need to time whatever goes with it accordingly. Grilling and roasting is somehow less fussy, and in this recipe the asparagus is actually fried in a bit of butter until tender (and maybe a bit browned, yum), then mixed with parmesan, shrimp and a creamy lobster sauce.



The lobster fond I use (and that the recipe called for) is a bought concentrate (Touch of Taste, anyone?), but I'm sure if you're the kind of person who makes his/her own stock, shrimp/lobster/crayfish stock would work even better. Just beware that the amount called for here is undiluted concentrate and adjust accordingly.

Pasta with Asparagus and Shrimp
originally from Hufvudstadsbladet, I've upped the wine a bit and reduced the lobster fond
1 pound (500 g) shrimp (or however much unpeeled shrimp it takes to make one pound, er, shrimp)
2 pounds (1 kg) fresh green asparagus
2 tbsp butter
1 cup (250 ml) grated parmesan
1.5 cup (350 ml) crème fraîche (I used low-fat, but make sure it's a type that doesn't separate when heated)
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
3 tbsp concentrated lobster fond/stock
pinch of cayenne
flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cut the asparagus into slanted slices, about half-inch long. Brown the butter slightly and fry the asparagus for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside and stir in the grated parmesan.

In a separate pan, bring the crème fraîche, lobster fond and wine to a boil and let simmer gently for five minutes. Season with cayenne, mix in the shrimp. Keep on the stove just until the shrimp's heated through, then mix with the asparagus and parsley and serve immediately with pasta.

Serves 3-4.

Recipe after the jump!

Horseradish-crusted Salmon

I've been experiencing some setbacks cooking-wise lately: an apple pie that was quite tasty but extremely ugly (plus the crust really wasn't worth sharing) as well as a Caesar salad that was, to put it plainly, NASTY. Ugh, vinegar. In addition we've been working our way through some leftover roast beef (paahtopaisti), which is very good but doesn't make for very interesting meals (especially as I didn't actually make the roast - incidentally, my mother would like you to know that I'm a dirty rotten liar and she does too know how to cook meat).

But last night! I made the horseradish salmon I spotted in the Finnish food blog Keittokomerossa last week, and it was fabulous. I played around with the amounts a bit, making this a bit less horseradishy - there was a definite tang but nothing overpowering.



Horseradish-crusted Salmon
served three, with a bit of leftovers
700 g (1½ lb) salmon fillets, with skin
75 g (2½ oz) prepared horseradish
2 egg yolks
75 g (2½ oz) breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
butter for frying

for the sauce:
250 ml (1 cup) light cream
½ tbsp Dijon mustard
25 g (1 oz) prepared horseradish (they come in tubes à 100 g here, so I just went by feel)
juice of one lemon
a whole lot of chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the salmon into serving-sized pieces and remove bones. Salt lightly. Mix the horseradish paste and egg yolk on a plate and the parsley and breadcrumbs on another. Dredge the salmon, skin side up, first in the horseradish and then in the breadcrumbs.

Fry the salmon in a bit of butter, breaded side down, on a medium-hot pan, for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking tray, skin side down, and bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets.

For the sauce, reduce the cream in a saucepan for a bit (I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch, but I'm not sure it was necessary, really). Add the rest of the ingredients and take off the heat before it comes back to the boil.

Recipe after the jump!