Tacos Pork Carnitas, Fish Salmon #TacoTuesday

Our family was never quite into tacos, burrittos, Mexican food and cuisine in general. However, this past year of occasional day-tripping and local travel opened up our travel food world to food trucks, especially taco trucks.

Though we prefer to have home-cooked food (these food storage containers will come in very handy), having to depend on prepared/store-bought food while travelling has become unavoidable. However, eating out past few years has become very expensive. When you are travelling on the road, what is your go-to for food?

For us, it's tacos - definitely not those fancy-schmancy $8 tacos in restaurants but traditional authentic basic no-frills meat tacos topped with onions and cilantro. We are always excited to discover and try great delicious $2-3 tacos on our road trips, and try to keep our meal budget under $15 (for two people).

Semi-homemade: carnitas tacos with pineapple salsa, cilantro

There comes a time to take matters into my own hands with semi-homemade tacos (check this best-selling taco holders) at home, getting some good quality pork carnitas from the store, then putting it together at home.

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Smoked Salmon Turmeric Quinoa Bowl

A nutritious protein bowl easily prepared and put together with store-bought smoked salmon (found this good quality Cambridge House smoked honey-roasted salmon from Costco), sliced cucumber, turmeric quinoa, and leftover chimichurri tofu.

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Salmon, Egg Pesto Fried Rice

In our family, recipes are typically for referencing, seldom followed to a T.  For example, when cooking a small portion of fried rice (serving 2), vs a batch of fried rice (serving 4 or more), the how-to can be tweaked. The reason to adapt, sometimes just because we are limited by size/ type of pan, wok, or pot. You will understand what this means if you cook regularly.


For example, there are several ways how egg can be incorporated into the fried rice when cooking egg fried rice.  Sometimes, raw egg is mixed with cold rice (leftover rice that has been chilled in fridge or stored in freezer) to coat the rice grain prior to frying; or other times, eggs can be cooked (scrambled) first, removed and set aside, rice added to same pan and fried, then scrambled eggs added back to the pan, fried with rice. Occasionally, especially when cooking a small portion of fried rice, the egg is added directly to the rice in the pan - create an "empty" center in the rice so the egg hits the surface of the pan/pot to be cooked partially, then mixed/fried together with rice. Ahhhh, so many ways.

The fried rice outcome may be different taste-wise but still delicious in its own way.

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Salmon, Asparagus, Quinoa Bowl

One of my favorite ways to cook salmon (or other variety of fish) is using en-papillote/ parchment-cooking. This fuss-free and healthy parchment cooking method never fails. The salmon turns out moist and tender even when the oven time goes over by a few more minutes.

In addition to these chicken-themed grain bowls, you can switch up the protein in your grain bowls or veggie bowls by using seafood such as shrimps or fish. A quick and easy method to prepare fish using en-papillote/ parchment-cooking also means that your grain bowl is fast to complete and a meal ready in less than 30 minutes.

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Salmon Veggie Bowl

Saratoga Farmers Market right by West Valley College has one of the freshest variety of produce including seafood. Ever since I chanced upon this seafood stall in the market, bought (and tried) the Alaskan wild salmon, I never want to buy salmon belly or salmon collar from the Japanese supermarkets anymore. Usually I go for the belly and collar because these cuts of the salmon are hard to find in the regular stores such as Whole Foods Market, or Sprouts Farmers Market.

This healthy bowl-meal is nutritious and well-balanced with steamed veggies - mix of broccoli, zucchini, yellow and green beans, roasted purple potatoes and roasted (farmer's market!) salmon.

Veggie Bowl with Roasted Purple Potatoes and Roasted Salmon Collar

All else remains the same in building veggie and grain bowl-meals - start with a base of veggies (keep it plenty. use a variety), switch around the protein options (meat or meatless), and opt for whole grains or complex carbs.

Today, the protein feature is Roasted/Grilled Salmon Collar which is great source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and collagen. Personally, the collar is my favorite cut of fresh wild salmon, just the right amount of flesh and fats ratio. It is not as "meaty"as the fillet, and so rich in flavor (when there's fat and bones, there is flavor!). It's not easy to fail in roasting salmon collars (the fat protects it!) and be guaranteed with delicate, moist tender flesh every time.

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Salmon, Celery, Mountain Yam Congee Rice Porridge

It was a dark rainy day and that called for a bowl of warm congee/ rice porridge, soupy comfort yet able to fill us up.


This bowl of congee/ rice porridge is flavorful with salmon, complemented by soft-tender mountain yam and crisp-tender celery. It is not just a mass of sticky soft gruel but one which offers textures and layered flavors. The mixture and blend of grains also helps in that perfect congee consistency.

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Pumpkin Squash & Seafood Veggie Bowl

Forget about slicing through those hard-shelled pumpkins, have Delicata Squash on-board and breeze through pumpkin season. As it is a relatively smaller squash, you do not have to think hard about storing unused portions. Buy it fresh, use it up, then buy it again.

