Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Salmon Stuffed Shells Gets Your Date Wet

This is something I make only for those I care deeply for. It's rich and decadent; it inspires warmth, love and comfort. it will make someone who hates fish absolutely love it, and those who love fish cream in their pants.



Ingredients
1 Large salmon fillet
Grated zest of 1 Lemon, Juice of 1/2
1/3 Cup Chopped fresh Dill
1 Leek, rinsed well and diced
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbspn Parsley, Separated
About 1 tspn each garlic and onion powder, separated
1 Large egg
Plain Breadcrumbs
Jumbo Stuffing Shells (I used a little more than half the box)
Salt and pepper to taste
Your favorite Alfredo sauce, fresh or jarred.


Method
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Rinse the salmon fillet under cool water. Make shallow slices in the flesh and skin, then set it in a roasting pan.
Add lemon juice, wine, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and onion powder, and a few sprinkles of the dill and parsley. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. When the fish flakes off with a fork, it's done. Set aside and allow the fish to cool a bit.
In the meantime, boil water and cook the stuffing shells to al dente'. When they're done, drain them and set aside.
When it's cool enough to handle, flake off all the meat from the skin and put it into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest, cheese, diced leeks, chopped dill, the rest of the parsley, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and enough breadcrumbs to coat. Mix well.
Only add the egg when the fish has cooled down to room temperature, or you'll risk the egg cooking right in the mixing bowl. That would be gross.
If you need more breadcrumbs to make the consistency of the mix better, by all means, do so.
In a large baking dish, spread a thin layer of the alfredo sauce on the bottom as a bed for the shells, to prevent them from burning.

You don't need that much to coat the pan. I pulled this recipe off with one jar of store-bought sauce. Go for either Classico, Newman's Own, Barilla or Francesco Rinaldi. Ragu SUCKS. America's Choice SUCKS. Prego tastes like vomit. Or, you can go all out and make your own. If you don't have a good Alfredo sauce recipe, you can find tons online. A good example is this one from Group Recipes by Rodeogirl73.


So now that you have your mixture, take a large fistful of it and stuff the shells, lining them in a single layer inside the dish. You can keep them as close together as you want.


Drizzle the alfredo sauce over the shells liberally, filling in the spaces between them if you have enough.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Garnish the shells with extra parmesan, parsley and/or dill for color if you feel like it. Not only is it pretty, goes great with Chardonnay, but it will totally get you laid.

I'm not kidding. If it worked for me, it can work for anyone. You too. Try it! This is especially effective when followed by  dense chocolate brownies.

No joke, you'll be a star.

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