I suggest you eat other things to get the same nutritional benefits. Why torment yourself by gagging down a food you really don't like. Salmon has a strong distinctive flavor. It is tough to obliterate and the things you add to disguise the flavor might not be all that healthy for you. Leave that lovely salmon for me!

From WebMD:

"The recommendation [for omega-3s] is two servings of fish a week," Tansman says. "At 3 to 4 ounces per serving, that's well below the FDA's safe limit of 12 ounces per week."

According to the American Heart Association, those looking to protect their hearts should eat a variety of types of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) at least twice a week. Those with heart disease should get 1 gram of omega-3s (containing both EPA and DHA) per day, preferably from fatty fish.

But even if you don't like fish (or choose not to eat it), you can still get what you need from dietary sources. WebMD Weight Loss Clinic "Recipe Doctor" Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, says one answer lies in plants rich in omega-3s -- particularly flaxseed.

"It's safe to say this is the most potent plant source of omega-3," says Magee, author of The Flax Cookbook. While flaxseed contains no EPA or DHA, Magee says, it's a rich source of another omega-3 known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body can use to make EPA and DHA.

Flaxseed is available in health food stores and many supermarkets, sold as whole seeds, ground seeds, or oil. Although flaxseed oil contains ALA, Magee says ground flaxseed is a much better choice because it also contains 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon, as well as healthy phytoestrogens. Other sources of omega-3s include canola oil, broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, grape leaves, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, and walnuts.

"About an ounce -- or one handful -- of walnuts have about 2.5 grams of omega-3s," says Sandon. "That's equal to about 3.5 ounces of salmon."

Besides getting more omega-3s, you can also help your heart by replacing some omega-6s from cooking oils with a third fatty acid known as omega-9 (oleonic acid). This is a monounsaturated fat found primarily in olive oil.

Though it is not considered "essential" (the body can make some omega-9), by substituting it for oils rich in omega-6s, you can help restore the balance between omega-3s and omega-6s, plus gain some additional health benefits.

"Factors found in olive oil can also help boost the good cholesterol, which can also help your heart," says Magee.

Mudlady, I'm not a big fan of salmon either, but I do love this recipe.

Been making it since 1978.

Ready for the oven

Salmon Filets or steaks
1 large carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
parsley
white wine
chicken broth (Optional instead of white wine
Olive oil

Place salmon filets in a shallow oven proof dish.

Julienne carrots, celery, lemon zest, chop parsley, mince garlic, chop shallots, dill

Mix together and spread over top of the salmon.

Pour a little white wine,or chicken broth over the salmon and a squeeze of lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and Pepper. Butter a piece of foil and place loosely on top of fish. Do not seal. Bake in a 500ðF oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of salmon.

To serve. Place a piece of salmon on plate keeping some of the julienne
vegetables on top.

We love salmon & eat it a couple times/month. Since you're not a fan...maybe a flavorful salsa will play down the salmon's flavor.

I usually cook a 6-ounce salmon fillet, about 1 1/4 inches thick, for the two of us.

Set a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot add about a teaspoon of oil to the skillet. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly and heat the oil until almost smoking. Season the salmon with the salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skinned side up. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn the salmon, lower the heat to moderate and sear until just cooked, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (The time element will likely be different for you as every range cooks differently & we all like varying degrees of doneness but it's a place to start.)

Mango Cilantro Salsa

2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 finely chopped jalapeno
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine in a bowl and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over salmon.

/tricia

Gee, I usually cook at least a 12-ounce salmon filet for the two of us!

I could eat a 12 oz salmon filet by myself! LOL I love salmon!

Salmon Cakes might be a good option if you really want to find a way to like salmon. I have a really good recipe at home that I can post later on if you'd like.

Linda

Doucanoe,
Please post the salmon cakes because I think that will be OK. I was raised Catholic and way back then we ate fish on Fridays. My mother made salmon cakes from canned salmon. She poached Boston Blue fish in milk too--the object was to kill the taste. When we could afford it she broiled scallops or halibut or swordfish. Unfortunately, the steak fish ended when the big mercury scare occurred. I will try your recipe with whatever form of salmon you use.

