Salmon, Cheesy Potatoes and Blueberry Cobbler

What a wild year filled with adventures this has been, I know the fishing report is Kelly’s department but we have seen limits of salmon before 10am this week! In years past this is the week the kids and I would be winding down getting ready to head home. But, because of Coronavirus (here is a silver lining) my kids will only be in school 2 days a week and online 3 days so after reaching out to their schools we have decided we are staying until shut down. The kids are so excited to have a chance to help shut down the lodges and drive boats back to Juneau with the crew. It is going to be a grand adventure and I hope the weather holds (I won’t be complaining, remember the weather gods from last post?)

Blackened salmon is a great way to prepare all this salmon people are catching and the great things about this recipe is you can increase or decrease the spice depending on who you are serving this fish. Chef Jake was worried my kids wouldn’t like the blackened salmon because it can be spicy so he made them an alternative in a horseradish salmon and honestly…which one was better? I will let you decide but heads up, they thought the horseradish salmon was good but spicy, this blackened recipe was full of flavor and not to much heat. Use a creamy horseradish rather than a paste like he did to tame the heat. Jake paired the blackened salmon with a chunky guacamole and the horseradish with a dill cream sauce...amazing!

Chef Bronco delighted us with cheesy potatoes (funeral potatoes) made without canned soup…yeah…I will always make them from scratch from now on. This week some of our guests, Marv & Joel, brought us the most amazing blueberries from Marv’s berry farm located north of Bellingham, Washington. Bronco took some of the berries and turned them into a cobbler with homemade ice cream…ice cream for the win! The crew was fishing and so in the sake of time he decided to use whatever cake mixes we had on hand. I had a royal blue cupcake mix; even mixed with other yellow cake mixes it dominated the color of the topping. Don’t let the color fool you, with Marv’s blueberries…amazing!

Enjoy ~ Momma Mary

Blackened Salmon

1 ½ to 2 pounds Salmon Fillets

3 tsp butter, melted

¼ tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp salt

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp chili powder – you can add more if you want more heat

1 ½ tsp paprika

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp cracked black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne – omit if using hot chili powder, add more for more heat

Directions:

Combine all spices in a bowl.
Portion Salmon and cover with melted butter.
Rub salmon with spices.
Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Horseradish Salmon

1 ½ to 2 pounds Salmon Fillets

Horseradish

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ TBS Dill

1 Cup Panko

**This is a “Chef” recipe so you may need more of the panko/dill mix but this will get you started**

Directions:

Portion Salmon and salt and pepper.
Cover with a thin layer of horseradish.
Combine panko and dill and cover salmon with a layer of the mix.
Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 Large Bags Hash Browns or 1 large box dehydrated potatoes

4 Cup Milk

½ Cup Flour

½ Cup Butter

2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar

½ Cup Onion diced and sautéed

1 TBS Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Crushed plain potato chips

Directions:

Combine the flour and butter in a saucepan, until it makes a paste. Add milk and make a white sauce.
Add mozzarella, onion, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the cheese sauce with the hash browns and put in a 9X13 pan.
Top with cheddar cheese and crushed chips.
Bake covered 375 degrees for 1 hour or until hot through.

Chef Bronco's blueberry cobbler...I will admit I called it smurf cobbler...and I ate every bite on my plate!