Cooking for DLS pt 6

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure to try Verlasso salmon at Home. But the real test would be to try it at home. Eh? eh? See what I did there? Oh never mind. Regardless, as I mentioned last time, I received a $20 voucher to Fresh Direct (currently the only place to get Verlasso) with the idea that I would try cooking the salmon myself, so I decided to give it a whirl and make it for DLS.

(Side note: about nicknames and abbreviations, since this seems to be something people keep asking me about. All I’ll say is: I’ll keep this one my Dirty Little Secret… just another regret…)

The salmon adorably comes wrapped in brown paper listing off just some of the positive attributes of the Verlasso salmon. Fun!

The salmon was brilliantly vibrant and orange, gorgeous.

I chose to make the salmon en papillotte – which is just a fancy pants way of saying ‘in a pouch’. Honestly, though, I realized much later that I did it wrong… I’ve never cooked this way before, and I didn’t realize you need to add liquid to the packet. But… well, you’ll see.

I served it with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts, but due to a miscommunication about when dinner should be served, they got a little over browned. Still delicious and super crispy, but not burned, just not the prettiest to look at.

On the other side, I added more veggies – Earthbound Farms baby kale and dried Calimyrna figs with a simple lime vinaigrette. This went over very well!

And the salmon, which I cooked to the rare side of medium rare, came out gloriously. This was also very well received!

One of the lightest, healthiest meals I’ve made for DLS to date. I had a lot of fun working with the Verlasso salmon, and found it flavorful and delicious. I highly recommend it for those who care about the origins of their fish, the sustainability and about a fish’s life before it gets to your plate.

Lime Dill Salmon en Papillotte (sort of)

2 6-8 ounce fillets of Verlasso salmon
dried dill
slices of lime
salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a measure of aluminum foil and lay each piece of salmon on its own piece of aluminum foil. Season the salmon liberally with the dill, salt and pepper, then lay the slices of lime on top to make it look pretty. Lift the ends of the foil (along the longer side of the salmon) and bring the edges together, then fold down twice. Roll the short ends up, crimping as you go. (If you want to make this truly “en papillotte” you would do well to add a tablespoon of water, wine or broth before you close it up.)

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes for rare to medium rare, up to a full 20 minutes for medium.  Be careful when you take them out – it’s hot!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Batali-style

1 lb of Brussels sprouts, cut in half
Olive oil
salt/pepper
5-10 peeled whole cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with sheet pan inside. (I line mine with foil for easy cleanup, but that’s up to you.)

In a bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Once the oven has come to temp with the sheet pan inside, take the pan out and quickly spread the Brussels sprouts across it in a single layer, then replace inside the oven. Roast for about 20-30 minutes or until it’s as tender/cooked as you like.

Try not to eat them all while they cool.

Baby Kale & Calimyrna Fig Salad

1 box of Earthbound Farms baby kale, chopped
5-8 chopped dried Calimyrna figs
juice of one lime
extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper, to taste

In a bowl big enough for everything, add olive oil, lime juice, salt/pepper and taste. Whisk together until it emulsifies. Add kale and figs, tossing to coat, then store in fridge until you’re ready to eat. (The kale wilts a little bit and softens as it sits.)

Happy eating!!!

Please note that as a result of the $20 gift certificate to Fresh Direct that I received, I did not pay for the salmon or the Brussels sprouts. I also received the Earthbound Farms kale mix from a Food Fete event that I attended, as I did with the Calimyrna figs as well. However, I was under no obligation to post about any of these items and received no monetary compensation to do so.