Wow...just tried something really, really, good!

So this is a really different dish for me, but it was absolutely delightful.

I was watching this health food person and they had this recipe which seemed like the diametric opposite of something I would cook. Well, that means I absolutely have to try it, because I try just about every method of cooking.

Now, this may not seem over the top, but in as you read on you will see how truly wonderful it truly is. Even better, it's an absolutely simple dish!

Ingredients: (for 2, (or maybe 3, but it's scaleable):
- 1 lb Salmon filet
- 2 Broccoli tops
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper

That's it!! (seriously)

Recipe:

Steak the salmon into individual pieces. Rub both sides generously with Olive oil, especially the skin side. Lightly salt and pepper the meat side of the Salmon. Place the Salmon, skin side down, on a steamer basket or wire trivet. Cut the Broccoli tops into florets and place them in the steamer basket. Drizzle with Olive oil. Depending on the sized pot you're using, add enough liquid (water, or chicken stock, your choice) to give you about 1/2" of liquid on the bottom of the pot. Just make sure none of the fish is actually touching the liquid, you don't want boiled fish, but steamed. Place pot on the stove on High. Cover and let steam for about 10 minutes. When the Salmon turns pink it's close to done. Check one of the fillets with a fork to make sure you don't have any raw Salmon in the middle. Your Brocolli should be still just lightly crispy but with a nice steam on them.

Plate, drizzle with some more Olive oil and serve!

That's it! That's all there is too it!

The Olive oil on the Salmon keeps it from sticking to the steamer basket. Plus, the Olive oil seals the juices into the Salmon so it's not dry. The Broccoli is delightful. The Olive oil is almost like butter and the light salt and pepper and just awesome. The lack of major seasonings means you can really taste the wonderful flavor of the Salmon. The steam process preserves all the nutrients in both the Broccoli and the fish.

Note: I had actually made some nice Spanish Rice to go with this dish, and it turned out good. However, after eating the delicate flavors of the steamed Salmon and the Broccoli with the Olive oil, the Spanish rice was just too salty and spicy. (never thought I would hear myself say this!!!) We wound up just eating the fish and the broccoli.

Healthy, nutritious, tasty, light and fantastic!

Try it, you won't be disappointed!

P.S. Never thought I would ever post a recipe for steamed fish!

Wonder if substituting white wine for water/stock would be good?

And a nice “sticky” rice for a Asian-Style take.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Sounds pretty delicious. Never had it steamed before.

Salmon is very easy to cook and one of my favorite, simple dishes is Teriyaki salmon.

Oven at 350, glass dish with olive oil, a piece of salmon seasoned with some dill weed and put a thin Teriyaki glaze on it, cooked uncovered for 15 minutes. Moist, juicy, savory, delicious.

Sometimes I'll add a little cajun or blackened season, but for 15 minutes, it's amazing and healthy.

a reply to: Liquesence

I've always done Salmon baked or grilled, but this is the first time I've ever tried it steamed. It was really that fantastic.

When I bake Salmon it always winds up feeling very heavy with all the spices and you kind of lose the flavor of the fish itself. Plus, it also seems to get a bit oily, especially with butter. When it's steamed the flavor of the Salmon is forefront. The olive oil and light salt and pepper just call your attention to it.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, we get some amazing local Salmon on the Rogue River, Ill give this a try for sure.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I've done trout that way for awhile... it's really a lot better than baked or grilled.

A variant I do sometimes is to use coconut oil instead of olive oil.

Doesn't smother the fish taste but adds a little fun difference.

Perfect with asparagus as well..

Add salt only when the salmon is done (or almost done) cooking. Putting it on the fish too early draws moisture out and causes the fish to shrink. Leave the salt off until done, and cooked fish will be more tender and less dry.

a reply to: TheTruthRocks

The little bit of salt is really only on the Olive oil, it doesn't have time to be absorbed into the flesh. Plus, you only sprinkle some salt on immediately before cooking.

The fish only takes 5-10 minutes to cook with steam. There's no time to for the salt to go through the osmosis you're referring to. Now, baked on the other hand, I would absolutely agree because the cooking time is much longer.

I used to make steamed fish in the oven on a rack in a pan but haven't done that for many years. We usually just broil or bake it lately, the wife likes it a little crispy on the top. I like fish any way, I even will eat the boxed fish sticks the wife likes. I prefer good fish but any fish is better than no fish.

Fat Tuesday is coming up, Fish sales are going to hit the stores. I like this time of the year. I like most types of freshwater fish the best, but I do eat pollack and cod filets and I do enjoy wild caught sockeye salmon filets from Alaska. None of that farmed salmon for me, it has that pellet fed flavor. When they release the fish from the DNR here, people go fishing for those pellet fed fish, I stay away, they have a weird flavor until they spend a couple of months in the lake or river.

I like kala Mojakka, almost every country has a recipe for fish soup. I usually do not add the cream and do add some cabbage to the soup along with a couple of carrots which are not on a lot of the recipes.

a reply to: rickymouse

Yeah, the Salmon we used tonight was Sockeye. It really is the best.

Steelhead is pretty darn good too.

ETA - Was out fishing on a charter for Walleye one time and this one guy caught about 4 Steelheads that day. Nice fish too. Don't know why he was the only one catching Steelheads when we were all catching Walleyes (he didn't understand either). Anyway, he didn't want them. So I more than gladly took them off his hands. Ate fresh Steelhead for about a week off those fish.

ETA2 - What's 'kala Mojakka'?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Six large peeled potatoes sliced to a quarter inch thick
a cup of shredded cabbage
Two carrots peeled and sliced a quarter inch thick
a teaspoon of lemon juice
One clove of garlic minced
One large onion halved then sliced a quarter inch thick
salt
pepper
Ten drops of tabasco sauce or hot sauce
A tablespoon of butter

Put into a pot and add water, an inch lower than the top of the veggies and spices. Boil till the potatoes are pretty soft, usually about a half hour after they start to boil. Then add another tablespoon of butter and about a pound of skinless boneless cod cut to one inch by two inch pieces or just about any white fish that is not oily. Salmon does not work well for this. Whitefish or perch is great, walley or bass is good if it is fresh. Steelheads would work well but Lake trout is too oily. Boil about fifteen minutes, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Some people add milk or cream right before it is done, bringing it to a boil after the cream or milk. It makes it like clam chowder if you do that. I have a milk intolerance so don't add the milk.

It is hard to list quantities, I just make it and adjust things based on the size of the pot and how much I want to make. The little bit of hot sauce gives it a smooth taste, too much just makes it spicey, a little makes it great. I do not know how the hot sauce would go if you added the milk though, maybe the garlic would not go with milk either.