Salmon Cakes with Dijon Aioli

This month Bon Appetit ran an article entitled The Incredible Egg where they had chefs from around the country share delicious and varied ways to use eggs.  One of first recipes in this article to catch my eye was the one for The Creamiest Aioli which they dubbed "World's Greatest Mayo": 

Creamy and light with just a hint of garlic, aioli is that perfect sauce that can go with just about anything from potatoes to bread to meat and fish.  The Bon Appetit recipe got me thinking - what if I added some grainy dijon mustard to the sauce and served it with salmon?  I have been wanting to try my hand at salmon cakes for some time because although I absolutely adore crab cakes, Paul has an aversion to all things shellfish.  I figured swapping the crab for salmon would be the perfect way to get my crab cake fix without making him suffer.

This recipe did the trick.  He said it was quite possibly the best dish that I have ever made.  (Now that's not a compliment I receive everyday!)  Give these a try.  I am sure that they will satisfy all of the food critics in your household as well.  

Dijon Aioli

(This recipe calls for raw egg yolk.  If you will be serving this recipe to pregnant women, small children, the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems, skip the aioli and simply whisk 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard together with store bought mayonnaise.)

2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp water
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
fresh squeezed lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk mustard, egg yolk, garlic, salt, and water in a small bowl to blend.

Whisking constantly, drizzle grapeseed oil into the bowl in a slow steady stream, until sauce begins to thicken.  Once all of the grapeseed oil has been incorporated, drizzle olive oil into bowl in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly.  After all oils have been incorporated, season with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste.

Salmon Cakes

1 lb salmon

3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp chopped chives

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Remove the skin from the salmon filet(s) and cut salmon into approximately 1/2 inch chunks:

Mix salmon, panko, mayo, egg, cayenne pepper, chives, and lemon zest until all ingredients have been  incorporated:

Form the salmon mixture into small patties (as though you were making hamburgers):

Coat a large frying pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add salmon cakes and cook until golden brown on the outside and cooked through in the center (about 3 to 4 minutes per side).

I served these as an appetizer with aioli on the side, but these would also be fantastic served as a burger for a main course.

Sunday Brunch: Easter Edition

Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter this year!

My all time favorite Easter treat is Cadbury Mini Eggs (pictured above).  Of course, as much as I often try, a girl simply cannot subsist on chocolate eggs alone.  So on Easter morning I decided to whip up the next best thing: open faced smoked salmon sandwiches with scrambled eggs and chives.  I did two variations on this recipe: one with brie for me and one with mashed avocado for Paul.   

To give these tasty breakfast sandwiches a try for yourself, follow these steps:

Finely chop a handful of chives and place in a small bowl:

Add four eggs and whisk to scramble:

Heat skillet coated with non-stick spray over medium heat.  Add egg-chive mixture and cook, stirring infrequently (you want fluffy, pillowy eggs to form, as pictured below):

Cut several large pieces of bread from a French baguette.  Toast until browned and crispy:

For the brie topped toasts, spread brie on warm bread (I used the rindless Creme de Brie product pictured below).  Top with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

For the avocado topped toasts, slice an avocado in half.  Scoop the filling out of one half of the avocado into a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, then dice (or mash) the avocado.  Spoon onto toasts and top with eggs, then smoked salmon.

And of course, don't forget the most important part of brunch - the mimosas!

Lighten Up: Dijon and Panko Crusted Tilapia

This past week I attended the American Association for Cancer Research conference.  I learned a lot and in my down time, I got to explore the wonderful city of Chicago.  It was my first time visiting and I positively fell in love.  There is so much to see and do and everyone is so friendly, it's unbelievable.  One of the biggest perks about Chicago for me was the vibrant restaurant scene.  Nearly every chef who has ever won Top Chef seems to have a restaurant in Chicago and I was determined to get my fill of tasty treats.  I ate Chicago style deep dish pizza.  Twice.  I ate at Rick Bayless' James Beard award winning restaurant Frontera Grill.  Twice.  And I bought a 1 gallon tin of the local favorite, Garrett Popcorn's Chicago mix - 50 % cheese corn and 50 % caramel crisp.

Needless to say after indulging in all of those culinary delights, when I returned home I was feeling like I needed to lighten up a bit.  So I decided to make an old favorite of mine: Dijon and Panko Crusted Tilapia.  This dish is super light, yet still filling.  And as an added bonus, with 2 tilapia fillets costing only $3 at my local supermarket, it was easy on the wallet too (which I very much appreciated after eating one too many meals in a restaurant).  Enjoy!

Dijon and Panko Crusted Tilapia

2 tilapia fillets
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
3 Tbsp panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Line baking dish with aluminum foil and spray foil with non-stick spray.  Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper and place in foil-lined baking dish.

In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave (about 30 seconds on high).  Add mustard, lemon juice, and Worchestershire sauce and stir to mix.  Spoon mixture over fillets until coated.

Sprinkle panko over the fillets to coat.

Bake fish for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.  You'll want the fish to be just cooked through (white in the center when cut open and flaky).

Thinly slice the remaining half of the lemon and garnish the fish with the lemon slices.  Serve with your favorite side dish (I used pearled couscous) or a light salad.