Salmon Casserole (favorite)
High quality, wild pink salmon, whole milk, butter, french roll, lemon, salt & pepper, asiago cheese, celery, roasted red peppers, pasta, fresh dill and white wine.
Cook pasta according to package instructions, leaving slightly under done. Rinse, drain and set aside. Simmer milk well seasoned with salt, pepper and white wine until reduced to the consistency of cream. Add dill and remove from heat.
Drain and flake the salmon and add the vegetables, lemon zest with a little juice, 2/3 of the bread crumbs and cheese and fold in the white sauce.
Turn mixture into a buttered casserole, top with the remaining bread crumbs, cheese and a little smoked paprika and bake at 350 until the sides are bubbly and the topping is nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.
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Cage Free Family said,
October 5, 2008 at 9:45 pm
oooh…. is it really the best yet??
I’ve been sitting on 2 lbs of wild alaskan and thinking of casserole all week…
Lemme know…
rencooks said,
October 5, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Yup, yup. Doing away with the flour (roux) and adding red pepper and dill made a big difference.
Cage Free Family said,
October 6, 2008 at 9:13 am
Sweet!!
Making salmon casserole tomorrow!
Elya said,
June 21, 2009 at 10:39 pm
We made this tonight (not for the first time), it’s our new family favorite now! YUM! But for some reason, I can never get the cream right. It always clots and separates. How much wine do you usually add to the milk? And do you add it before or after the milk starts to simmer?
Ren said,
June 21, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Thanks! Its one of our favorites too.
I only add enough wine to just be able to taste it, maybe 2-3 ounces. What kind of milk/cream are you using, i.e., raw, whole, homogenized or not?
elya said,
June 21, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I used the Horizon brand, cow’s milk, pasteurized (but not homogenized). Which one do you use?
Ren said,
June 21, 2009 at 11:30 pm
OK, non-homogenized milk can be tricky to cook with (although that’s the only thing I drink). I suggest that you make a very simple white sauce of butter, flour and milk. Here’s how..
Assuming that we want to thicken, say 3 cups of milk for a casserole, first shake the milk like crazy to distribute the fat, then
1. Melt 4 tablespoons whole butter over low heat. Allow to cook gently for 15 minutes to evaporate some of the water content. 2. Whisk in 6 tablespoons flour, a little at a time, until it forms a paste-like consistently. Cook over low heat, stirring often until the raw flour taste is gone, about 10-15 minutes. This is called roux. 3. Bring milk just to a simmer- do not let it boil. Whisk in the roux a little at a time, stirring continuously, and continue to cook until thickened. Whisk in a little white wine to taste. 4. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. If too thin, add a little more roux.
elya said,
June 22, 2009 at 8:43 am
Great, I will try it this way next time we make the casserole! (very soon, I’m sure)
Ren, thank you so much!
Ren said,
June 22, 2009 at 8:45 am
You’re most welcome!
elfimka said,
August 11, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Thank you, Ren! I’ve been having much better luck with roux. Today I also added hatch chili pepper to the casserole, and it added extra flavor. Definitely a family favorite recipe!
Ren said,
August 11, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Oh, hatch chilies sound great, Elya! Wow, here it is August already – almost time for the Hatch Chili Festival!