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| Lemon-Dijon Salmon with Cheesy Broccoli Potatoes |
I have become even more of a fan of salmon since I discovered that wild-caught salmon saves me a Point or two over farm-raised, plus I like the less fatty texture of wild-caught much more than farm-raised Atlantic salmon. A 6-ounce cooked filet of farm-raised salmon is 9 Points, compared to 7 Points for a cooked 5-1/2 ounce wild-caught piece of salmon. Whatever your preference I think you, too, will enjoy this quick and easy recipe for salmon. The marinade is scaled-down from Ina Garten's Salad Niçoise recipe and though I use it for salmon, it would be tasty on most any fish.
Now for a side... I have tried several frozen Weight Watcher's entrees over the years and one that I have enjoyed for a quick lunch is the cheese-broccoli potato entree. Tastes change and I now find the orange-colored cheese sauce a bit too Cheez Whiz-y but I still long for the tasty combination of potato, broccoli and cheddar. I often make cheese mashed or scalloped potatoes with salmon and ham for some reason and I like broccoli with cheese-y potatoes (who doesn't?) so I thought I'd put them together like my old WW favorite! The result was a real treat and one I know I'll make again and again, especially with salmon or ham.
The recipe as I made it (with 11.5 ounces of raw Yukons) totaled 26 Points in Recipe Builder, which I divided into 4 generous 1-cup servings at 6 Points per serving. I usually start my cooking with a specific carb total in mind - my husband said he'd like 6-8 ounces of raw potato, I'd like 3-5 ounces, so I weighed the different potatoes and choose 2 that would fit the bill. You non-Point/carb counting folks don't have to be so specific.
Lemon-Dijon Marinated Salmon
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon melted butter
- Zest of half a lemon (about a teaspoon)
- Juice of half a lemon
- A garlic clove, pressed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound of salmon filet, cut into serving-sized pieces
Putting it Together:
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| After marinating for 5-10 minutes the salmon is ready for oven or grill. |
Whisk together the marinade in a small bowl.
I omit the butter if using farm-raised salmon since it's so fatty. Line a heavy baking sheet
(with sides) with aluminum foil, lay the pieces of fish close together and pour/spread over the marinade. Let fish sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking but no longer as the acid may "cook" the fish
(think ceviche).
Preheat the oven or outdoor grill to 425-450 while the fish is marinating. Before cooking I move the fish pieces apart to speed cooking time.
The filet may be left whole for cooking but I prefer cutting it into servings so the cooking time is shortened. A one-pound piece cut into 2-3 servings takes about 10 minutes of cooking time; I rotate the baking sheet after 5 minutes.
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| I like to leave the skin behind, whether on the grill or baking sheet. |
Fish flakes easily and is lighter pink and opaque when done but with a little darker pink in the center. To remove from the baking sheet I use a fish spatula, slide it between the skin and gray fat and leave the skin behind on the tinfoil. I have also cooked the fish directly on the grill but the fat often flares up and leaves it with an unappealing scorch mark look and flavor
(especially the Atlantic farm-raised).
Cheesy Broccoli Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large whole garlic clove, peeled
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- 2 ounces very sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I love Cougar Gold, a sharp white cheddar)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into about 1-inch pieces, steamed until crisp-tender (I use a microwave steamer bag)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 12-16 ounces thin-skinned potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
- Cooking Spray (Optional)
Putting It Together:
Heat butter in a large non-stick skillet; add shallot, crushed red pepper, salt and whole garlic clove and saute until shallot is softened. Sprinkle flour over and stir for a minute or two. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. After a minute or two stir in half and half and cheese, stir until melted; add pepper and more salt to taste. I poured the sauce into a metal bowl, covered it with foil and set it aside so that I could rinse the skillet and use it for the potatoes.
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| Potatoes have been browned, then steamed 'til tender. |
Scrub potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces; add to 1 teaspoon of olive oil in heated skillet and cook until browned.
The potatoes brown more easily if you don't move them around constantly. When lightly browned, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the potatoes, cover with tight-fitting lid, turn heat down from medium-high to low and let cook/steam for 5 minutes. If the potatoes are not tender, stir, add more water, recover and check again in another 5 minutes. Repeat, if necessary.
While potatoes are cooking, rinse and chop a crown of broccoli using tender part of stems and florets; steam until crisp-tender and set aside. I use Ziplock Zip 'n Steam Bags which are BPA-free but should not be re-used.
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| Time to add the reserved cheese sauce to the cooked potatoes and steamed broccoli. |
When potatoes are tender, add steamed broccoli and pour over cheese sauce
but remove the whole garlic clove! Stir to combine. I poured the mixture into a baking dish which had been sprayed with olive oil Pam and baked it uncovered for 5-10 minutes at 425 degrees while I cooked the fish outside on the grill. If you opt not to bake, just cover and keep warm over very low heat, taking care not to burn the mixture.
I used11.5 ounces raw, skin-on potatoes but the sauce mixture would be sufficient for a pound of potatoes with the large broccoli crown.
