Shredded Hash Browns Crusted Salmon with Sautéed Spinach Recipe

Hash Brown Crusted Salmon and Italian Spinach: A mustard and 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!

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 salmon fillet I just picked up, now is as good of a time as ever to pack it in with some shredded has browns.  This salmon and spinach recipe is nothing short of delicious!

How to Make Shredded Hash Browns:

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 salmon, 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 the hash browns crusted salmon I could tell it was a really easy to make 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 anyway 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!

Preparing a Fresh Salmon Fillet for Crusting:

I can’t say this enough… MAKE SURE YOUR FRESH SALMON FILLET 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 salmon fillets because you’ll know they’re safe!

Leave the skin on your salmon fillet because it will help keep it moist, tender and flavorful.  Season the flesh of the salmon fillet 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 salmon 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 a Delicious Sautéed Spinach Recipe:

Along with the hash browns crusted salmon fillet, we used to also make an 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 an 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, no body, 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.

Well, that’s all I got folks!  For an amazing potato crusted salmon, check out this Hash Brown Crusted Salmon Recipe!

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5 from 1 vote

Shredded Hash Browns Crusted Salmon with Sautéed Spinach Recipe

Surprise your family or guests with this absolutely delicious shredded hash browns crusted salmon that is seasoned with grainy mustard, salt and pepper and then browned to perfection. Serve this salmon up with a delicious Italian style sautéed spinach recipe with onions, garlic and tomatoes!

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

For the Salmon:

• two 7 to 8 ounce fillets of salmon
• 1 peeled and grated russet potato
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

For the Italian Spinach:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 thinly sliced small shallot
• 2 finely minced cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 2 cups of packed baby spinach
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a bowl mix together the shredded potatoes, cream, salt and pepper. Next, season the top part of the salmon with salt and pepper, and then evenly spread on the grainy mustard.
• Next, place down the shredded potato mixture onto the salmon and push the potato down on the salmon to make sure it stays.
• In a large sauté or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil place in the salmon potato side down to form a crust. After 4 to 6 minutes, or until a dark brown crust has formed onto the potatoes, flip the salmon over and finish in the oven on 350° for 8 to 10 minutes. Once finished remove from the pan and serve.
• While the salmon is cooking in the oven heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat and caramelize the onion and garlic. Once brown, about 2 minutes, add in tomatoes and sauté for 2 to 3 more minutes. Lastly, place in the spinach and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
• Serve the spinach alongside of the salmon.