A Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Try a Canadian specialty for Thanksgiving dinner this year ~ what could be more special than dining on a wild Coho salmon from our West Coast. It is a pleasure to enjoy a baked, freshly caught Coho salmon with a sauce or two and a couple of tasty side dishes – nothing complicated at all - just simple and delicious for a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal. A great alternative for those with food preferences.

Salmon Thanksgiving Dinner

Simple Baking Directions

• Place heavy-duty foil on large baking tray (our Coho was over 7 pounds)
• Cover the inside and outside of the salmon with a 50/50 blend of olive oil and butter
• Lightly salt and pepper
• Add a few cloves of minced garlic and a sprinkling of white wine (both optional)
• Fill the cleaned salmon's belly cavity with thinly sliced onion
• Place another sheet of heavy-duty foil over the fish, loosely tenting, turning up the edges. This does not allow the fish to dry out, but retains its flavours and is very moist
• Bake in a 350 F degree oven for about 10 minutes per pound

Salmon Sauce #1

Dill mustard (a quick and tasty cold sauce)

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup Greek Yoghurt
• 2 Tablespoons regular Dijon mustard
• 2 and a half teaspoons of dry drill
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply mix the above ingredients well in a bowl and let sit in the fridge for an hour before dinner

Salmon Sauce #2

Maple Soy (serve warm)

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari or soy sauce
• One small piece fresh ginger finely chopped (about one inch  square)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove finely chopped, or minced garlic
• Pepper to taste

Heat all the above ingredients in a medium saucepan, and simmer gently for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Serve warm.

The salmon is great served with vegetable sides of mouth-watering British Columbia sweet corn, fried organic sliced whole potatoes with peppers and a simple cole slaw with homemade dressing.

All these dishes are so simple and super tasty. A great Fall Feast for brunch or dinner. Yummy!

We are most fortunate to live in a province with the ability to be able to harvest such bounty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Note

• When cooking, it is your choice after cleaning the salmon, to leave the head and tail on when baking as this retains flavour. Our Coho was too large for the pan so we removed both before preparing
• A British Columbian VQA white wine from the Okanagan is a great choice to go with the salmon
• At this time of the year, local Farmers Markets have an abundance of fresh organic produce from potatoes and carrots to fresh herbs such as parsley and sage used for a vegetarian stuffing (cooked separately)
• For an easy, and different tasting, cranberry sauce to top your homemade pumpkin cheese cake substitute brown sugar (for white) and add a teaspoon of fresh lemon or orange zest before topping with whipped cream
• The coleslaw dressing is simple (of course) -- made from half a cup of prepared mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, one chopped shallot (optional) and half a teaspoon of sugar. Mix all together and chill before serving.  Makes a mellow, creamy coleslaw dressing
• In all recipes substitute fat-free mayonnaise and fat-free Greek yoghurt to cut total fat intake

And what Thanksgiving meal would  be complete without freshly picked sweet corn - try Jubilee - it is "triple the sweetness"

A big thanks to all who helped with this delightful and happy Thanksgiving potluck dinner.