Eye for a Recipe

I love sheet pan dinners. A protein, some veggies a nice sauce and dinner is ready. If you line the baking sheet with parchment or heavy-duty foil, you can even avoid washing it! This recipe from Canadian Living is quick, healthy and colourful. Make a quick vinaigrette with wine vinegar, mustard and shallots and toss some of it with green beans and cherry tomatoes. Place salmon on the lined baking sheet, surround it with the beans and tomatoes and bake until the fish is cooked through. Top with olives, capers and parsley and serve.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Eden Organic red wine vinegar and President’s Choice Old Fashioned Dijon. Unico caper are additive-free, as are Silver Leaf Kalamata olives.

Arrange salmon, beans and tomatoes on a lined baking sheet

Bake until the salmon is cooked through

Sheet pan Mediterranean salmon

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

3 tbsp (45 ml) red wine or white wine vinegar

1 tbsp (15 ml) grainy mustard

1 shallot, finely chopped

½ tsp (2.5 ml) each salt and pepper

1 skin-on salmon fillet, about 1 lb (454 g)

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) each salt and pepper

3 cups (750 ml) green beans, trimmed

3 cups (75 ml) cherry tomatoes

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped parsley

¼ cup (60 ml) pitted black olives

Caper berries for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 F (218 C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve ¼ cup (60 ml).

Arrange salmon, skin side down, on prepared pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss green beans and cherry tomatoes with remaining vinaigrette and then scatter them around the salmon.

Bake until fish flakes easily when tested and vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Flake fish into large pieces. Sprinkle with parsley, olives and capers (if using).

Divide fish and vegetables among plates; drizzle with reserved vinaigrette. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

This recipe from Canadian Living calls for halibut, but any firm-fleshed fish would do. I used salmon and it worked very well. Make the croutons, sauté the tomatoes and garlic and then combine the salad ingredients while the fish cooks. A healthy and tasty dinner is ready in no time!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the bread is additive free and that the butter and Parmesan do not contain colour. Use balsamic vinegar with no sulfites added and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Make the croutons

Toss the greens and onions together

Sauté the tomatoes and garlic until the tomatoes begin to shrivel

Buttery halibut (or salmon in this case) with balsamic cherry tomatoes and arugula salad

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1- ½ cups (375 ml) cubed sourdough bread

1 pkg (255 g) cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic, finely grated or pressed

2 tsp (10 ml) balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp (1 ml) each salt and pepper

4 skinless halibut fillets (about 450 g total)

1 tbsp (15 ml) butter

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

½ tsp (2 ml) liquid honey

pinch each salt and pepper

6 cups (1.5 L) lightly packed baby arugula

¼ cup (60 ml) thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup (75 ml) shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

In large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the oil over medium heat; cook bread, stirring occasionally, until crisp and light golden, about 3 minutes. Scrape into bowl. Set aside.

In same pan, heat 2 tsp (10 ml) of the remaining oil over medium heat; cook tomatoes and garlic, stirring, until tomatoes are beginning to shrivel, about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and half each of the salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape into bowl with bread; toss to combine. Set aside.

Sprinkle fish with remaining salt and pepper. In same pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; cook fish, turning once, until golden and fish flakes easily when tested, about 7 minutes. Add butter; cook, swirling pan, until butter is melted and fish is coated. Remove to plate.

While fish is cooking, in large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Add arugula, red onion and Parmesan; toss to coat. Divide among serving plates; top with bread mixture and fish. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

Now that the weather is warmer, I’m craving potato salads and fresh herbs. This recipe from the May 2014 issue of Canadian Living includes both. Boiled baby potatoes, roasted salmon, hard-boiled eggs, chives, dill and sliced pickles are combined with a lemon-mustard dressing. Delicious!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice and a grainy mustard with no sulfites or sodium benzoate. I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon. Instead of cornichons, I used dill pickles. Strub’s Kosher Pickles contain no preservatives.

For perfect hard-boiled eggs, cover eggs with cold water, bring to boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand 18 minutes

Boil baby potatoes until tender

Roast the salmon and flake it with a fork

Add herbs and pickles

Egg and salmon potato salad

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 pkg (680 g) baby yellow-fleshed potatoes, scrubbed

400 g skinless salmon fillets

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper

2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

4 tsp (18 mL) olive oil

4 tsp (18 mL) grainy mustard

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill

8 cornichons, sliced

Preparation:

Place eggs in saucepan; pour in enough cold water to cover by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 18 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool, about 2 minutes; drain again. Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Peel off shells; cut eggs into quarters.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Let cool just enough to handle; cut into quarters.

Meanwhile, place salmon on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven until fish flakes easily when tested, 12 to 15 minutes. Flake with fork.

