herbed salmon tartare with chips

Herbed Salmon Tartare with Chips

This is a great tartare for people who aren’t sure if they like raw fish, since it combines both fresh and hot-smoked salmon, which, along with cucumber, cornichon and crème fraîche, give it an appealing range of textures.

Ingredients:

1 english cucumber—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
fine sea salt
pepper
8 ounce skinless salmon fillet, finely chopped
8 ounce skinless hot-smoked salmon fillet, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1/2 cup finely chopped dill sprigs
12 cornichons, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup crème fraîche
potato chips or crostini, for serving

Direction

In a colander set over a bowl, toss the cucumber with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the cucumber well and pat dry with paper towels.
Transfer the cucumber to a medium bowl and stir in the fresh salmon, hot-smoked salmon, chives, dill, cornichons, shallot and lemon juice. Gently fold in the crème fraîche until just incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and serve with potato chips or crostini.

Slow Cooker Pasta Bake

I don’t mean to turn this into a confessional, but this dish came together because I saw a jar of marinara sauce sitting on the kitchen counter. Hey, inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. But this is a traditional baked ziti with creamy ricotta and mozzarella, salty parm, and tender pasta, all just so yummy together, plus the carrots and zucchini. On occasion when I’m really busy, I’ll go to the grocery store and get vegetables already chopped, and throw everything into the slow cooker for a nice dinner later on. It’s a shortcut on top of a shortcut. I’m gentle when folding in the spinach, as the pasta could start to fall apart if you do this with hurried, crushing blows. Tom and I both like this with a fresh Caesar salad, but any crisp, cold, and simple green salad will go well with this dish.