Friday, November 20, 2009

Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon

This Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon (from "Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair), was a bit difficult to make pretty in photographs but it is a delicious and easy dinner entree that is very healthy. Of course everyone knows the benefits of wild salmon and nori, the seaweed you find wrapped around sushi has protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and it even has more vitamin A than carrots.


Lair says, ""This recipe is a compilation of one by Mary Shaw and one published in the Fall 2001 Dessert Dining Guide from the En Fuego restaurant in Arizona, with a few twists of my own. By wrapping the salmon before baking, it stays very moist and tender. The nori adds unusual flavor and bonus minerals"

Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon
"Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair
(Makes 4 small or 2 regular servings)
(Prep Time: 15 minutes)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped herbs: any combination of thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, and mint. (I used basil, parsley and dill)
salt & pepper
2 (8-ounce) salmon fillets (I used 2 5-7 ounces wild salmon fillets)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp wasabi powder
2 sheets nori

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub salmon with mixture. Mix mustard and wasabi together. Spread on nori.


Place salmon face down in the middle of the nori sheetand wrap like a package so that fish is fully covered.


The nori will stick to itself and the salmon.


Place wrapped salmon in a lightly oil baking dish. (I just used a parchment lined pan) The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the salmon and seal in the juices.


Notes/Results: Very good--the salmon stayed very moist in the nori and had great deal of flavor from the herbs, wasabi-mustard, and the nori too. I served it on some mixed leftovers from my delicious dinner of the night before (more about that below), filled out with some spinach, red pepper and cucumber which made a light but still hearty dinner. I would make this again (Just cutting it a bit differently next time so it isn't cut diagonally across the grain of the fish and looks better!) ;-)


The "salad" I served the salmon on was actually the leftovers from a hearty, delicious plate of food from the Macrobiotic Community Dinner I attended the night before. I have talked about these dinners before on the blog, but I have to give them another shout out. They are held once or twice a month at a kitchen/auditorium at a local church and feature different themes each time. The meals are unprocessed vegan meals made with local, seasonal and often organic whole foods. The plate below was the Thanksgiving/Holiday Dinner and included Shiitake-Cauliflower-Leek Soup, Holiday Rice, Hijiki (a type of seaweed) with Kabocha, 3-Bean Salad, Watercress-Fig-Artichoke Heart Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and for dessert, Pumpkin Mousse with Maple Tofu Cream and Kukicha Tea. (I didn't take pictures of the soup, dessert and tea).


My favorites were the rice and the bean salad (really great flavors and textures), but everything was very tasty. Hosted by talented chefs Leslie Ashburn (of Macrobiotics Hawaii) and Kathy Maddux, the dinners are a fun way to discover some different and delicious food. I went with three good friends and we ended up making a new friend who is in the process of moving to the island and discovered the dinner. Great healthy food, good conversation with friends and a sense of community--a perfect evening and we all left feeling full and satisfied, but in a clean and healthy way.

Are there any unique food opportunities in your area that you take advantage of?

15 comments:

  1. I am sure there are plenty of unique food opportunities in NY but most of them are just too expensive for me. A girl can dream though...

    The nori-wrapped wasabi salmon sounds fantastic! Firstly because it uses my favorite fish. And secondly because it is kind of like deconstructed take on sushi. And I love sushi.

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  2. I've never had nori before, but I do love wasabi. I bet the salmon stays nice a moist since it is wrapped up. I think it's very pretty with the contrasting colors of the salmon and the nori.
    I'm trying to think of food opportunities and I'm drawing a blank. I really wished I lived in a food mecca like NYC or some other great city. I have actually had dreams of getting a Trader Joe's close by. Crazy, isn't it?

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  3. Deb, I am a huge fan of wasabi, so this recipe is right up my alley. Interesting use of the nori, I bet it gives the salmon a unique flavor, while keeping it moist. I definitely will be giving this a try. Thanks

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  4. oh wow this looks amazing what a cool way to make salmon love it

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  5. Hello!!!!
    You may or may not know that I've been one of your followers for some time and enjoy so many of your recipes. Today I got notice that you tried to befriend me on Foodbuzz. I accidently deleted your request and then spent 45 minutes trying to find you again on Foodbuzz. I'm pretty new to the site and find it confusing in a few ways. Finding other foodies is one of them. Please try to reach out to me again so I can connect with you there. It would be my honor. Aloha, your friend, Keri
    www.samwich365.com P.S. this salmon recipe rocks!!! Fantastic!

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  6. Salmon wrapped in nori seems like such a perfect application, I wonder why I have never seen it before?
    Looks absolutely wonderful.

    Love your dining adventures. Unfortunately, seeing that macrobiotics only lets you eat very locally.. it can be rather dull in Canada - especially in winter!

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  7. I love nori - but have never tried wrapping fish in it before. I love the mustard and wasabi spread - it must give a lot of flavor.

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  8. Brilliant! I never would have thought of using nori this way. Aloha!

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  9. Hello,
    I am not sure we have met...:) but this recipe is one way to say ' hello' or is it Aloha !

    I love fish..salmon is the crown jewel of em all..but I have never used Nori. I love it though. This is an excellent recipe to start using Nori. Wil have to look where to find it!

    Thanks a million!

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  10. This recipe has given me a great idea. This looks wonderful. If I'm successful with my plan I'll report back after the holiday.

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  11. This is quite an intriguing recipe, one that I'd like to try when I get a hold of wasabi powder! It looks great!

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  12. Thanks for this recipe. I'm always looking for salmon recipes. I try to eat it once a week. Looks like a crowd pleaser! Thanks for the post.

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  13. I have been drooling over that recipe ever since I frist saw it in that book. Sounds SOOOO good!

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  14. That looks soooo delicious and I don't even eat salmon!

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