Salmon Pate

Fresh parsley, dill weed, and cilantro are growing in the garden right now. Lemons are ripe for picking. We have left over salmon from grilling last night. Perfect time to make Salmon Pate from Tastes & Treasures cookbook page 166.

This recipe calls for cans of Smoked Salmon but I find that fresh grilled salmon is equally as good. The cilantro is an extra ingredient but my family loves the fresh taste.

Smoked Salmon Pate
Ingredients:
2 (7 ounce) cans smoked salmon, or 1 pound hot smoked salmon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine the salmon, butter, sour cream, lemon juice, dill weed, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours. Bring to room temperature and garnish with lemon slices. Serve with seasoned crackers. You may store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Makes 3 cups

Parsley-Chive Sauce for Salmon

Grilling fish is one of my favorite dishes. Topping it with a lovely, colorful sauce makes the presentation so nice and brings the flavors out. El Tovar at the Grand Canyon serves a Salmon Tostada (page 32 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook) that looks so pretty with the Corn Salsa (page 11 in Tastes & Treasures).

This Parsley-Chive Sauce is another unique blend for enhancing fish.

Parsley-Chive Sauce

1 ½ cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 scallion, coarsely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 5-ounce skinless salmon filets

Put the parsley, scallion, chives, oil, lemon juice and mustard into the small bowl of a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon water and ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Season the salmon with remaining salt and black pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium, or to desired doneness. Transfer filets to a plate.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the parsley sauce onto each of 4 serving plates. Top each with a salmon filet.

Serve with vegetables. Note – we used fresh Steelhead Trout. It looks very similar to salmon and grills very much the same way also.

Tomatoes from the Garden

Nothing beats homegrown for flavor and I know how it was fertilized so we are eating pesticide free. We really enjoy the tomatoes and also basil and parsley from the garden. Unfortunately, I have to buy the cheese but the vinaigrette is homemade.

Historic Camelback Inn gave us Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes in White Balsamic Vinaigrette found on page 67 Tastes & Treasures

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
5 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges

Mix the vinegar and brown sugar in a bowl. let stand until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil, garlic, shallots and basil. Season with Kosher salt and papper. Add the tomato wedges and toss gently to coat. Chill for 4 hours before serving. Serve using a slotted spoon.
Serves 6.
Note: We made it a hearty salad with sliced cheese. Since we are black olive fans we like to sprinkle a few slices on top.