A Thursday Dinner: Mini Salmon Cakes with Mayo/Sriracha and Dill Sauce, Cold Tomato/Bell Pepper/Onion Salad, and Couscous.

Hey Y’all,

Back at it with some kitchen therapy! Going to be cooking my way through a San Diego summer and hope to share more often with you all. The garden is in bloom and we have an abundance of summer vegetables: tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, chard, onions, rosemary, etc. with many more in the ground just waiting to make their debut!

I’ll be sharing some photos from my cooking Instagram (@sdgastronaut) – follow me there for fun recipes, restaurant/brewery recommendations, and lots of foodie adventures!

[Skip down to the bottom if you want to get right to the recipe!]

SALMON CAKES

Total: 2 hr 20 min

Active: 30 min

Yield: 5 servings

Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh salmon – boneless.
• Olive oil based mayonnaise 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wrap defrosted salmon in tinfoil. Bake at 350 for 15- 20 minutes until cooked mostly through. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Remove from fridge and flake fish with a fork into bowl. Discard skin. Add mayo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bread crumbs, and 1 egg. Mix well.

Form salmon into meatball sized sections. Chill “salmon balls” in fridge for at least 15 minutes so the balls can firm (and thus won’t fall apart when cooking).

Heat cooking oil in large sauce pan. Add balls to pan, careful to ensure they are not touching each other, and cook on high heat. Rotate balls every few minutes until browned through.

Remove from heat.

In a small bowl mix mayo and Sriracha. Add a dollop to each ball. Top with dried dill.

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GREEN PEPPER, TOMATO, AND ONION SALAD

Total: 2 hr 

Active: 15 min

Yield: 5 servings

Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

• Assorted bell peppers
• Fresh tomatoes
• Red onions
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar
• Olive oil and vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, green pepper, and onion.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir into tomato mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring several times.

Serve with a slotted spoon.

 

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Note: Both of these recipes are time consuming but easy to make. Time it properly and you can prep these dishes and then step completely away from the kitchen while they cook and chill. ENJOY!

– Susannah