Prep: 20min // Bake: 25min
About
If you’ve been reading my posts for a while but never tried any of my recipes, this is the time to do so. Not only these are maybe the MOST DELICIOUS-NUTRITIOUS savoury muffins I have got in my arsenal, but also is one of the best ways to ‘hide’ fish for a fussy toddler eater (like the majority out there). A beautiful bake for the whole family, kids lunch at school or parties and afternoon tea (click that “Party Food” tag down the end of the post to see more party food ideas)
Recipe
I’m a big fan of all sorts of muffins, be they sweet or savoury, and one of the things I love doing in my kitchen is deconstructing favourite dishes and re-building them into something that can be comfortably eaten, warm or cold, on any occasion or time of the day. This one comes from a random online recipe of a classic lemony salmon and dill traybake, converted into super flavour loaded muffins.
If you are a golden cracked baked dome (aka Muffin) maniac like me, click below to see more:
Ingredients (12-14 muffins)
Dry Ingredients:
400g whole wheat flour
20g fresh dill, chopped
20g fresh chives, chopped
300g grated kinds of cheeses (I like cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella 1:1:1 combo)
3 tsp baking powder (or 2 tsp baking soda)
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 peppers (1 green, 1 red)
Optional: 8-10 cherry tomatoes
Wet Ingredients:
250g Salmon fillet
150g low-fat cream cheese (Philadelphia or mascarpone)
180g low-fat Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1 unwaxed lemon
3 tsp Dijon mustard (or go for 4 tsp for even more flavour!)
50g unsalted butter – or vegetable oil
2-3 sprigs of dill or parsley
Equipment
2 large bowls, 1 muffin tin (12-hole)
Substitutes
The good news about savoury recipes is that you are allowed to experiment and substitute. The not so good news is that as baking is involved with this recipe, there are certain things that may be wrong should you tweak the foundation blocks. In that sense, the amounts of ‘wet ingredients’, binding and rising agents (eggs and baking powder) should stay as described.
Salmon: You can substitute fresh salmon fillets with cured smoked salmon and save you time from cooking the salmon separately.
Yoghurt: If you choose to go for any other natural type of yoghurt which is runnier than the thick Greek, maybe you’ll need to omit the addition of milk or water. Yoghurt doesn’t add so much to the taste (rather to the texture) so you can swap it with vegan alternatives too like 'oatghurt' :-)
Mustard: an amazing ingredient that allows for different taste experiences so I’m listing some different products down the end of this post that might inspire.
Method
Ideally, it is recommended to marinate your fish prior to baking; that reduces a bit the fishy intensity by infusing other flavours. Fold in a kitchen foil the fillets with a pinch of salt and pepper, the butter, a few sprigs of dill or parsley, some lemon zest, and the rest of the lemon cut in slices (photo). Put it in a sealed bag (to trap the odours) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Remove the salmon from the fridge and preheat your oven at 180c fan. Bake the salmon with its marinade in the foil for around 15 min.
While you’re waiting for the salmon, finely chop the peppers into small cubes. I like antipasti style red roasted peppers for extra flavour (see product recommendations below). Then dice the tomatoes (if using), finely chop the chives and dill and grate your cheeses.
In a big bowl mix all ‘dry ingredients’ (save some poppy seeds for garnish), add some freshly grated pepper (avoid extra salt as we will add salty cheese) and set aside.
By this time the salmon should be baked. Remove from the oven, open the foil carefully, discard the dill sprigs, squeeze any lemon juice out of the lemon slices and flake the fillet into bite-size pieces with a fork. Let it cool down while you prepare the rest.
In another bowl add the Greek yoghurt with the cream cheese and a couple of tablespoons of milk (or water) and whisk until it’s smooth. Add the mustard and then the eggs and whisk until everything is well combined into a batter.
Add the flaked salmon with the marinade juices from the foil in the wet ingredient bowl and then combine the wet with the dry ingredients using your hand or a wooden spoon.
Grease an anti-stick 12-hole muffin baking tin (I use this one) and fill the holes with the mixture, toss some poppy seeds for garnish and bake for 25min or until slightly golden and baked throughout. To test if they are baked inside, insert a toothpick and check if it comes out dry and clean.
Allow them to cool for 10 min before serving.
They keep well in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Shopping List
Below you will find my favourite authentic products (affiliate links) I used to cook and shoot this recipe. If you can't see the content, please deactivate your ad-blocker and refresh the page :-)
Shop the look
Here are some products we love to use and featuring my photos:
Muffin and Cupcake Bake Tray // Cooling Wire Rack
If you seriously considering getting into the cupcake/muffin business you've better gear up with a 12 hole muffin tin and a wire rack to cool your babies off. Most of my recipes give about 10-12 muffins/cupcakes and what's more, you can always freeze some and eat later. Le creuset is always the best choice but as it is quite pricey, so I'm posting below another brand that I've used and worked out pretty well for me! I wouldn't recommend the silicone tray, turned up pretty annoying and messy getting my bakes off the moulds.
Mustard
I am addicted to mustards. And specifically, deli mustards mixed with herbs and other fancy ingredients.
If you ever visit France, look for 'Le Comptoir De Mathilde' deli shop chain and buy a pack of mustards to bring home (along with some exceptional praline spreads). Their mustard with Provence herbs is simply out of this world!
If you are not in France and not willing to pay the extra shipping costs from France, I'd recommend the very tasty Tracklements range, or go one step further for some French deli brands available in the UK (links below). A bit pricier, but as always in foods, you get what you pay for. And you can absolutely use it in other recipes, marinades, sauces or sandwiches.