Shredded Hash Browns Crusted Salmon

This homemade shredded hash browns encrusted fresh salmon fillet that is pan-roasted and served up with a side of sautéed spinach, onions, garlic, and fresh tomatoes is beyond delicious and extremely easy to make.

Salmon season is in, so you put it all on the table that I’ll be hooking up all sorts of different seafood recipes.  It’s been forever since I made a potato crusted salmon and with this big ole 2 ½ pound fillet I just picked up, now is as good of a time as ever to pack it in with some shredded hashbrowns.  This recipe is nothing short of delicious!

How to Shred Hashbrowns

That’s right, I know super weird that I would encrust a salmon with potatoes instead of serving it as a side but man oh man this thing is tasty!  I first learned about potato crusted, or pc salmon as we called it, back when I was just a wee pup washing dishes and making salads at a restaurant in St. Louis.  Watching the chefs prepare it, I could tell it was a really easy to make the recipe, and after trying some it was sincerely delectable in the flavor department.   SCORE!!

Shredding hash browns for some reason is dangerous at my house.  I don’t cut myself with knives anymore, but it always seems to be stupid things that get me like peelers and shredders.  Well, I made it out of this recipe unscathed but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t being ridiculously cautious the entire time.  When shredding hash browns just be sure to take it easy and go slow, there is no reason to speed things up.  If you want to be extra careful then just shred the hash browns in a food processor with the shredder attachment.  There, problem solved!

Once the hash browns are shredded you’ll notice they’ll immediately begin to turn brown.  Don’t worry, it will not alter the flavor in any way but make sure not to rinse them off at all because we need the starchiness in the potatoes so that it will stick to the salmon.  Simply drizzle in some heavy whipping cream, season with salt and pepper and mix!

Prepare the Fish to Encrust It

I can’t say this enough… Make sure your fish is wild-caught.  Sorry for screaming.  When you buy farm-raised salmon or farm-raised fish in general, they swim around in a big pool along with their excrement, which they eat.  I know, nasty.  I don’t quite know how to feel about the farm-raised fish that is in its natural environment, I’ll have to do some more research on that.  For now, though just to be safe, pick up some wild-caught fish because you’ll know they’re safe!

Leave the skin on your fillet because it will help keep it moist, tender and flavorful.  Season the flesh of the fish with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and then evenly spread on some Dijon or grainy mustard all over it.  Salmon and mustard go really REALLY well together so outside of this recipe feel free to explore with that flavor combo.

Now, encrust the top of the fillet with the shredded potatoes and press down so that it literally forms a crust, hence hash browns potato crusted salmon.  You’ll see in the video that I should have absolutely sliced that big ole salmon fillet down into like 3 pieces or at least 2 because trying to get it into the pan and then flip it was brutal!!  Do as I say, not as I do… Or something like that :-).

How to Make Italian Spinach

Along with the fish, we used to also make Italian spinach, which is really just a sautéed spinach recipe with caramelized onions, garlic, and sliced tomatoes.  There really is nothing to it, but it is wonderfully tasty and incredibly simple to make!  There are also a couple of different ways to do Italian spinach so don’t get mad at me if this isn’t the way you do it or have been told how it’s made.

Before you sauté the spinach it’s important to lightly brown up the onions and garlic first before adding in the tomatoes.  Nobody wants boiled onions dude, nobody, so take the time to brown ’em up before adding in the tomatoes and then spinach.  Just now that the spinach is going to cook super-fast so pay attention so that you don’t burn or over wilt it so that it’s mush.