Salmon

Gravlax – For Salmon lovers

Salmon is by far my favourite fish, and the more I have it, the less cooked I want it :-). In my books, there is nothing worse than an overcooked dry piece of salmon, then again, that is just my taste.

But my most favourite way to eat salmon, other than Sashimi/Sushi style, is to make it the Norwegian way!

Gravlax is so simple to make, super tasty, perfect snack, appetizer and the best part, it keeps for quite a while.

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Here is how I made mine today:

  • 1 1/2 lbs of salmon (you can ask them to remove the skin, will make it easier when slicing, but I prefer to make it with the skin on)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 cup of salt
  • 2 tbs of black pepper
  • 1/8 cup of brandy or aquavit (used brandy today)
  • Bunch of fresh dill

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The best way to keep this easy and non messy is to grab a gallon ziploc bag, put in the salmon, sprinkle in the sugar, salt, black pepper and then add the brandy or aquavit. Then grab a handful of dill and place it on top. Close the bag carefully letting as much air out as possible and then give the bag a gentle massage to get it all mixed up.

Place on flat surface in fridge for 3 days, and everyday, give it a little love, slight massage and turn it over.

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Yes you need to be patient, but 3 days just fly by and then this fabulous treat is ready to eat! Serve it on its own, on crackers with some sour cream and a touch of caviar, or simply with Mustard sauce (you can find various recipes on the internet), we usually skip the mustard sauce :-).

Enjoy and hope you like it as much as I do ❤

 

Food & Love, the perfect combination…

We have all heard the the way to a man’s heart is through is stomach! Well I tend to think of food as something that not only brings love into the equation, but it brings family and friends together, helps you make new friends and meet new people! The kitchen in every “foody” household is the heart of the house, the place to “be” ❤

Tonight’s dish is not only a favourite of mine and my hubby’s but also a fave of my daughters! Its simple, its elegant, its tasty and even kinda healthy!

I stopped by the store on my way back from work battling the bad weather and picked up some fresh salmon, avocados and some limes.

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I chopped up my salmon tartare style and mixed it with some salt, pepper, grated ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha mayo and a squeeze of lime.

Whilst I was prepping the salmon I made about 1/2 cup of brown rice and let it cool down.

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Sliced my avocado and now I was ready to put this special treat together.

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I pulled out my heart shaped cookie cutter ( usually used for everything else but making cookies) and placed it in the middle of my plate, filled it with brown rice and neatly pressed it to the bottom.

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Then I topped the rice off with my salmon tartare and finished it off with my sliced avocado and a sprinkle of black and regular sesame seeds.

In less than a flash, a wonderful meal is ready for my lovely family! Yep love is in the air, that’s for sure <3, now all I need is for the hubby to come back from dry-dock, in the meantime I will enjoy it and think of my family.

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Florida Hidden Treasures

Some great friends invited me out to dinner tonight to this little wonderful hidden German little treasure! It’s amazing that I only live 4.1 miles away from it and in the 18 yrs I have lived in South Florida I have never even known of its existence!

This little German treasure is called the “Old Heidelberg Restaurant”!

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Not only was the atmosphere amazing, but the music, service and food were just wonderful!

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If you would like to have a no rush, nice relaxing meal with that homey feeling, this is the place to go for sure.

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There was dancing, live music, staff is friendly and bubbly and you find yourself singing along to every song as you enjoy your meal! They also had a beer holding competition which had everyone cheering for the one lady of course!

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We were a group of 8 people and I think we covered the menu pretty well.

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We ordered a few appetizer to share which consisted of the Sausage Sample platter, Norwegian Smoked Salmon and Herrings in Cream sauce.

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Then it was time for the soup or salad followed by the  main courses which by then we were kind of full but what can I say, we still ate most of it! lol

I had the most delicious homemade Pumpkin soup which I have to say was like having pumpkin pie in a soup, totally to die for!

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There was some spectacular Pork Shanks

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A delicious Bavarian Veal Schnitzel

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Some to die for Lamb Chops Hubertus

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Of course someone ordered the Jaeger Schintzel

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And last but not least was the meat lover plate which was polished off by one hungry guy so I didn’t manage to get a picture of it 🙂 Bad bad Kev ❤

Of course most of us didn’t finish our dinner so guess what? I for sure will have another taste of this fab german meal tomorrow for lunch!

We finished the evening off with a lovely Latte which was the perfect final touch to a great evening with great friends.

jager-shotsDid I mention there were also a few Jaeger Meister shots followed by the usual Norwegian Drinking song ❤

All that is left to say and Cheers and Geir and Reija, you were missed 🙂

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Homemade Sushi a la Carte

Salmon and Tuna are our favorite fish, especially when eaten in Sushi or Sashimi form.

