Salmon and Wild Rice Stuffed Cabbage
“I serve the stuffed cabbage rolls with steamed edamame and a tarragon dipping sauce, to make a meal high in protein, fiber, and flavor while low in saturated fat, and without a fishy aftertaste,” says Registered Dietitian and CIA Associate Professor Jennifer Stack. “I designed this recipe for people like me, who are not fond of fish but want the health benefits it provides. These stuffed cabbage rolls look so good and are so tasty, they tempt even non-seafood lovers.”
A good time-saving practice for this recipe and other dishes like this one is to keep some wild rice handy and cooked barley in small portions in the freezer to just grab and use. You can also substitute rinsed, canned salmon in place of fresh salmon if you don’t have the chance to get to a fish market.
Salmon and Wild Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup pearled barley
- ¾ cup cooked wild rice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 12 ounces salmon fillet
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if desired
- 8 ounces sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
- ½ cup white wine
- ¾ cup chopped green onions
- ¼ teaspoons dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 8 large cabbage leaves, blanched
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Steep dried mushrooms for 10 minutes. Strain mushrooms and reserve steeping liquid. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
- Add enough water to reserved mushroom liquid to make 1 cup. Add ⅛ teaspoon of salt and bring it to a boil. Stir in barley and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until barley is soft, about 25 minutes.
- Stir chopped soaked mushrooms into barley. Mix cooked barley with wild rice and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon fillet with ⅛ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Sear salmon fillet just until cooked, about 2 minutes per side. Remove skin from salmon if still on and flake fish into barley mixture. Brown fresh mushrooms in same pan. Remove mushrooms and deglaze pan with ¼ cup of wine.
- Add skillet liquids and mushrooms to barley mixture. Add green onions, tarragon, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
- Fill cabbage leaves with barley mixture and roll leaves tightly. Place rolls seam side down in baking dish.
- Bring chicken broth and remaining ¼ cup wine to a boil and pour over cabbage rolls. Cover with foil and bake until cabbage is soft and the broth is steaming, 20 to 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
PER SERVING
Calories: 384
Total fat: 15 g
Saturated fat: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 24 g
Fiber: 8 g
Protein: 24 g
Sodium: 326 mg
Recipe, photo, and video courtesy The Culinary Institute of America. All rights reserved.
Favorite Holiday Recipes from the Staff of the Post
We challenged the staff of The Saturday Evening Post to a no-holds-barred cook off of classic holiday dishes. Here are the top four recipes as chosen by our panel of all too willing editors turned tasters.
Lemon Rosemary Chicken
(Makes 8 3-ounce servings)
“Thanksgiving for a few? Give the gobbler a break with this simple and flavorful baked chicken recipe. It’s perfect when you’re only feeding part of the clan!” —Elise Lindstrom, Dietitian
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound chicken
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Salt (optional)
- Pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small lemon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Chop two sprigs of rosemary and toss in olive oil with pepper and optional salt. Brush oil mixture all over chicken, including inside.
2. Pierce lemon several times with fork then place inside chicken cavity with two whole sprigs of rosemary. Loosely tie bird closed with string.
3. Place chicken in pan, breast down. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn chicken over and cook for another 30 to 35 minutes. Increase temperature to 400° and cook for 20 minutes more.
4. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Per serving
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 8 g (Sat. Fat: 2.5 g)
Sodium: 330 mg
Carbohydrate: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 17 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 medium-fat
Minnesota Wild Rice Stuffing
(Makes 10 ½-cup servings)
“Because my family is from Minnesota, our Christmas always includes this Midwest take on a traditional side dish. Made with long-grain, wild rice, this stuffing will keep you warm even on the coldest winter day.” —Brittany Seaburg, Circulation Coordinator
Ingredients
- ⅟₂ cup chopped celery
- ⅟₃ cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 egg
- 1 ⅟₂ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅟₄ teaspoon salt (optional)
- 3 cups torn whole-wheat artisan bread
- 1 ⅟₂ cups cooked wild rice
Directions
In skillet, sauté celery and onion in butter until tender. In large bowl, combine egg, broth, parsley, pepper, and optional salt. Mix in celery/onion, torn bread, and rice. Spoon mixture into greased 1-1/2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until set.
Per serving
Calories: 142
Total Fat: 5.6 g (Sat. Fat: 2.3 g)
Sodium: 278 mg
Carbohydrate: 30 g
Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 8.1 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 carbohydrate
Pancetta & Parm Brussels Sprouts
(Makes 6 ½-cup servings.)
“My siblings never thought they liked Brussels sprouts—until I introduced them to this recipe last Thanksgiving. Now they want sprouts for Christmas and New Year’s, too!” —Corey Michael Dalton, Associate Editor
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- ⅟₂ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅟₄ cup finely chopped pancetta (about 1 ounce)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Boil 2 quarts of water. Add kosher salt and halved Brussels sprouts to water. Boil sprouts for 4 or 5 minutes until bright green. Drain and set aside. In pan, cook pancetta over medium heat until it releases its juices, then add olive oil. Sauté garlic and pancetta in olive oil for several minutes. Add sprouts and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Serve sprouts with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Per serving
Calories: 65
Total Fat: 1.9 g (Sat. Fat: 0.7 g)
Sodium: 302 mg
Carbohydrate: 7.9 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 6 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1.5 nonstarchy vegetable
Lemon Pound Cake with Raspberry Sauce
(Makes 12 servings.)
“The sweet yet tart flavor of the lemon cake paired with the red raspberry drizzle makes this the perfect dessert for any holiday meal. Add a dollop of whipped cream to really push it over the edge.” —Jeff Slavens, Special Projects Coordinator
Ingredients
- 1 ⅟₂ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅟₂ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- ⅟₂ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅟₂ cup canola oil
- 12 ounces frozen raspberries
- ⅟₄ cup sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients. With rubber spatula, fold canola oil into batter until all incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and slice.
2. To make raspberry sauce, place raspberries and sugar in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour through sieve to remove seeds. Drizzle sauce over cake slices.
Per serving (cake)
Calories: 247
Total Fat: 10.6 g (Sat. Fat: 1 g)
Sodium: 197 mg
Carbohydrate: 36 g
Fiber: 0.5 g
Protein: 4.3 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 carbohydrate, 2 fat
Per serving (sauce)
Calories: 30
Total Fat: 0.2 g (Sat. Fat 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 7.5 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 0.3 g
Diabetic Exchanges: ⅟₂ carbohydrate
For more holiday recipes from the Post staff, go here.