Though Kabocha Squash remains my favorite squash in terms of versatility and flavor (check these recipes: Kabocha Squash Pumpkin Rice, Kabocha Squash, Okra, Green Beans Stew, Kabocha Squash Millet Congee), Delicata Squash is a convenient choice when preparing one or two servings meals.

With vegetables and roasted pumpkin squash (Pumpkin Squash Veggie Salad Bowl) as the base, I have prepared similar veggie bowls to pair with chicken Pumpkin Squash Veggie Bowl with Chicken and roasted salmon (below) - choice of Pesto Salmon or Dijon Mustard Salmon.

Delicata Squash Veggie Bowl with Roasted Salmon

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Lettuce, Cabbage Buckwheat Noodles Salad

A variety of vegetables, raw and/or cooked, has become my blank canvas, and can easily build up to a healthy and delicious dish.


Today, it is a noodle salad made from assorted vegetables of lettuce and red cabbage, and soba noodles. This can jolly well be a meal when you are eating light.


Salmon or no salmon (for vegetarians), it is all up to you.

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Tandoori-Style Salmon Masala

With this mouth-watering Prawn Masala, I wanted to experiment the spice marinade for other seafood. Today I have chosen salmon fillet to make this Salmon Masala


Instead of simmering the prawn with the spice marinade as the gravy, this salmon masala is made tandoori-style, without the clay oven, and being pan-fried instead. The result is fully spice-flavored salmon with crispy skin.

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Pesto Salmon 青酱三文鱼/鲑鱼

With salmon in season, I have been making roasted salmon quite regularly. It is an easy and healthy meal to put together - roast the salmon and steam some vegetables.

I usually marinate the salmon with spices - curry powder, ground turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, and black pepper. But since there is homemade pesto available, why not use it as the marinade?


Today, we will have Pesto Salmon, packed with Omega-3s as found in the fish itself and the walnuts in the pesto. Such a fuss-free recipe is a perfect weekday savior, as 30 minutes or less is what it takes for this healthy and delicious dish. It is also a good way to give salmon a quick make-over when the regular grilled/oven-roasted salmon occasionally becomes boring.

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Dijon Mustard Roasted Salmon 法国芥茉烤鱼

The wholegrain Dijon mustard is sitting in the fridge for the longest time, and very comfortably at its own seat. I almost forgotten about it after using it for Dijon mustard honey chicken wings.


In fact, I am not a big fan of mustard (as condiment, marinade, sauce or dressing) for anything. That is why I never really quite remember the mustard in the fridge. However, it is a good way to quickly add flavor to a base marinade. Instantly, the marinade or seasoning turns sharp and pungent depending on how much mustard you add. 

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Sweet & Sour Salmon 酸甜鲑鱼/三文鱼

How do you make a dish "sweet and sour" similar to Sweet and Sour Pork or Plum Sauce Chicken, or Orange Chicken, or Lemon Chicken?


In this recipe, the "sweet and sour" essence is created by fresh tomatoes, caramelized onions, hint of brown sugar in soy-based sauce, finished off with a little black vinegar. Many times, this has been my simple way to cook fresh whole fish such as tilapia and yellow croaker - sweet-sour style.

Today, I am giving this sweet-sour spin to the salmon fillet, and make an entire meal out of it, in a skillet.

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Grilled Salmon Belly 烤三文鱼肚腩肉

While this is my first post on salmon belly, it is definitely not my first time enjoying this "delicacy". As salmon belly has a oilier texture than salmon fillets, it is really hard to overcook this part of the fish and especially easy to cook on the grill. If you are into crispy salmon skin whenever salmon fillets are pan-seared or when salmon-collars are grilled, then you will enjoy salmon belly on the grill even better.

Salmon Belly with Saba (Mackerel) Fillets, and Vegetable (Zucchini, Bell Pepper, Pineapple) Skewers

Though I usually buy salmon fillets, Alaskan wild (frozen, vacuum-packed in individual packages), the salmon belly here is the farmed version. Farmed salmon is often claimed to be a less-preferred source of salmon as they are often raised in crowded fish pens, treated with antibiotics when infected by any disease, and depending on the variety and the meal they are fed, may have higher levels of PCBs (Source: Eatingwell.com).

However, I have also heard another source (from America Test Kitchen) that as wild salmon does not have a controlled environment, some wild varieties tested actually contain very high levels of PCBs due to the nature of the waters they are swimming in.

Do you buy wild salmon or farmed salmon?


Salmon Belly (left), Saba-Mackerel Fillets (right)

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Grilled Salmon Collar, Amajio Sake

Having tried grilled yellowtail collar earlier, I do enjoy them better than these salmon collar pieces. 


I did not know these Amajio Sake Pieces (as indicated in the packaging, bought them in Mitsuwa) can be so salty. I was anticipating the crispy skin, tender sweet flesh but in the end, the salt spoiled it all. Or my fault for not knowing what Amajio means.

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Asparagus, Tomatoes, Ginger & Cilantro Salmon 芦笋蒸三文鱼

This is another way to flavor up a steamed salmon dish by using a lot of ginger and cilantro. Of course, steaming the salmon with asparagus and tomatoes adds natural-tasting flavors too!

