You know how I feel about salmon. I can’t live without it, I won’t live without it. I get a lot of messages with people telling me how afraid they are of working with salmon. For me, it is the easiest fish to work with! It’s so rich and buttery, you can literally add any type of seasoning to it and it’ll eat up all that flavor.
Now, when it comes to what type of salmon you should be buying. I will always recommend you go with wild caught Sockeye or Coho salmon. Those are my two personal favorites. Wild caught is always best because it does not contain any added coloring, GMOs, hormones or pesticides. Farmed fish/salmon contain higher levels of contaminants, and genetically modified salmon is also on the rise. So, whether its fresh or canned, wild salmon is always the better choice.
Salmon Balls in a Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
GLUTEN FREE II NON GMO
It has been so rewarding to support more locally owned businesses and farms when it comes to fresh produce, meats, and seafood. Surrender Salmon is a Minnesota based family business. They are an awesome family of fishermen who are bringing Alaska’s finest and freshest seafood to Minnesota.
Each member of the Niver family plays an important role in catching, cleaning and preparing the finest Alaskan wild Sockeye salmon for sale in Minnesota. Every summer, Grant and his family spend 5 weeks ensuring the best of what Alaskan waters have to offer. After cleaning and preparing the salmon, they then flash freeze them to ensure quality freshness. Then transport them to Minnesota for sale. Their passion and will to provide better quality and healthier seafood for the state of Minnesota inspire and humbles me a great deal. So, Minnesotans, head over to Surrender Salmon and get the best Alaskan caught wild salmon delivered right to your door. Bravo guys!
Now for all my babes who are not local to Minnesota, a wonderful online seafood vendor I would recommend is Sizzle Fish. Much like Surrender Salmon, Sizzle Fish will deliver the freshest pre-packaged wild-caught seafood right to your door.
These salmon balls came together very quick and easy. I started with one and a half pounds of Surrender Salmon’s wild-caught Alaskan Sockeye salmon. The freshest of the salmon paired with fresh herbs and spices make for a kick-ass dish. If you are a fan of salmon cakes, you are going to love this!
Let’s get cooking
Let’s get cooking
Salmon Balls in a Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
Fresh wild caught salmon transformed into juicy and tender balls then finished in a rich and spicy tomato sauce.
Fresh wild caught salmon transformed into juicy and tender balls then finished in a rich and spicy tomato sauce.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:30 mins
Total Time:40 mins
Yields:4 Serves
1X
2X
3X
Ingredients
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FOR SALMON BALLS
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1.5
lb. Wild sockeye salmon fillet
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2
garlic Cloves (finely minced)
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1/2
tsp seafood seasoning
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1/4
tsp salt
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1/2
tsp pepper flakes
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2
tbsp avocado mayo
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1/2
cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
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1
cup freshly chopped spinach leaves
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2
scallions (finely minced)
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FOR ARRABBIATA SAUCE
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2
tbsp olive oil
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1/2
bell pepper (finely diced)
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2
scallions (finely diced)
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Pinch salt and pepper
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2
cups jar arrabbiata sauce or your favorite tomato based sauce
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1
tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 415˚F.
- Now, place the salmon, skin side down, on a cutting board sprinkled with salt (so the fish is less slippery). Use a sharp knife to cut between the flesh and the skin of the fish until the fish pulls away from the skin. Save the skin for stock and finely minced the salmon with your knife or food processor.
- Transfer the salmon to a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients needed for the salmon balls and mix using your hands. Then use an ice cream scoop to measure and roll the mixture into equal balls (recipe makes ~12 balls).
- Transfer the salmon balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment and brush a little avocado oil over each salmon ball. Bake for 25 minutes or until the salmon balls are cooked through and is a little brown on the outside.
- While the salmon balls cook, start making the sauce. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet and sauté the peppers and scallions until they have softened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the arrabbiata sauce and pepper flakes and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove the salmon balls from the oven and nestle them into the sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley and serve.
Notes
- Omit the cheese if you are on a round of Whole30 or If you eat paleo
Made this for dinner tonight and I was SO happy with it. The ingredients are simple and once you get the hang of chopping the salmon, so is the process. Looking forward to making this again and maybe even playing around with the flavoring of the salmon balls and the sauce.
I am so happy you liked them!! I can’t wait for you to experiment with it! Thats always the best part. Experimenting and trying new flavors. You go girl.