I started taking omega-3 oil in capsules but I would prefer to get it from natural sources. I will have to try flax seed in some form. My total cholesterol is OK but my triglycerides and high/low cholesterol ratio aren't improving. I continue to eat too much of the foods I should omit--you know, all the stuff that tastes good :-(
Nancy

Here you go, Nancy. The recipe is from Marilyn who used to post here. She has wonderful recipes. I have made these many times, they are superb! I would not use canned salmon in the recipe...fresh is 200% better!

Fresh Salmon Cakes

2 cloves garlic; minced
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 dashes Tabasco (or 1 teaspoon Old Bay)
1 egg yolk (or egg white)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons real mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (less if table salt)
fresh ground pepper to taste
2/3 cup coarse white bread crumbs
1 pound fresh salmon
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, combine garlic, onion, Tabasco, egg, parsley, mayonnaise, salt and pepper; set aside. Remove skin and bones from salmon and cut into small cubes (about 1/2-inch); place in a medium bowl and gently stir in bread crumbs. Gently fold egg mixture into salmon and bread and refrigerate at least 2 hours before shaping into 4 patties.

Carefully coat the outside of each patty with Panko crumbs. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot and add salmon cakes. Fry the cakes until brown, about 4 minutes on each side turning only once. Serve with lemon wedges or your favorite tarter sauce.

*May substitute cracker crumbs or bread crumbs for the Panko.
(posted by Marilyn)

Linda

Nancy:
Here is my Recipe for Baked Salmon Cakes.
**********************************************

LOUâÂÂS - Baked Salmon or Crab Cakes

Chopped small , 1/3 cup each of : Onion, Celery , Red Bell Pepper and
Micro wave for 2 minutes. With 2 tbsp of water Let it cool .

In a Bowl , put 1 - 14 þ oz. can of Pink Salmon or Crab Meat and
break up larger pieces.

Sprinkle with : Black pepper and add:
1/2 teasp. of Garlic Powder , Onion Powder and
1/4 level teasp.of Old Bay Seasoning.
2 level teasp. of Parsley flakes
2 Tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon of Mustard
3 heaping tablespoons of Mayonnaise
Fold and Blend this together with the Onions, Celery and Peppers.

add: 1 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs.

Beat 1 egg and add 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder, beat well.
Add this to the Salmon mix and blend with a fork ( Just enough to mix it through.)
If the mix is too wet add a little more Bread Crumbs

Make 6 Balls ( work easy ) and flatten slightly to 4 inches round and 3/4 inches thick.
I baked them on a cookie tin , lined with Aluminum Foil, sprayed with Pam

Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 320 Degrees. Then brush with melted butter and
Broil on Low for 5 minutes or until a Golden Tan.
Serve Hot or freeze separated w Plastic wrap , in a Zip Lock or container.

Bon Appetite

Here is one feedback , a while ago.

RE: Feast of the seven fishes

Posted by shambo (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 25, 07 at 13:32
I can vouch for Lou's salmon cake recipe. I made it last week and my husband loved it. We both did. In fact, we ate the entire recipe's worth of salmon patties in one sitting. Since they're baked, they might work really well for a larger gathering. And, of course, you could make smaller patties or whatever size would work best for your meal.

Here is another option for Salmon Patties.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Salmon Patties
==============
2 (213 g) cans red salmon (or leftover cooked salmon)
1-1/2 cups soft fresh breadcrumbs
1 to 2 tsp of dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2 potatoes mashed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch of Thyme
1 egg beaten
1/4 parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
.

Flake salmon in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, green onions and mustard and mashed potatoes. Mix with fork until well blended. Add beaten egg, thyme, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper.

Shape mixture into patties. Mixture will be very soft. Add more bread crumbs if necessary. Cost patties with remaining bread crumbs. Heat butter and oil in skillet over medium heat. Add salmon cakes and fry 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.

If you can find a good fishmonger, you might ask about salmon and those varieties and times of year when salmon is more mild. Wild-caught salmon in particular differs radically in its mildness.

