Today's market finds:
Cantaloupe, peaches, green beans, and jalapeno. Grand total, an even $10.
Especially fish baked in the oven. It goes from underdone, to done, to slightly overdone, to fish jerky, in a matter of like, 30 seconds. If I look away at just the right moment, all is lost. Conversely, if I try to outsmart it, and take it out of the oven a tad early, it may finish perfectly on the counter as it "rests"...or, it may remain underdone, and NOT rise to the perfect temperature and level of doneness, at all.
Enough, pampered princess! I'm ready to go out on a limb and make a second attempt at fish in the slow cooker...salmon this time. I'm hoping that it will be moist and tender from the low, moist, braising environment of the slow cooker, and more importantly, be a bit more "chill" (a.k.a. "relaxed", "easy-going", "not so high-maintainance").
"Salmon Fillets with Pineapple-Melon Relish", from Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook, by the American Heart Association.
It looks like this recipe is not available on the internet, so it's another one you'll have to find directly in the book, if you are so inclined.
Let me tell you about it though: it involves salmon fillets that are seasoned with...wait for it...STEAK seasoning..? Sounds strange doesn't it? They cook fairly quickly in the slow cooker, and when they come out, you top them with a very summery "relish" of chopped pineapple and cantaloupe, with lemon and mint.
So, the fish was totally easy to do in the slow cooker....bed of lemon slices, a bit of water and seasoned salmon pieces. I did have to go in and shift the pieces around to cook evenly, and the thinner pieces were done in 1 hr. The thicker pieces were done in 1 1/2 hrs.
The pineapple-cantaloupe "relish" was surprising, and fresh, with some savory aspects like onion and jalapeno in it. I kept calling it "salsa", because that's what it looked and tasted like.
To just bottom-line it for you...the fish was fine, but since I was steaming green beans to go with the meal anyway, it would've been less work and dishes to just steam the salmon. And it was no less "fussy" in the crock pot...I still had to watch it carefully. Just keeping it warm until serving time did push a few pieces into the "dry" zone. So. It's gonna be delicate, no matter what. No advantage in using the slow cooker, in my opinion.
Now the seasoning on the salmon--steak seasoning and thyme--YUM! It was different, unexpected, and really tasty.
The "relish" was the star though. I would definitely make that part of the recipe again and again, and just serve it over a simple steamed salmon, seasoned with steak seasoning.
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