Salmon – one of my favorite fish, second only to mackerel … okay and maybe trout, and tuna is right up there… Nevertheless, salmon is one of the most versatile fish for flavors and ways to enjoy it. Last week, we bought a nice, good size filet, half of the fish essentially. I knew when we picked it up that it was more than we could possibly eat for one meal, but the wheels in my brain were already turning and processing recipes before we stepped up to the fish counter. What else can I do with this salmon that would be delicious, cost saving, healthy/nutritious, and that everyone around the table would eat?
A caveat about the whole One Protein-3 Meals concept: You need to know that my husband does not like leftovers. Perhaps it’s because he grew up in a large household where there weren’t many leftovers? Whatever the reason, any “encore performance of a meal” (or a single protein for that matter) needs to have some personality all it’s own. This insight alone made this task a little more difficult, but I was up to the challenge.
Here’s the very, very simple preparation for the lovely piece of fish we ‘caught’ at the fish counter:
INGREDIENTS
1 large salmon filet (about 2.5 lbs)
sea salt and kosher pepper, to tast
DIRECTIONS
1. Liberally sprinkle salt and pepper over salmon.
2. Place in a 400 degree, preheated oven.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes.
Here’s what we ended up with.
Meal 1: baked salmon with lemon and capers, served with broccoli
Meal 2: mixed green salad with salmon, lentils, capers, and other veg
Meal 3: salmon dip – Ken brought together the remaining salmon with about 5 ounces of cream cheese, a dollop (2 Tablespoons, perhaps) of sour cream and a little Worcestershire sauce. He ate it on toast and then again on crackers.
I confess that Ken was the only one that ate meal 3, but it did make a third meal.
And there you have it… ONE protein … THREE meals. Time saved. Money saved. Sanity saved. Family time gained. Nutritious food gained.
