Baked salmon stuffed with salmon mousse - country living

24 servings

Quantity Ingredient
1 15-lb whole Alaskan salmon, dressed with head and tail left on, boned (see Note)
1 pounds Boned and skinned flounder fillets, quartered
6 ounces Sliced smoked salmon
1 cup (1/2 pt) heavy cream
2 Large egg whites
¼ teaspoon Ground white pepper
¼ cup Fresh lemon juice
½ cup Chopped fresh herb leaves (We used equal amounts of parsley, dill, thyme, and
Mint.)
Fresh herb sprigs
Lemon slices

1. Early in day or day before serving, stuff and bake salmon: Rinse salmon and pat dry. Place two large baking sheets together to make a pan long enough to completely cover oven rack. Line pans with aluminum foil, turning up at edges to make a rim around pan.

Generously grease a wide strip diagonally across foil; place salmon on greased strip. With sharp knife, make cuts, ¾ to 1 inch apart and ¼-inch deep, across top of fish.

2. In food processor, with chopping blade, process flounder and smoked salmon until smooth. With processor blade whirling, add cream, egg whites, and pepper through the feed tube; process until well combined to make mousse.

3. Heat oven to 350'F. Spoon mousse into body cavity of salmon; with needle and thread, sew body cavity of salmon closed.

4. Pour lemon juice over salmon and sprinkle with ¼ C chopped herbs. Bake salmon 35 to 40 minutes or until center is cooked through and thermometer when inserted through salmon cavity into center of mousse registers 160'F. Cover salmon on baking sheets and refrigerate until well chilled.

5. Place salmon on serving platter, herbed side up. Remove and discard thread from salmon cavity. Sprinkle salmon with remaining ¼ C chopped herbs. Arrange herb sprigs and lemon slices around salmon on platter. Cut some lemon slices in half and place over gill area on fish. Cut one lemon slice into wedges and place 2 or 3 over eye. To serve, cut salmon into crosswise slices, cutting large slices in half for a serving.

Note: If your local fish market is unable to bone the fish for you, follow these in structions to bone a whole, eviscerated salmon. First rinse entire fish and dry. With kitchen scissors, extend the body cavity opening from the head to the tail.

From inside cavity, sever backbone from head and tail, being carefu1 not to cut through skin. Starting from tail, with very sharp, boning knife, separate bones away from flesh, keeping knife as close to bones as possible. (Rib cage should remain intact.) Follow bone structure al1 the way to the head and backbone. Repeat on opposite side to remove entire rib cage, finishing by cutting backbone from the skin. Lightly run fingers along flesh, if any bones are stil1 present, remove them with long-nose pliers or tweezer.

Country Living/June/90 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG Submitted By LAWRENCE KELLIE On 6-17-95

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