Smoked Salmon Linguine - Two ways!

I often get emails from folks in America asking for traditional Irish recipes they could cook at home. Since they can't get real ham over there and we don't actually eat corned beef and cabbage I usually end up suggesting Irish smoked salmon with Brown Soda bread. This is something you will usually find as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre in many Irish homes. You can get fancy with it by using boursin cheese, chives or walnut soda bread, or you can, as I prefer, use some wonderful Kerrygold butter to lather the bread and top with salmon. If you are in North America, many Irish smokehouses will deliver proper salmon and the soda bread is easily made at home. If you prefer to take a simpler route, Food Ireland will supply it all! The butter really is superior. When I was in the states I always paid ridiculous prices to get French or Irish butter, but I had a real job then, so didn't feel guilty!

Smoked salmon to me is the quintessential Irish food. You will find it almost any menu in this country from the rustic rural pub to the five start Dublin restaurant. It has really become a staple of life. Smoked salmon can be traced back to many ancient civilizations, but it is not clear where it originated from. What is not in question however, are the numerous health benefits it offers. Salmon is excellent for the heart due to it's substantial amounts of Omega 3 Oil. It is also high in Vitamin E, a cancer fighting antioxidant. For anyone watching their carb intake, some varieties have no carbs and most are extremely low. And did I mention the taste???

There is however a lot of controversy regarding salmon of late. Wild stocks are being depleted and governments have only begun reacting recently. Consumers are being asked to purchased farmed or organic salmon to let the wild stock replenish. Having lived in Ballina, one of Ireland's premier salmon fishing sites, for a year and a half, I can attest to the wonderful taste of wild salmon. So out of curiosity and a desire to replenish wild stocks of salmon, I did a random tasting comparing wild and organic farmed salmon. It was a blindfold test and I picked the organic salmon as better! This happened with some other fish varieties on last season of Gordon Ramsay's The F Word. In order to preserve the natural species it's really really important that we eat farmed fish for a few years, and I promise you won't notice a difference in taste, at least for the worst! If saving money is a priority, Aldi is now selling small packages of organic Irish smoked salmon. It's good quality and compared to other manufacturers, very reasonable at €3.99. If money is not an issue I strongly recommend Ummera or Clarkes in Ballina (who, if you are in the area, will even smoke any fish you've caught yourself!)

Now onto to lovely smoked salmon recipes. As promised, one is a low fat dish (sure beats resorting to hoodia!), the other not so much, although if you are lucky enough to be able to get fat free creme fraiche or sour cream, you could substitute that for the cream, which would substantially reduce the fat. This is a real storecupboard recipe. It will take you less than fifteen minutes to cook - no excuses people! :-)



Ingredients:
(serves 2)

• 1 package chestnut (baby portabello) mushrooms (~8oz)
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 200g package organic smoked salmon
• 1 small tub cream
• 1 tsp crushed pink peppercorns
• salt
  
• 1 package of linguine
• 1 tbsp parsley/chives, chopped
  

Cook the pasta according to directions.

Saute the onion in the butter and olive oil. When just soft add the mushrooms and saute until soft. Add in the cream, salmon, peppercorns, salt and cook until salmon just cooks through. Stir in parsley and serve on top of pasta. Garnish with more parsley or chives and a wedge of lemon.

Variations:
Switch out the mushrooms for asparagus, green beans or broccoli
Chop and de-seed a small red chili and add in for heat

Ingredients: (serves 1)

• 50g smoked salmon
• 100g (cooked weight) pasta
• 6-7 spears asparagus, chopped diagonally
• 1 red onion, sliced
• Cooking spray
• Pinch celery salt
• Pinch garlic powder
• 1 tbsp fat free yoghurt/sour cream/creme fraiche
  
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
  

Cook the pasta and asparagus in a large pot of salted boiling water. Remove asparagus when just under al-dente.

Spray cooking spray in a skillet and sauté the onion until soft. Toss in asparagus, smoked salmon, pasta, sour cream and seasonings. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

Calories: 261 Fat: 3g Protein: 20g Carbohydrate: 41g Fibre: 4g

I will be submitting these to Ruth for Presto Pasta.

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