When you have an entree like Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, your meal is pretty much guaranteed to be a win no matter which side dishes you choose to serve alongside it. But that doesn’t mean salmon alone — even great salmon — makes a meal. (If you serve a cooked fish fillet alone on the plate, you’re probably going to get more funny looks than compliments, unless you are in fact serving a group of cats. Cats love salmon, see?)
Ultimately, salmon is so versatile a seafood that you can use it in almost as many varieties of cuisine as you can think of, thus picking the proper side dishes is dependent on the type of cooking at hand. But here are three ideas to get you thinking about making that meal complete. Here it is, Salmon Side Dishes 101! Start with the salmon, then consider moving on to…
The Meal That Makes Kids Smile - Farfalle with Salmon in Cream Sauce
We all know kids can be picky eaters, and that’s especially true when it comes to seafood. Which is ridiculous, because seafood is amazing, but there’s just no reasoning with these youngsters.
By pairing salmon with a food almost no kid will say no to, you might just make a convert out of ’em, though, so consider serving Farfalle with Salon in Cream Sauce (we found a recipe from www.thespicystiletto.com) because… guess what? It’s essentially extra-fancy mac and cheese!
What You Need:
- 1 pound Wild Alaskan Salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cups of farfalle pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 cup light heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano reggiano
- 5-7 sprigs of fresh dill
- 1/4 vegetable broth
- 1 cup sweet peas, asparagus is also good
- 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt and pepper to taste
What You Do:
- In a medium heavy-bottom pan, bring water to boil.
- Add a dash of salt, then add pasta. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Drain pasta, set aside.
- In the same pan, heat butter on medium-low.
- Add shallots, then add salmon.
- Sear the salmon until outside of the cubes are bright orange, but no longer than 4 minutes.
- Then add broth, and let simmer.
- Stir in heavy cream, dill, peas, salt, pepper, then Parmigiano reggiano.
- Stir until mixture becomes very creamy (Do not let mixture boil) and serve!
The Meat and Potatoes Approach - Baked Salmon and Dijon Potato Salad
You can’t really beat a meat and potatoes meal when your meat is Wild Caught Salmon and your potatoes are, well… OK those are just potatoes. But they’re gonna be prepared properly, darn it.
What You Need:
- 1 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (yields four servings)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup tightly packed chopped fresh dill
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon grainy or regular Dijon mustard
What You Do:
- Put the potatoes in a big pot with enough water to cover by 1-inch. Season with salt - and bring the water to a boil. Cook just until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the uncovered pot off the heat. Let them sit until almost room temperature.
- Meanwhile, cut the white parts off the ends of the celery stalks.
- Cut the stalks in half lengthwise, then across into 1/4-inch slices.
- Stir the celery, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the remaining ingredients together in a serving bowl large enough to hold all the potatoes.
- When cool, cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces, add them to the bowl as you go.
- Stir gently until all the potatoes are coated with dressing. Serve (or let sit out for up to 2 hours if need be).
The Meal That Takes 5 Minutes - Couscous and Peas
OK, so you literally only have five minutes to prepare a side dish to serve alongside your salmon? Well, that’s no problem, as long as you have couscous and frozen peas, and either soy sauce or balsamic vinegar.
What You Need:
- One generous cup of couscous (yields about four servings)
- About 1.1 cups of water (estimate, you’re moving fast here!)
- About a half cup of frozen peas
- About a 1/8 of a cup of soy sauce or balsamic
What You Do:
- Mix the water and soy or vinegar (NOT both) in a medium pot and then add the peas.
- Bring the water/peas to a boil, then stir in the couscous.
- Cover the pot, cut the heat, wait 5 minutes, and serve.
- Yes, that’s really it, this isn’t even a step.
Do you have a recipe you love for preparing Salmon or a side dish? Post them below or on our social media!
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