Which is the star ingredient? They all are!

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Steamed Salmon with Heirloom Tomatoes 白菜蕃茄蒸三文鱼

Ask me if using fresh fish is better than frozen in this steamed fish dish, and without hesitation, I would say FRESH! However, frozen salmon was all I had on that day, so I settled for "second best". I could have gone with en papillote (parchment-baked salmon) as I always do but the mind, heart and tummy was for a brothy soupy fish dish on this day.


This Steamed Ginger-Scallion Salmon Fillet with Heirloom Tomatoes and Bok Choy did not turn out as bad as one would have thought. It was also as easy to prepare as parchment-baked salmon.


The gingery and savory broth was well-complemented by the sweet hint-of-tangy flavors from the heirloom tomatoes and Bok Choy. One thing for sure, I would not mind having it again. In fact, I can't wait for peak heirloom tomatoes season to try this dish again!

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Salmon, Zucchini, Carrots in Parchment En Papillote

It was a few years ago when I used to drop by Sigona's Farmers Market (Redwood City). I should visit again as it has been a long time. In a way, I was happy to reconnect with Sigona's Farmers Market when one of my halibut recipes (Pan-Fried Halibut with Mango Salsa) was featured In the Kitchen with Sigonas - Featuring Local Halibut. Yes, it is local halibut and local white seabass season! There are other delicious recipes including one that bakes halibut in parchment (my favorite way of cooking fish) and these recipes definitely showcase the versatility of halibut.

Back to my post today, it is my favorite fuss-free method of cooking fish - En Papillote. I am trying to make it a point to do Salmon (or Fish) En Papillote once a week and without even enforcing this once-a-week routine, I am already thinking of doing it twice, adding Chicken En Papillote to the repertoire...maybe?

Ambitious.


Why is En Papillote my favorite fuss-free way to cook?

(1) It is "clean" cooking without the need to stand behind the stove (smell the grease + feel the "heat" + cook), or without the need to even "eye-ball" cooking.

(2) A good way to incorporate (lots of) vegetables with protein, and create a one-dish.

(3) Protein (fish or chicken) usually remains moist as they are cooked in a sealed parcel with vegetables.

(4) Flavors are easily developed and retained in the sealed packed

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Asparagus Salmon Loaf Sandwich Burger

There was something going on in my head when I baked the quiche-frittata loaf in a deep loaf pan.

A purpose.

To make this sandwich-burger.


This is an easy and tasty idea from the Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Loaf made earlier.

Grill/toast burger buns (English muffins used here), prepare some lettuce (baby spinach or arugula works too), and in goes the salmon-asparagus slice.


I have used smoked salmon in the loaf recipe I have posted earlier. You can also used canned salmon if you prefer. Wild Planet is one of the few brands that sells BPA-free canned salmon

Sharing this Asparagus Salmon Loaf Burger with Souper Sunday

Tag: smoked salmon, salmon quiche, salmon burger

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Fried Spiced Crispy Skin Salmon - 香煎脆皮三文鱼

I actually fried these! Yes, with the intention of getting super crispy skin for these salmon fish fillets-turned-sticks.


For fish without skin, you can do battered-fried fish fillets or fish sticks like this Cod Fish Sticks or Fish Fingers.

Pan-Fried Spiced Crispy Skin Salmon - 香煎脆皮三文鱼
 The frozen salmon fillet thawed then sliced and lightly seasoned with masala , turmeric , paprika, a little salt, then pan-fried skin-on-side-down on my cast iron skillet.

Well, I did get crispy skin for these four fish sticks or "fingers" (sliced from one frozen fillet). Wonderful!

But the kitchen (and me) smell, as if I have been cooking for one whole day. Not so wonderful.

Then I concluded that the "frying" work was not so worth it after all.



Without good proper ventilation (a.k.a kitchen with windows, OR a real fume hood that vents to outside the house), minimal frying is necessary to prevent the whole house (and me) smelling like fried fish the whole day! :O

Tag: salmon, pan-fried salmon

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Salmon Asparagus Quiche-Frittata Loaf - 三文鱼芦笋烘蛋饼

The house-smoked King Salmon was purchased from Pure Foods Fish Market when I visited Pike Place Market, Seattle Washington many months ago (in fact, it was last year!)

Blogging has really shaped my shopping habits. It used to be bags, shoes but the kick is gone and now it is FOOD, including buying food-ingredients whenever I am even on a road trip within the US.


Nope it was not the famous fish-throwing Pike Place Fish stall. That was too crowded, and using the competitors exact words "Oh, you want to buy fish from the clowns, go there".

Animosity.


Quiche-Frittata-Loaf? Why can't I make up my mind? They are all egg-based, yes. However, the ingredients are frittata-like (no crust, without heavy cream) leading to a texture that is less creamy/custardy but the method of baking the entire dish in the oven (vs frittata's stove-top to oven) is typical of a quiche. Turns out? It looks like a loaf. Anyway, forget about naming and focus on how quick this can be done.

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