Tonight after a quick dash to my local Asian Market – New York Mart – to get some Seasoned Rice Vinegar, I set on the task of preparing our favorite family dinner!

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I have a mad passion for Japan, Japanese food and Japanese Culture, and after my loving husband took me on a fantastic trip to Japan, that passion became an obsession ❤

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  • I rinsed and cooked my rice (no science there, just follow the instructions on the Sushi Rice container) but remember, its a delicate grain so handle it with the right tools

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  • I sliced my salmon and tuna
  • Sliced the cream cheese – below’s picture shows my son preparing his own roll, Tuna, Cream Cheese and lots of Sriracha Mayo

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  • Pulled out a leftover tasty Cucumber salad (cucumber, sesame seeds, sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, salt and pepper)
  • Seaweed sheets
  • Sriracha Mayo
  • Leftover seaweed salad

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We made 4 different types of rolls:

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  • Tuna, Cream Cheese and Sriracha Mayo
  • Salmon, Cucumber Salad and Cream Cheese
  • Tuna Marinated in Lemon and Cilantro
  • Salmon, Cream Cheese and Sriracha Mayo

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Served with some crunchy Salmon Skin and Seaweed Salad it was the perfect meal with my loving family…..<3

Of course the meal wouldn’t be complete without a bottle of Sake right?

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Back by popular demand…….

My hubby is a Norwegian entity that loves Salmon and would eat Salmon everyday of the week if he could. Needless to say, as lovely of a Norsky boy as he is, Salmon is the only fish he will eat a lot of as he is not big on seafood in general which is kind of strange if you ask me, but then again, he claims he is taking pills for his issues….. ❤

A month or so ago I made some Salmon Encroute and today its back by popular demand!

So after riding my bike for 11 miles after work, I jumped into the kitchen with lots of energy and quickly put together the Shortcrust pastry so that it could chill in the fridge for a bit whilst I prepared the salmon.

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This time I added chopped dill into the pastry itself to give it an extra je ne sais quoi!

For those of you who are always asking what recipe do I use, I think they are all the same but here is what I used.

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  • 400 grams of flour
  • 200 grams of cold butter
  • 5-6 tbsp of ice cold water
  • handful of chopped fresh dill

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Then onto the Salmon, took the skin off, sliced it in half and smothered it on one side with a butter, dill, basil, salt and pepper paste, whilst on the other side it got a good lathering of whole grain mustard.

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Rolled my dough out and wrapped the salmon in it with lots of love and care :-), a little bit of an egg wash and some decor, you know me…..

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Placed it in the fridge for about 15 minutes and then popped it into a 400 Deg F oven for 25 minutes.

Whilst the salmon was cooking I made some Pearl Couscous and bam, gourmet dinner is ready in under an hour!

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Monday is over and I am ready to face the rest of the week!

Sushi Night at the Lundini’s

Yes its Sushi night at the Lundini Household!


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Made some shrimp, tuna and salmon rolls, some with cream cheese, cucumber and avocado, some with sriracha mayo and sesame seeds, but you get the gist…….

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Also on the menu was one of my childhood favorites! As a kid there was nothing yummier to me when going out than some palmitos con salsa golf, which would translate to hearts of palm with a mayo and ketchup mixture! Yes they are straight out of a can but they are ohhhhhh soooo good!

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Of course we had to have some lovely Sake with it! Kanpai!

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Its just another Manic Monday…….and its time for dinner :-)

Yes I know, Monday’s are horrible, you get up after the weekend is over needing more rest than you did when Friday came around…..

But the fact is that life still goes on, we get up in the morning, get ready for work, make breakfast, do packed lunches, take kids to school, drive to work in icky traffic, work all day and then back to the kids and time to cook dinner!

As tired as I am, I still find a lot of joy and relaxation whilst making dinner. Its my alone time in the kitchen and the results of what comes out makes everyone happy! What is there not to like about that right?

Tonight I made one of my hubby’s favorite proteins paired with one of my favorite veggies.

Poached salmon with herbs, butter and garlic served on a bed of mashed cauliflower.

FOR THE SALMON…

  • Get a pan and fill half way with water and place in oven AT 385 DEG F
  • Place your salmon on some aluminum foil, enough foil to make it into a tight package.
  • Season salmon to taste, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, freshly crushed garlic, butter, lemon juice and thyme
  • Seal package tightly and place in pan with water
  • Cook for 20 minutes, then open package to vent and cook for an extra 10 minutes.

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FOR THE CAULIFLOWER…

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  • Boil cauliflower in water seasoned with salt and garlic powder
  • Once its soft, drain water and place in food processor
  • Add a tsp of butter, handful of cilantro or parsley, clove of garlic, salt and pepper and  blend away till nicely mushed!

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And voila, in 30 minutes you have a delicious nutritional meal, make the family happy and have plenty of time to tackle the evening chores!!!!!

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