I got over my fear of buying fish.

Earlier this year, I bought some fillets that tasted so horrible they put me off cooking fish at home of a while. I’m happy to say that I’m cooking fish again, even if the selection is not ideal. The fish available to us is either frozen or previously frozen, so I just do the best with what looks the most fresh. I’m also trying to remember to research what options are more sustainable before I buy.

My parents are enthusiastic Costco members and gave me the Enjoy Cooking the Costco Way book for Christmas which is also available online. The recipes tend to be brand-driven since they’re written by Costco food vendors and some recipes go overboard by listing a specific product for every ingredient. However, many others are much less markety. The book’s seafood recipes especially caught my eye.

I prepared Atlantic Salmon with Creole Mustard Sauce and we considered it a success. The sauce is so good that I’d make it again to accompany other types of fish. Just this year, I enjoyed a fish dish with a similar sauce at a local restaurant. Mine was just as good and so much less expensive.

In hindsight, I see the recipe specifies Atlantic salmon. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program recommends we avoid farmed Atlantic salmon and purchase Alaskan salmon with CA, WA & WA Wild being the next best alternatives.

Baked Salmon with Creamy Mustard Sauce
Adapted from Camanchaca Gourmet Seafood’s recipe for Atlantic Salmon With Creole Mustard Sauce from Enjoy Cooking the Costco Way, page 166. 

Notes: The original recipe made too much sauce for four fillets, so I’m going to share how to make half. This should be enough marinade and sauce for 4-6 fillets. Neither component needs to be exactly measured. I served the fish with steamed rice flavored with onion, currants, turmeric & coriander and broccolini that I blanched and sautéed with slivered garlic.

DSC_0047Ingredients:

Marinade:
3 tablespoons butter, melted (or olive oil)
2-3 tablespoons honey (or brown sugar)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice from half a lemon.
4-6 fillets of salmon
Black pepper, a good sprinkling

Mustard Sauce:
1/2 cup of half and half
A heaping 1/3 cup grainy mustard
A squirt of Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chiffonaded (a couple pinches of dried herbes de provence is a delicious swap, too)
Black pepper, to taste (I like a lot)
White pepper, a dash
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions:

  1. Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour into a bag. Add the salmon and gently squish until evenly coated. Marinade for 1-2 hours, squishing the bag occasionally.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 400℉
  3. Place the salmon fillets in a lightly oiled dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish isn’t raw and just begins to flake.
  4. Broil for two more minutes so the fillets brown on top.
  5. While the fish is baking, whisk together the cream, mustards, Worcestershire, black pepper, white pepper and cayenne to a small saucepan and gently heat.
  6. Stir in the sour cream and basil and heat until hot but not boiling. Taste for seasoning and add more of any of the ingredients if needed. Spoon over each fillet upon serving.