In large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, mustard and remaining salt and pepper. Add potatoes, salmon, chives, dill and cornichons; gently toss to coat. Scrape onto serving platter; top with eggs. Serves 6.

From the May 2014 issue of Canadian Living

This recipe from the June 2014 issue of Canadian Living can be made in less than 30 minutes. Simply spread a mixture of yogurt, mayonnaise, onion and cilantro on salmon fillets, pat panko crumbs on top, and bake. The salmon stays incredibly moist, while the panko adds a satisfying crunch. Paired with a curried yogurt sauce, this would be great for a casual dinner party. One note – depending on the thickness of the salmon, the baking time may be closer to 15-20 minutes.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use all-natural yogurt and mayonnaise, and butter that contains only cream. Check the label on the panko and the curry powder to make sure they do not contain preservatives, colour or anti-caking agents. If you would like to make your own curry powder, I’ve included a recipe below. I used ShaSha brand breadcrumbs, which are similar to panko in texture but are made from spelt and are all-natural.

Salmon, spread and panko

Spread the yogurt-mayo mixture on the salmon

Top with the panko and bake until the salmon is cooked through

Panko-crusted salmon with curried yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp 2% plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

4 skinless salmon fillets (about 680 g total)

Pinch each salt and pepper

½ cup panko crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

Curried Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp liquid honey

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp curry powder (to make your own, see recipe below)

Pinch each salt and pepper

Curry powder

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp crushed or ground fenugreek seed

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp crushed dried dill

¼ tsp ground mace

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp dried mustard

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients together.

Preparation:

In bowl, stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, green onions and cilantro. Arrange salmon on lightly greased foil-lined baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread yogurt mixture evenly over top of fillets.

Combine panko and butter; sprinkle on top of yogurt mixture, pressing lightly to adhere.

Bake in 425F (220C) oven until fish flakes easily with fork and panko is golden, about 10 minutes.

Curried Yogurt Sauce: Meanwhile, in bowl, stir together yogurt, cilantro, ginger, honey, lemon juice, 1 tsp of water, curry powder, salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days). Serve with salmon. Serves 4.

From the June 2014 issue of Canadian Living

This very healthy recipe from the March 2014 issue of Bon Appetit uses one of my favourite methods for cooking fish—slow-roasting in the oven. At a low temperature, the fish cooks to perfection in about 30 minutes. This all-in-one dish meal also includes chickpeas and wilted greens. The recipe called for mustard greens, but I used kale instead.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

The ingredients to check for additives and preservatives are the chickpeas, cumin, honey, Dijon and capers. I use PC Blue Menu canned chickpeas, PC Old-Fashioned Dijon and Unico capers. Use an all-natural honey and make sure the cumin does not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Mash some of the chickpeas

Place sauteed kale on top

Place salmon on top

Slow-cooked salmon, chickpeas and greens

Ingredients:

Salmon

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more

1 15.5-oz. can (439 g) chickpeas, rinsed

½ teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 bunch small mustard greens, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon (10 ml) honey

4 6-oz. (170 g) skinless salmon fillets

Vinaigrette and garnish

½ small shallot, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon (10 ml) Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon (5 ml) honey

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) capers, rinsed, patted dry

Preparation:

Salmon

Preheat oven to 250° F (120° C). Brush a large baking dish with oil. Combine chickpeas, cumin, and 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oil in a medium bowl. Mash about half of chickpeas with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chickpea mixture to prepared dish.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mustard greens and cook, tossing, until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Add honey and ¼ cup (60 ml) water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until greens are completely wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to dish with chickpea mixture.

Season salmon with salt and pepper; arrange over greens and chickpea mixture and drizzle with oil. Bake until salmon is opaque in the center, 30–35 minutes.

Vinaigrette and garnish

Whisk shallot, lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook capers until opened and crisp, about 30 seconds; drain on paper towels.

Drizzle salmon with vinaigrette and top with capers. Serves 4.

From the March 2014 issue of Bon Appetit

This recipe from the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit tastes as good as it looks. Salmon is tossed with fennel, orange and lemon slices, chili and dill and roasted at a low temperature for about 40 minutes. Cooked this way, the salmon is moist and tender, and the roasted citrus, fennel and chili are delicious on top. This recipe would also be good with cod or halibut.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

All of the ingredients in this recipe are fresh, so no need to worry about additives.

Place salmon in dish with citrus, fennel and dill

Slow roasting makes the salmon very moist

Slow-roasted salmon with fennel, citrus and chiles

Ingredients:

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced

4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 2-lb. (907 g) skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut

¾ cup (375 ml) olive oil

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275° F (135° C). Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-qt. (2.8 L) baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30–40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs. Serves 6.

From the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit