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.
Video
Shredded Hash Browns Crusted Salmon
Ingredients
For the Salmon:
- 2.5 lb filet of salmon, whole or sliced in 2 fillets
- 3 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 2 peeled and grated russet potato
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon of olive oil
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Italian Spinach:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 peeled and julienne red onion
- 3 finely minced cloves of fresh garlic
- 2 each tomatoes cut into wedges
- 10 oz baby spinach
- sea 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 it 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 the salmon.
Mary says
Looks great! Gonna try it in place of my go-to salmon recipe. But, ingredient list is different than the video. About 1 pound of salmon vs. 2.5 pounds, shallot vs a whole red onion, cherry tomatoes vs one big tomato, 2 cups spinach vs. 1 oz. I guess I’ll wing it!
Chef Billy Parisi says
Geez good catch, for some reason the written portion was not updated. It is now.
Ashley says
This looks amazing and I want to make it tonight. Where does the horseradish sauce come into play? I see it in ingredients but not the recipe instructions or video.
SallyJoJo says
Wow! This potato crust is fabulous!!! I will be using it on other fish as well. Thanks so much for posting!!