Make Your Own Tarter Sauce - Gorton's Smart & Crunchy

I received coupons and promotional items as part of the Gorton's Crew in exchange for posting about the #GortonsTour promotion and Smart and Crunchy Fish Sticks and Fillets. All opinions and experiences are my own. 

I grew up on fish sticks and my Dad's fish sandwiches. Really it was an easy family meal to prepare on the average weeknight and now that I have my own family, I grab Gorton's a bag of Gorton's to keep on hand in the freezer.

You never know when fish sticks may just save the evening!

One of my favorite go-to meals is the classic fish taco.

With a tray of Gorton's fish sticks or fillets, bagged salad mix, purple cabbage, tortillas and homemade tartar sauce, dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes.

Of course, I rarely have tatar sauce in the pantry or ready to go in the fridge, but that doesn't hold us back. You can whip up a simple tarter sauce while your fish is baking in the oven.

Homemade Tarter Sauce

You Will Need:
1 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice (or white distilled vinegar for your acid)

Mix these ingredients together and then chill before serving.

Other optional mix-ins include Sriracha, minced onion, dill, coarse mustard, capers, Tabasco sauce, chopped parsley or freshly cracked black pepper. And of course, you could substitute plain Greek yogurt in place of the mayo.

Serve this alongside your fish for dipping, or drizzle onto your family's favorite fish tacos.

Yum!

Now through April 18th you can catch the Gorton’s Smart & Crunchy Tour as they head across the country and stop at key retailers across the country. Currently the #GortonsTour is headed my way, the Pacific Northwest, to wrap up the tour in Seattle Washington April 17th & 18th.

They are spreading the word about Gorton's new Smart & Crunchy Fish Sticks and Fillets. Smart & Crunchy Fish Sticks and Fillets are made from 100% Alaska Pollock and are never fried, so they have 50% less fat than Gorton’s regular breaded fish sticks and fillets, but have the same great taste and crunch you and your family have come to love thanks to a seasoned panko crumb.

You can catch the tour progress on smartandcrunchy.com/tour. And plan to stop by and meet Smarty Crunchman, an adorable eight-foot tall friendly fish stick. Now that sounds like a great Instagram photo opp, doesn't it?

Is there a location near you?

Pecan Encrusted Baked Salmon

 I received a set of Farberware New Traditions Cookware to facilitate this review.  A positive review was not required and all opinions and experiences are my own. 

Today I am so excited to share a new favorite recipe of mine, Pecan Encrusted Baked Salmon. Not your typical holiday meal, but perfect for a Northwest gal trying to celebrate the flavors of her local cuisine. I am also thrilled to to be back for another year with the Progressive Dinner Series. Last year I was honored to be blogging with 4 other very talented food bloggers to bring you some some of our favorite holiday dishes. From the main course all the way to dessert, we will be sharing recipes from our kitchens over the next 5 weeks.

Here are all the delicious posts this week:

Busy-at-Home : Simple Baked Ham

Will Cook for Smiles: Apple Maple Dijon Pork Roast

The Gunny Sack: Glazed Holiday Ham

Flour on My Face: Easy Slow Roasted Pot Roast

Daily Dish Recipes: Holiday Pork Roast with Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

Adventures in All Things Food: Pecan Encrusted Baked Salmon

I have chosen some new favorite recipes to highlight that also fit right in with what foods are around me. I have reached down to California for a few ingredients, and all across the state of Oregon including our own farm.

Besides all the fabulous ingredients I have selected, each week we have a great sponsor and giveaway to offer you. So come check out our recipes, see the products we used to create our dishes and then enter for a chance to win some great products that would fit in nicely with your own holiday meal.

This week's sponsor is Farberware, and it is a great way to start off this recipe series since the New Traditions Cookware provides a good start for any meal. I was sent a 14 piece cookware set in blue and just loved how easy it was to work with the speckled aluminum nonstick pieces.

This Farberware set is even oven safe up to 350 degrees. The rubberized handles made the skillets easy to move as I worked on my glaze and breading for the salmon. The 3 different saucepan sizes in this set will come in handy for all my holiday meal preparations and I can already imagine the great pot of mashed potatoes or soup I can make in the Dutch Oven.