This will not resolve all issues but it may be possible for you to focus on fresh salmon at those times when its flavor is most appealing to you.

Carol

I like to make them with half mashed potatoes and half cooked fresh salmon but I add finely chopped hard boiled egg,gerkhins and capers too. Parsley, a spoon of good mayonnaise, then coat in a little flour and fry.

Salmon is no healthier than any other wild caught fatty fish. Sardines and herring, for example, would serve just as well and since they are small and very low on the food chain carry very little toxic metals. BTW, you do know that Omega 3's come ONLY from wild caught fish; farmed fish are fed grain which makes them very high in Omega 6, which we already get too much of, and very low in Omega 3.

Yuck!! Sardines and herring taste even worse than salmon. I avoid farmed fish because I believe wild caught fish are healthier. I don't think any animal is better fed if given food they don't eat if living in their natural environment.
Nancy

I second the fresh salmon cakes recipe.

Ann, that picture and your recipe may make me go back to trying canned salmon again, for the days I can't get fresh.

Mudlady, FWIW I use Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program to keep track of which fish is OK farmed vs. wild.

Here is a link that might be useful: seafood watch

Mudlady I am guessing you have never eaten fresh sardines....and perhaps you haven't had really really fresh salmon either.
Very different from the canned stuff....and also different from fish that isn't really really fresh.

This recipe came from someone on this forum....if you recognize it, claim it! It's really nice with salmon.
Orange Ginger sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh gingerroot
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns (*I omitted)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
Make the sauce while the salmon is poaching:
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream, the mayonnaise, the mustard, the gingerroot, the zest, the juice, the green peppercorns, the sugar, the vinegar, and salt to taste and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop.

I'm not a huge salmon fan either. Two ways I like it - either grilled on a cedar plank sprinkled with a bit of a rub to moderate the salmon taste or we make this when we're not up for grilling. I and others who aren't big salmon fans have liked this. I often make 1/2 the amount of sauce as I don't put a lot of sauce on it - a lot of butter kind of offsets the health benefits of salmon in my opinion. We usually have this with basmati rice.

SONOMA SALMON

Heat oven to 500 degrees
Prepare sauce (see below) allow sauce to reduce (thicken) while cooking salmon
In an oven safe sauté pan, sear salmon 1-2 minutes on both sides on cook top. If salmon has skin, start with skin side up.
Transfer pan to oven and cook 5-8 minutes to desired doneness (may take longer depending on thickness of the salmon filet)

Sonoma Salmon Sauce (4 servings)

1/4 cup Ponzu (or low sodium soy sauce)
1/8 - 1/4 cup lime juice (depending on whether you like a sweeter or more tart sauce)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic crushed and diced
dash of cayenne pepper if you like it a little spicy

Melt butter and sauté garlic for a minute.
Add brown sugar and stir to dissolve.
Add lime juice and Ponzu/soy.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until reduced to desired thickness.

Top each serving of salmon with sauce.

I did order salmon in a restaurant once hoping I would like it. I didn't, and that was too bad because it wasn't an inexpensive dinner. I don't recall what restaurant that was, but it was probably a Red Lobster.

Here's a very simple rub/topping for salmon that is delicious. MIx brown sugar, chili powder and kosher salt. Rub on the salmon & bake. You can still taste the salmon (I love salmon) but the sweet/hot/salty combination gives it a whole new dimension.

I was just going thru my files and found this recipe that I created decades ago. Uses canned salmon, but I would guess fresh would also work.

Salmon Balls in Dill Sauce

Oil
2 scallions, minced
1 15-1/2 oz can salmon, drained and flaked
1 c dried bread crumbs
1 T lemon juice
1 egg
8 oz sour cream
Pepper
Dill weed
1 c chicken broth
Parsley for garnish

Heat 1T oil in skillet over medium heat, add scallions and cook until tender. Remove to large bowl, add salmon, bread crumbs, lemon juice, egg, 1/4c sour cream, 1/4tsp pepper and 1/4tsp dill weed. Mix well, shape into 2 inch balls.

