Whip It Up Week 5: Salmon Steaks

For this week’s new recipe Tim and I celebrated our new jobs with a trip to Tim’s favorite grocery store: Whole Foods. We went straight for the salmon steaks — one of Tim’s favorite indulgences — and then wandered the store searching for the perfect side dishes, all the while beaming with beatific bliss at the simple fact that we didn’t feel guilty at all for a shopping trip that would have been out of the question just a few weeks ago. It was good. Sooooooo very good.

Ahem. Where was I. Oh, yeah; salmon.

So, we gathered our ingredients and took them over to my in-laws’ house (did I mention that we were cooking for Tim’s parents, who are in town from Georgia, and his sister?) and got cookin’. The menu was this: Firecracker Salmon Steaks (the new recipe), roasted baby red potatoes, spinach salad. And ice cream for dessert.

Okay, before I go any farther, I need to have a chat with y’all about Whole Foods brand ice cream. Um . . . what the hell? That was the grainiest, least creamy, most cold-sand-in-your-mouth tasting ice cream I have ever, ever eaten. What happened there, Whole Foods? Why, when you do everything else so well, do you make your ice cream so awful?

Sorry, just had to get that out. Let’s move on and never speak of it again, k?

Here’s a breakdown of the good food of the evening:

Potatoes – I cut up some baby red potatoes and a red bell pepper into bite-sized pieces, threw them in a baking dish with some Italian seasoning, whole garlic cloves, and olive oil, tossed it all together, and then baked it (at 400 at first, until I decided the potatoes weren’t cooking fast enough, at which point I cranked it up to 450), stirring occasionally, until the potatoes were cooked through and a bit crispy on the outside. I’ve done this several times before and every single time it turns out delicious. This is, by far, one of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes.

Spinach Salad — We bought a bag of spinach salad at the store, threw in some tomatoes and crispy sugar snap pea things, and served it with oil and vinegar. Delicious!

Salmon Steaks — We followed the recipe linked above almost exactly. I skimped a little on the spicier ingredients because not all of Tim’s family is as enthusiastic about spicy foods as we are.

Was it easy to make? Very easy. Between our kitchen and my in-laws’, we had most of the necessary ingredients for the sauce on hand already. We only had to pick up a couple of things along with the salmon, which is always a plus.

Did it taste good? Yes, for the most part. Tim thought the salmon could have used more flavor, so next time we make this we’ll probably use more of the sauce while the fish is cooking. Salmon is almost always good, but I think I would have preferred this meal prepared with salmon filets rather than steaks. Salmon steaks are good, don’t get me wrong; I just don’t think the taste improvement over filets is significant enough to make up for having to deal with all those bones. Regardless, it was a big hit with Tim’s family, and it was a really great celebratory dinner.

Will we make it again? I can see us making this again with some minor adjustments.

August 9, 2008 | Filed Under Kitchen Adventures, Photos & Videos 

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7 Responses to “Whip It Up Week 5: Salmon Steaks”

  1. Julie on August 10th, 2008

    Mmmmmmm

    Salmon Steaks. This looks sooo gooooood.

    I haven’t tried Whole Foods Ice Cream… but I am wondering is it vegan???
    That could be why it was grainy.

  2. Suzanne on August 10th, 2008

    That sounds really good. I’d try it with Cholula as the hot sauce and add a tiny bit of minced green onions. MMMM!

  3. RA on August 11th, 2008

    Nice! Yay for celebratory shopping trips and meals!

  4. heather on August 11th, 2008

    We just went to Whole Foods yesterday! We didn’t really buy much (we’re still on the broke foo’s budget), but it will be nice when we can enjoy it guilt free. : )

    I’m going to try potatoes like that, they look delicious!

  5. Definitely RA | Whip It Up Wrap-Up #6 on August 15th, 2008

    [...] Audrey celebrated new jobs for her and her husband (yay!) with a family meal including Firecracker Salmon Steaks. [...]

  6. nancypearlwannabe on August 20th, 2008

    Those salmon steaks look mouth-watering!

    Also, Whole Foods ice cream is totally terrible, I agree. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you I HIGHLY recommend their Soy Creamy faux ice cream. It tastes better and creamier than most real ice cream, I promise. The cherry chocolate chip and the mango vanilla are both unbelievable.

  7. Laurel on August 21st, 2008

    I prefer salmon filets to steaks, too. Hear, hear! I’ve just discovered that I live around the corner from a fish market, so I’ll have to give it a shot!

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