Skillet Salmon and Greens
Pouch salmon over braised onions and rehydrated chard, thickened with milk powder and a spoon of honey.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 87
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Foil pouch salmon | 2 pouches, 5 oz each | pouches, not cans, so you carry no brine |
|---|---|---|
| Dried chopped onion | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried chard or kale flakes | 1 cup, loose | spinach flakes work and rehydrate faster |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Whole milk powder | 3 tbsp | |
| Honey | 2 tbsp | a squeeze packet or small bottle |
| Chipotle powder | 1 tsp | stands in for adobo sauce |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup | |
| Lime | 1 | or 1 tsp citric acid crystals |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Heat the oil in the pot and add the dried onion with a splash of water. Stir for two minutes until it swells and starts to smell like onion instead of dust.
- Add 400 ml of water, the bouillon, the chipotle, and the greens. Bring it to a boil, then hold a low simmer for eight minutes with a lid on.
- Pull the pot off the heat. Sprinkle the milk powder over the surface and stir it in hard so it does not clump. Stir in the honey.
- Break the salmon into the pot in large pieces and fold once. It is already cooked; you are only warming it.
- Scatter the pumpkin seeds on top and squeeze the lime over everything. Salt at the end, since the bouillon and the fish are already salty.
The original is a skillet dish built on butter, fresh chard, cream, and raw fillets steamed over the greens. None of that travels. Dried onion and dried greens rehydrate in the same broth that becomes the sauce, whole milk powder replaces the cream and sour cream, and pouch salmon replaces the fillets so nothing has to cook through.
Honey and chipotle are the reason this reads as a dish rather than boiled vegetables. The sweetness and the smoke both survive drying and powdering, which is more than can be said for most fresh flavors. Add the milk powder off the heat: boiled, it separates and goes grainy. The lime at the end cuts the sweetness, and the pumpkin seeds give you something to chew.
Packing
Onion, greens, bouillon, chipotle, and milk powder go in one bag. Milk powder cakes if it gets damp, so squeeze the air out. Salmon pouches, honey, seeds, and lime ride loose.
Variations
- Stir in a half cup of instant potato flakes to turn it from a bowl of greens into a full dinner.
- Skip the honey and add a spoon of mustard powder if you want it sharp instead of sweet.
- Two pouches of tuna cost less and behave the same, though the fat is lower.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/one-skillet-salmon-with-creamy-greens