Fresh Salmon Carpaccio

This lovely party platter of thinly sliced fresh salmon is something between ceviche and sashimi. The salmon is well dressed with lemon and fennel and shallots but still rather “uncooked” compared to full-on ceviche. The taste is fresh and light, perfect for a holiday buffet or dinner party starter.

It's all about balance.
This week my Sunday Supper group is anticipating the richness of the upcoming holiday season and bringing you some lighter dishes to offset the excess. Our host today is the lovely Kathia from Basic N Delicious. I adore smoked salmon so it’s a special treat during the holidays, but I know the salt content is ridiculously high. This fresh salmon carpaccio is a much healthier option and with the added bright flavors of fennel and shallot, I promise, you won’t miss the salt at all.

Ingredients
For the carpaccio:
About 1 1/2 lbs or 700g very fresh salmon, already skinned (The fish guy can do this for you.)
2 lemons (7 oz or 200g)
3 shallots (about 2 1/2 oz or 70g)
1 small bulb fennel with fronds (almost 4 oz or 110g)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 cup or 30ml extra-virgin olive oil

To serve:
1 tablespoon capers, drained and dried
Reserved fronds from fennel bulb
Optional: brown or soda bread

Adapted from this recipe on BBC Good Food.

Method
Cut your salmon into three or four pieces and wrap it very tightly in cling film. Freeze for at least an hour to make slicing thinly easier. A very sharp knife is a must so this is a great time to sharpen yours.

While the salmon gets slightly frozen, we can make the dressing.

Cut the root end and the hard tops off the fennel bulb and discard them but keep the green fronds for decorating the salmon later, if desired. Slice the fennel bulb as thinly as possible.

Peel then do likewise with the shallots.

Zest and juice your lemons into a medium sized mixing bowl, discarding any seeds. Add in the salt, sugar and olive oil, then whisk to combine.

Marinate the sliced fennel and shallots in the dressing until the salmon is ready for slicing.

Add a little dressing with fennel and shallots into the bottom of a deep bowl.

Remove one piece of salmon at a time from the freezer so the others don’t thaw out while you slice.

Slice your salmon thinly and lay the pieces on top of the dressing.

Keep slicing and layering with a few drizzles of dressing, fennel and shallots until all of the salmon is sliced. Pour any remaining dressing over the top.

Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

After a few hours.

To serve, lay the salmon slices with fennel and shallots out in a single layer on a large platter. Scatter the salmon with the reserved chopped fennel fronds and capers.

The original recipe says to serve with brown or soda bread but I must confess that we sat outside and just ate it straight off the platter with small forks. It was superb.

Enjoy!

Are you looking for some healthy recipes to balance out your holiday excesses? Check out all the great drinks, dishes and desserts we have for you this week!

Drinks

• Lightened Up Eggnog by The Redhead Baker
• Low Calorie Pumpkin Pie Malted Milkshake by Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Appetizers or starters

• Carciofi alla Trapanese by Manu's Menu
• Fresh Salmon Carpaccio by Food Lust People Love
• Gruyere Cheese Puffs by Sustainable Dad
• Lightened Up Cornbread Stuffing by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Lighten-up Sausage Rolls by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Spicy Eggplant Dip by Cooking Chat

Main Dishes

• Grandma's Mac n' Cheese by What Smells So Good?
• Holiday Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes and Corn by Family Foodie
• Lean Mean Cheeseburger Soup by The Foodie Army Wife
• Lightened-Up Fettuccine Alfredo by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Mini Mushroom Shepherd’s Pies by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Slow Cooker Roasted Butternut Squash & Chicken Sausage Soup by Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
• Turkey Roulade with Mushroom Stuffing and Blueberry Thyme Gravy by Food Done Light

Side Dishes

• Almond-Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli by The Texan New Yorker
• Butternut Squash Orzo Pasta by Life Tastes Good
• Cranberry Orange Glazed Green Beans  by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Farro Stuffing with Cranberries and Walnuts by The Dinner-Mom
• Greek Village Salad - Horiatki Salata by Peaceful Cookin
• Green Beans with Rosemary Garlic Butter by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Healthier Potluck Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad by The Weekend Gourmet
• Hearts of Palm, Artichoke, Avocado and Butter Lettuce Salad by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Honey Ginger Glazed Carrots by Ruffles & Truffles
• Leaner Green Beans by Noshing With The Nolands
• Lentil & Mushroom Stuffing by Foxes Love Lemons
• Mediterranean Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Quick and Easy Sweet Potatoes by The Educators' Spin On It
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Brunch with Joy
• Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup by Curious Cuisiniere
• Shrimp Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette by eating in instead
• Spiced Tri-Colored Carrot Salad by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Tangy, Spiced Red Cabbage by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Desserts

• Cinnamon Roll Granola Bars by Pies and Plots
• Healthy Brownie Recipe | Applesauce Brownies by The Perfect Brownie
• Individual Cheesecakes by Nosh My Way
• Light and Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Lightened Oat Flax Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondie #GlutenFree by Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Peanut Butter Coconut Mini Bars by Basic N Delicious
• Pumpkin Pie Pudding by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Skinny Ninja Cheesecake by NinjaBaker.com
• Sweet Apple Bites by Mama's Blissful Bites
• The Blondie Recipe by Wallflour Girl

Fennel Potato Mash

My love affair with fennel continues!  Sometimes a new recipe occurs to me because I lack the ingredients for what I wanted to make.  Sometimes it’s because I am feeling lazy and one dish that provides both the starch and vegetable for our meal appeals.  And other times, inspiration strikes when a search through the vegetable bin in my refrigerator turns up an ingredient I had forgotten I’d bought.  This particular dish resulted from all three.  An occurrence I liken to the confluence of the stars.  Because the resultant dish was delicious and fresh.  I hope you like it too.

Ingredients
About 10oz or 285g potatoes
2 medium bulbs fennel
2 generous tablespoons butter (or more, to taste)
1 3/4 oz or 50g freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
Sea salt
Black pepper
Trim the tough green stalks off of the fennel bulbs.  Discard the tough stalks and mince the fronds.  Set aside.

Cut the hard root end off of the bulbs and slice them vertically.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters.   I missed taking a photo of this step but I think you can handle it.

Put the potatoes and the sliced fennel into a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt and heat to boiling on the stove.   Cook until the fennel and potatoes are both fork tender.

Remove from the heat and drain off the water.  With a potato masher, mash the potatoes and fennel until they are as smooth as you normally like your mashed potatoes, adding in the butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon it all into a serving dish.   Mix the Parmesan with the minced fennel fronds and scatter the mixture on top of the mashed potatoes and fennel.

Isn’t that pretty?  And it tastes good too!

Enjoy!