I get my Irishness from my mother. The freckles, easily burned skin, fiery temper and a love of potatoes and . . . seafood! Many traditional Irish dishes use seafood as the protein. Ireland isn’t called the “Emerald Isle” for nothing!
Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher overlook the Atlantic Ocean.
I fell in love with Ireland when I visited it with both my sisters, my mother and Kelly. It was a wonderful trip to celebrate my mom. I really wanted to buy some land there and stay! Every time I called home to talk to Eric & Andrew, I talked about moving to Ireland. Moving to Ireland wasn’t in the cards for us, but I’m still hoping! In the meantime, we celebrate being Irish by making authentic Irish dishes. St. Patrick’s Day just gives me another excuse to make a favorite salmon dish from our Classic IRISH cookbook!
Wrapped Salmon and Rice (adapted from Classic IRISH by Matthew Drennan) serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound skinned and boned fresh salmon filet
- 4 ounces button mushrooms
- 6 scallions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice
- juice of one lemon, about 3 tablespoons, divided
- 1 pound package of puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- salt and ground black pepper
Put the salmon into a saucepan with just enough water to cover it. Add a tablespoon of the lemon juice. When the water starts to simmer, poach the salmon gently for 10 minutes, until just cooked. Do not allow the water to boil! Remove the salmon from the water to a plate to cool.
Don’t let the poaching water boil!
Roughly chop the mushrooms and finely slice the scallions. Melt the butter in a saute pan and cook the mushrooms and scallions for 2-3 minutes. Place them in a mixing bowl.
Saute the mushrooms and scallions.
Flake the poached salmon and add it to the mushroom and scallion mixture.
Flake the poached salmon gently with a fork.
Chop the hard-boiled eggs and stir them into the salmon mixture with the cooked rice. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.
Combine the filling ingredients.
Roll out the 2 pieces of puff pastry into one rectangle measuring 12 x 14 inches. Transfer the rolled out pastry to a baking sheet, centering the side that will be getting the filling on the sheet. Brush the edges with a beaten egg. Spoon the filling onto the centered half of the pastry.
Spread the filling on half of the rolled out puff pastry.
Fold the other half over the filling. Join the edges and seal the sides and ends with the egg. Score the top of the pastry with a knife and brush it with the remaining egg.
Brush the puff pastry with the beaten egg.
Bake the pastry for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
Golden-y goodness!
Serve hot.
An Irish classic!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ~Linda
Wrapped Salmon and Rice (adapted from Classic IRISH by Matthew Drennan) serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound skinned and boned fresh salmon filet
- 4 ounces button mushrooms
- 6 scallions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice
- juice of one lemon, about 3 tablespoons, divided
- 1 pound package of puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- salt and ground black pepper
Put the salmon into a saucepan with just enough water to cover it. Add a tablespoon of the lemon juice. When the water starts to simmer, poach the salmon gently for 10 minutes, until just cooked. Do not allow the water to boil! Remove the salmon from the water to a plate to cool.
Roughly chop the mushrooms and finely slice the scallions. Melt the butter in a saute pan and cook the mushrooms and scallions for 2-3 minutes. Place them in a mixing bowl.
Flake the poached salmon and add it to the mushroom and scallion mixture.
Chop the hard-boiled eggs and stir them into the salmon mixture with the cooked rice. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.
Roll out the 2 pieces of puff pastry into one rectangle measuring 12 x 14 inches. Transfer the rolled out pastry to a baking sheet, centering the side that will be getting the filling on the sheet. Brush the edges with a beaten egg. Spoon the filling onto the centered half of the pastry.
Fold the other half over the filling. Join the edges and seal the sides and ends with the egg. Score the top of the pastry with a knife and brush it with the remaining egg.
Bake the pastry for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot.