Serves: 4-6
Approx cost: €10
Approx calories (per serving): ~320
Approx preparation and cooking time: 90 mins
I’m not really sure how “traditional”, per se, a salmon lasagna is, but there’s a restaurant near my place which serves one and this is my attempt to recreate it. I found that the final product was good for ~8 servings, if you pad it out with something else – a good salad, some bread, and so forth – which will justify the original expediture of more than €5.
Today’s post is going to be a little faster than usual due to having family visiting me at the moment, but I hope you’re all having a good Monday!
Ingredients
– 500g Fresh Salmon
– 120g Smoked Salmon
– 1 large (or 2 small) Onions
– 2 tbsps Tomato Concentrate or purée
– 2 tsps Olive Oil
– 500ml Milk
– 60g Butter
– 3 tbsps Plain Flour
– ~14 dried Lasagna Sheets
– 100g Cheddar Cheese
– 20g Parmesan Cheese
– Salt
– Pepper
Instructions
- Start by adding the Olive Oil to a large pan and heat and pre-heating the oven to around 140 degrees Celsius. Peel and chop the onion finely and add to the Olive oil. Cook gently until translucent. While the onion is cooking, carefully cut away the skin from the salmon and cut into chunks, removing any bones from the fish at the same time. Add to the pan with the onion and mix well, cooking the salmon through and breaking the cooked salmon up. When the salmon is cooked through, add the tomato concentrate to the salmon and mix well.
- In a new pan, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour to form a smooth paste. Add in a tiny bit of the milk and whisk to form a smooth mixture, before adding in a bit more milk and whisking well again. Continue like this, whisking well between each addition, and ensure that the milk has been heated through each time, until all the milk has gone.
- Take the smoked salmon and chop into strips and set aside and grate the cheddar and parmesan cheese. Pour a large bowl of hot water and place the pasta sheets into the water – this will prevent the sheets from curling when you put the hot sauce on top. In a large, deep dish, spread out a little of the white sauce, and then top with pasta sheets. Next, spread out some of the salmon sauce, top with some pieces of smoked salmon, and then drizzle on some white sauce. Continue adding layers, 1 or 2 more, until all the salmon has been used up. Top with the final remnants of the white sauce, before sprinkling on the cheddar and parmesan cheese.
- Place into the oven for about 40 minutes until the cheese has melted and is golden brown on top.
- Serve out immediately and enjoy!
Sissi says
The lively colours of your photos make me hungry (and I'm just before my lunch!). Using both smoked and fresh salmon sounds very interesting. I must frankly say I'm not a big fan of fresh farmed salmon (too fat), but next time I find wild salmon, I will try your recipe. I would put lots of dill in it. I wonder how cheddar changes the taste…
Charles says
Thanks Sissi – I'll let you in on a little secret! The "salmon" I used here was actually trout – I grabbed it in the store without looking closely and the trout was right next to the salmon. Normally I wouldn't use trout for this because it's an amazing fish – so much more subtle and delicious than salmon – best just to steam it I think. Good idea for the dill… I'll remember that for next time 🙂
Sissi says
Hmm… "Truite saumonée" I guess 😉 I also prefer the trout! I am happy you share my less enthusiastic approach to salmon… I think it's so popular mainly because of the colour (hence the low price of the wild salmon! It costs here very often a bit less than the farmed one!) and maybe the lack of bones, easy cooking…
I think my dill idea comes from my mum, who used to serve dill with fish (and also pickled herring in a cream and dill sauce is to die for…). I started to make a sour cream/yogurt sauce with dill to serve with grilled fish (Tarator, I can give you the link to this post if you are interested). It goes very well, unless the fish is marinated.
Charles says
Yeah, I think the problem is that salmon has kind of exploded in popularity… it used to be a luxury item, but now you can buy it for less than the price of pork or chicken pretty much, and it's just very… what's the best word… not "boring", but just easy to get fed up with, you know? My uncle used to love fishing and used to bring back rainbow trout, caught from big rivers in Scotland… they were so yummy!
I'd love the link for the sauce… it sounds delicious! Thanks 🙂
Sissi says
Wow! Rainbow trout fished in Scotland… It reminds me of my childhood, when I used to eat freshly caught tiny fish, fried for breakfast (my best breakfast idea in the world!), I loved especially the crunchy tiny tails (I still do and am very happy to watch the disgusted friends or family).
Here is the link: http://www.withaglass.com/?p=4980
Normally Tarator is a Bulgarian soup, Dry Tarator is a very thick soup, which becomes a salad and I made something in between, it was a great sauce/dip. I hope you like it!
Charles says
Erk, it won't let me reply to your most recent comment, but thanks for the recipe link – I love the idea of the crunchy salad leaves inside… sounds wonderful. Looking forward to giving it a try 🙂
Greg says
Who cares if it's traditional?! It has smoked salmon. Seriously, looks great.
Charles says
Hehe, I find some people are so resistant to changing recipes. A few weeks back I made some stuffed vine leaves and my neighbour was literally "horrified" when I told her I'd put rice AND meat inside (and mint and chilli). She was saying "oh no, that is completely wrong, it should be 100% meat, or 100% rice"… Come on, seriously? How is anyone supposed to create anything new if people keep making the same old stuff every day?
Caroline says
I've never tried salmon lasagna, but I love the concept of merging flavors that don't typically get mixed. Looks like this was a great meal!
Charles says
Thanks Caroline – it really was, though it's not quite so "more-ish" as a traditional lasagna I think. The over-indulgence of fish can get a bit much after 2 helpings! 😀
Pure Complex says
Of course I love a traditional lasagna but there is definitely something alluring about salmon being in lasagna. Very nice… I really like this recipe
Charles says
Thanks BG – it's true – traditional ones are the "original and best" but it's nice for a change. Vegetable lasagnes are really good too – My mother is a vegetarian so she used to make primarily veggie ones… I should post one of those next time 🙂
Kristy says
I've never thought of a salmon lasagna, but the picture of the salmon lasagna in the pan fresh out of the oven looks absolutely spoonable! The cheese looks fantastic! I'd love to give this one a try. 🙂 Enjoy the visit with your family!
Charles says
Thanks Kristy. "Spoonable" – I like that word 😀 It was nice to see my sister and niece. She's just turned 2 and SO cute! Unfortunately my oven broke down right when I was trying to make a stuffed pork tenderloin so most of our meals ended up being salad-type things – just as well really, it's been ~36 degrees Celsius the past few days and really close and hot!
kelly says
Charles, your mud pie was FABULOUS and did not last long in this house!! I found the sweetness just right, not overdone, and the interior moist and somewhat gooey – sooo good! I do have a photo of the stencilled look 🙂 just not sure how to get it to you… Your salmon lasagna looks very yummy and I like that you use parmesan for topping too. Very nice!
Charles says
I'm so glad it was a hit Kelly – I would love to see the picture. You could email it to me at cagsmith[at]gmail[dot]com if you wanted?
For the lasagna – I think I'm a bit dumb – of course it should be mozzarella on top I guess? I'm so used to my mother grating cheddar on top that other options just never really enter my mind. Next time for sure. The parmesan definitely gives it a nice little tang too! 🙂
Sissi says
Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but in the Italian cooking "Bible" (The Silver Spoon) Lasagne alla Bolognese (the most "classical") do not have any mozzarella on top, they even don't specify the grated cheese so your cheddar is welcome 🙂
Even in my Italian restaurants in Switzerland there is always only béchamel and parmesan, in other Italian books I have there is only parmesan and béchamel too.
I have seen mozzarella only in Lasagne alla Napoletana but only in the stuffing, not on the top. I guess it's geographical: Naples is closer to Campania (mozzarella region) and Bologna is in the North… (Just an idea, I'm not Italian!).
I think your cheddar idea sounds better than mozzarella, at least in Salmon Lasagne and in the Bolognese certainly…
Charles says
Interesting – something I can throw back in the faces of my purist Italian colleagues who scoff at my daring to "experiment"! Thanks a lot Sissi 🙂
Sissi says
You are welcome! I think your cheddar should shock less the purists than mozzarella… Just for your Italian friends: http://www.cucchiaio.it/ricette/lasagne-alla-bolo… (check in the ingredients. "formaggio grattugiato") 😉 No word about parmiggiano.
By the way, did you know in Naples lots of pizzerias put smoked provola instead of mozzarella on their pizzas? I started to use it too and love my slightly smokey pizza (I mean the toppings, because the pizza itself is always 100 x better in a good pizzeria…). I actually read it in Heston Blumenthal's book (In search of Perfection).
Charles says
Re your comment below:
Thanks a lot for the link, and now I really need to go to Naples. I haven't yet had a real-life Italian pizza… I think it's something everyone needs to experience at least once!
kelly says
I like your cheese choices! (I almost never use mozzarella – I find it virtually tasteless).
Charles says
It is isn't it?! It's great to add stringy melty awesomeness to pizza but aside from that it's a bit "meh".
Ruth says
A great recipe with great step-by-step instructions! It looks delicious!
Charles says
Thanks Ruth – it was really tasty. You can't go wrong with cheese and salmon!