Heat 2T oil in same skillet, over medium heat. Brown salmon balls, transfer to plate. Pour oil from skillet, add chicken broth, bring to boil, lower heat, stir in remaining sour cream, remaining dill weed and pepper. Return salmon balls to sauce and heat through. Serve hot.

Makes 5 main dish servings or make balls one inch diameter for a wonderful appetizer!

Linda

This is my Aunt's 'Salmon Continental Casserole'... it may be different x those already mentioned. It makes two nice size loaf pans & I usually freeze one to use later. I don't care for most fish or fish recipes but this salmon one doesn't taste 'fishy' I really like it!I buy the 'cheapest'(?) of the canned salmon.

Mix in big bowl:

4 oz. dry noodles -cook & drain
16 oz. cottage cheese
16 oz. sour cream
1 medium size onion diced
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons poppyseeds (I use more!)
2 (15 oz. each) cans salmon drained
add cooked noodles
add to two loaf pans
bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes
serves 8

If you like Asian tastes, this recipe is very good. I usually make 2 fillets every New Year's Day.

Asian Barbecued Salmon (Chicago Tribune)
Yield: 4 servings

1 salmon fillet with skin, about 2 pounds
1/4 cup each: dry sherry, soy sauce
2 Tbs each: oyster sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch chives or green onions, minced or slivered
1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced or slivered
2 Tbs oil

Remove any remaining bones from the fish using tweezers or needle-nose pliers. Combine the sherry, soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, pepper, chives and ginger in a large shallow non-aluminum dish. Marinate the salmon in the mixture for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Remove salmon from marinade, scraping the green onions and ginger off the fillet and returning to the marinade. Put marinade into a small non-aluminum saucepan; heat to a boil and strain, set aside.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill the salmon 6 inches from the heat source, skin side toward the heat source (tuck the thin tail-end under), covered, until the fish just begins to flake, about 12 minutes. If the grill cannot be covered, place the salmon in a wire fish basket and turn the salmon once during cooking; total cooking time will be about 18 minutes.

Note: I usually broil the salmon in the oven, 4-5 inches from the heat source for about 10-12 minutes on each side. I put the salmon skin side down (tuck tail-end under) on heavy foil, then flip the fillet when it is almost fully cooked.

Put salmon on serving platter. Pour the reserved marinade over the salmon or serve separately.

I am interested in several recipes made with canned salmon. However, I wonder if canned salmon is farmed or wild. Maybe I can tell by reading the nutritional information on the label.
What is the difference between canned pink and red salmon? My mother always scoffed at pink salmon, but I don't know why.
Nancy

Canned salmon is usually wild. Pink salmon is from humpback salmon and red salmon is from sockeye salmon. The sockeye has more fat so you might want to try the pink salmon since I think it's a bit milder, but of course having more fat the red would have a little more omega 3.

I consider canned salmon a different product than fresh.

And I consider salmon served at a chain a different product from one served at an independent, higher end restaurant that doesn't churn out a pre-assembled and/or cooked product. Not a 'bad' product, just different. Well OK when it comes to fish, I wouldn't judge the whole experience by a chain's offering. Just sayin'. I wouldn't even order it, LOL, there are other things that chains may do better.

I'm not crazy about canned salmon in general but I do prefer red salmon to pink salmon. The red canned salmon tastes less like cat food to me. ;)

I love fresh salmon, however.

Ok, I've been hesistant to post this but since it's already been alluded to...

Mudlady - I'm sure there are some wonderful canned salmon recipes here. But being as you already don't particularly care for salmon, I'd recommend you ease into it with fresh first. I'm quite fond of salmon but cannot stomach canned.

I'd recommend trying Arctic Char. It tastes similar to salmon but milder. I believe it's not quite as high in Omega 3's but still a good source. I think it'd be a good stepping stone.

Thanks to all for the information and suggestions. I think I will go to a good restaurant and try salmon again.
Nancy

I posted a salmon dish on the WFD thread.

dcarch