Salmon w/tomato-onion marmalade, herb roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli

This is one of my favorite quick dinners. You can change the spices and some of the ingredients, and it is ALWAYS delicious! Best of all, dinner is on the table in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 package frozen sockeye salmon fillets (10 oz., I think)
1 lemon
1 red onion
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
olive oil
black pepper
dried thyme
splash white wine
pat butter
1/2 bag small potatoes (red, new, yellow or honey gold)
onion powder
head of broccoli

Wash potatoes, heat oven to 450. I use my toaster oven.  Cut potatoes in half.  In a shallow bowl or plate, sprinkle a lot of onion powder, grind black pepper, sprinkle thyme. Stir with your finger.  Put cut side of potato on spices, and place cut side up in baking pan.

Continue until pan is full (mix more spices, if needed).  Put pan in oven to start cooking.

Heat olive oil (about 1/3 cup) on medium-high heat in saute pan.  Grind black pepper and sprinkle a little thyme on salmon.  When oil is hot, place salmon fillets in pan, brown on both sides.  You are not cooking the salmon, just a light sear.

Remove salmon from pan, and add red onion, diced.

While onion is cooking, zest the lemon

and get the broccoli ready.  Cut off tough stem ends, any damages or brown parts, and slice into 4 - 6 pieces:

Put in cooking pot with about 2 inches of water. Start cooking on high.

When onions are soft, add 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (drained) and 1/2 the lemon zest.  If you have drained the tomatoes enough, it is not making a sauce while it cooks, it should look sort of dry in the pan:

Check the potatoes, if the bottom peel side is slightly brown, it is time to turn them over:

When the broccoli begins to boil, let it cook for one minute.  Turn burner off and leave it on the heat, it will continue to cook while potatoes and fish finish cooking.

Move the tomato-onion marmalade to one side, add a drop more olive oil, and add the fillets. Squeeze the lemon into the tomato mixture, add the splash of white wine.  Let the fish cook for a minute, then turn over.  Add a small pat of butter on the top of each piece of fish.  

Plate up!

Serves two people.   You can double recipe, my toaster oven pan would hold enough potatoes for 4 people.   Serve with bread and butter, if desired, and of course a glass of white wine.

Bon appetit!

NOTE:  You can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, 2 - 3 plum tomatoes would do it, but empty out all the juice and seeds, dice.  I like the flavor of the fire roasted tomatoes, though.
A little controversy is always fun - so I pose this question: is it a tomato-onion marmalade or a tomato-onion confit?

Laura Is Cooking...Grandma's Chowder

The secret to my Grandma's Fish Chowder is....fish heads.  If you are squeamish about fish heads, then this is not the recipe for you!  Also, my Grandma was always called "Mema", so that's what I am going to call her from now on!  Here's how I made the delicious 8 qts. of chowder pictured above:


Ingredients


Fish head or heads weighing approx. 4 1/2 to 5 pounds.  (Easier if you have one large head, like a Grouper. Mine weighed 4 3/4 pounds. Scale, remove gills and cut in half. You can also use the skeleton.)
2 large white onions, diced
1 head regular celery (not celery hearts), diced
1 lb. carrots, divided, dice half, slice half
8 cloves garlic, diced or pressed
2 cups olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
2  cans 14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes
1  can 8 oz. NSA tomato sauce (trust me, you won't need any more salt)
2 pkgs diced potato and onions (I use Simply Potatoes) or cut up and dice 3 lbs. potatoes
1 med. zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into half moons
1 small yellow squash, ditto
1 bell pepper, diced
2 red jalapenos, seeds removed, diced
fresh ground black pepper
some fresh parsley




1. LARGE stockpot on medium, heat olive oil on medium until fragrant, add 1 diced onion, half the celery (including the tops), and the diced carrots.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are slightly transparent.  While this is cooking, make a cheesecloth package for each half fish head or skeleton.  When diced vegetables are half cooked, add half the garlic (diced or pressed), stir briefly, grind some black pepper and add bay leaves and Old Bay seasoning.


2. Lay cheesecloth packages on top of vegetables, add enough water to just cover the fish heads.  Turn heat to high until water is at a full, rolling boil, turn down to simmer, put lid on pot.  Cook for about 45 minutes, until a rich broth is formed. 

With a couple large slotted spoons, gently lift fish head packages into a colander resting in a large pot, let drain and cool.  


3. Add cans, packages and remaining diced vegetables to pot, turn heat up to high until just boiling, turn down to simmer.

4. Pick meat from fish heads, discarding bones, plates, fins, eyes, gooey bits.  Only add nice clean white fish to pot:

5.  Continue to cook soup, until potatoes are just beginning to be tender, add parsley and meat from fish. Simmer for a few minutes, and taste to check if you need to correct seasoning.  I added a couple of shakes of Crystal hot sauce and a little more Old Bay.  

This makes a spicy chowder, serve with crusty bread or your favorite rolls, you will want to mop the bowl clean.  I had a glass of Pinot Grigio, but you can drink whatever you like.

This chowder freezes easily or serves a multitude!  Mema used to make big pots of soup to serve in her diner.

You can see how every bite has fish in it.  Enjoy!