Last year I received the High Performance Stainless Steel Set from Farberware and have been using it week in and week out. Now though, this pop of color with the blue porcelain enamel and easy to clean nonstick interior, I may have a new favorite in the kitchen. I really do enjoy working with pots that are as eye-pleasing as they are functional. 

For more affordable, family-friendly recipe inspiration, I suggest you follow the Farberware Pinterest board. Lots of great stuff going on there.

This meal is so fast and easy to make. Around the holidays our family doesn't often do the traditional turkey. Thanks to a kindly neighbor of ours, who is also an avid fisherman, we often find ourselves with an abundance of locally caught Salmon. Since it is the season to give thanks for what we have in our lives, I created this dish to celebrate both the generosity of our neighbor and the abundance of available fish in our Oregon rivers.

I cut one long Salmon fillet into 4 portions. Then I liberally seasoned each side with salt and pepper. With the 8 1/2 inch Farberware skillet, I melted 3 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, and mixed with the Dijon mustard and honey to create a glaze for the fish.

Each portion was brushed with glaze and then set in a baking dish.

The crust only has 4 ingredients; pecans, fresh Italian parsley, bread crumbs and melted butter. Everything gets a rough chop and then mixed together. I popped this all into the 10 inch Farberware skillet to lightly toast and melt the butter.

Pack the breading onto the top of each Salmon portion, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top and bake for about 10 -12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. The crust is both flavorful and slightly toasted. 

With this dish, you won't miss your turkey and stuffing. 

Pecan Encrusted Baked Salmon

You will need:

• 4- 4oz. Salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. divided, unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1/3 c. dried breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/4 c. coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 lemon + more for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Season both sides of the salmon fillets. In a small skillet combine the Dijon, 3 Tbsp. butter and honey. Whisk to combine. Coat each fillet in glaze and place in the baking dish.

Combine the breadcrumbs, pecans, and parsley in a large skillet. Toss with 2 Tbsp. butter till melted and the bread and nuts are slightly toasted. Season to taste. Divide the crumb mixture between the 4 fillets and pack to coat the top of each one. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the fillets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. Serve immediately with lemon wedges to garnish.

Enjoy!

And, let's not forget the Giveaway! 

I know you are probably eyeing that gorgeous blue cookware set... Well, Farberware is generously providing one lucky reader with a cookware set of their very own! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Busy-at-Home/ Glenda Embree's board ‪#‎HolidayRecipes‬ on Pinterest.

A Real Dinner Solution with NEW Gorton's Artisan Fillets + Giveaway

I received coupons and promotional items as part of the Gorton's Blogger Dock in order to create this post. All thoughts and experiences are my own. 

One of my favorite go-to meals are fish tacos! Just grab a corn tortilla, load up on veggies, add on some fish and top with salsa and sour cream. So easy and it always makes my family happy.

Now I have a new way to change up the flavors, Gorton's has a new line of Artisan Fillets. I was able to find both the new Roasted Garlic & Italian Herb along with Lemon & Cracked Peppercorn Fillets in my local Walmart. I am still keeping my eyes peeled for the Southwest Tortilla and Southern Style Fillets.

Have you seen them?

If you are looking for some new fish ideas for Lent this year, you should try these new Gorton's options. Just bake and they are ready to top your favorite salad, pasta or tacos.

They come already pre-seasoned, breaded and ready whenever you need to grab something fast.

I love that these Gorton's fillets bake up crispy on the outside and ready to use as is, or for in our favorite taco dinner. They are made with wild-caught Alaska Pollock and real bold ingredients like chilies, peppercorns, and crushed tortilla chips. You will taste the difference!

And because you all know I love a good sweepstakes, here is Gorton's Real Solutions Sweepstakes - running March 3rd to April 21st, 2014. Enter the sweepstakes and grab a coupon on the Gortons.com site.

So, which NEW Gorton's Artisan Fillets would you try first?

Connect with Gorton's on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for product offers and meal inspiration!

Giveaway Time!!

I have one (1) giveaway prize package for one of my readers including two full-value product coupons and a branded cutting board. Would you like to try Gorton's Artisan Fillets for yourself? Giveaway ends 3/26/2014 at midnight PST. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway