Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon

This Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon (from "Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair), was a bit difficult to make pretty in photographs but it is a delicious and easy dinner entree that is very healthy. Of course everyone knows the benefits of wild salmon and nori, the seaweed you find wrapped around sushi has protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and it even has more vitamin A than carrots.

Lair says, ""This recipe is a compilation of one by Mary Shaw and one published in the Fall 2001 Dessert Dining Guide from the En Fuego restaurant in Arizona, with a few twists of my own. By wrapping the salmon before baking, it stays very moist and tender. The nori adds unusual flavor and bonus minerals"

Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon

"Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair

(Makes 4 small or 2 regular servings)

(Prep Time: 15 minutes)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp finely chopped herbs: any combination of thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, and mint. (I used basil, parsley and dill)

salt & pepper

2 (8-ounce) salmon fillets (I used 2 5-7 ounces wild salmon fillets)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp wasabi powder

2 sheets nori

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub salmon with mixture. Mix mustard and wasabi together. Spread on nori.

Place salmon face down in the middle of the nori sheetand wrap like a package so that fish is fully covered.

The nori will stick to itself and the salmon.

Place wrapped salmon in a lightly oil baking dish. (I just used a parchment lined pan) The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the salmon and seal in the juices.

Notes/Results: Very good--the salmon stayed very moist in the nori and had great deal of flavor from the herbs, wasabi-mustard, and the nori too. I served it on some mixed leftovers from my delicious dinner of the night before (more about that below), filled out with some spinach, red pepper and cucumber which made a light but still hearty dinner. I would make this again (Just cutting it a bit differently next time so it isn't cut diagonally across the grain of the fish and looks better!) ;-)

The "salad" I served the salmon on was actually the leftovers from a hearty, delicious plate of food from the Macrobiotic Community Dinner I attended the night before. I have talked about these dinners before on the blog, but I have to give them another shout out. They are held once or twice a month at a kitchen/auditorium at a local church and feature different themes each time. The meals are unprocessed vegan meals made with local, seasonal and often organic whole foods. The plate below was the Thanksgiving/Holiday Dinner and included Shiitake-Cauliflower-Leek Soup, Holiday Rice, Hijiki (a type of seaweed) with Kabocha, 3-Bean Salad, Watercress-Fig-Artichoke Heart Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and for dessert, Pumpkin Mousse with Maple Tofu Cream and Kukicha Tea. (I didn't take pictures of the soup, dessert and tea).


My favorites were the rice and the bean salad (really great flavors and textures), but everything was very tasty. Hosted by talented chefs Leslie Ashburn (of Macrobiotics Hawaii) and Kathy Maddux, the dinners are a fun way to discover some different and delicious food. I went with three good friends and we ended up making a new friend who is in the process of moving to the island and discovered the dinner. Great healthy food, good conversation with friends and a sense of community--a perfect evening and we all left feeling full and satisfied, but in a clean and healthy way.

Are there any unique food opportunities in your area that you take advantage of?