Salmon and Mushroom Quesadillas

Can I give you another example why I am a bad Asian? Okay. I can't cook Asian food. I tried and failed time over time. From sweet soy sauce chicken to sweet and sour pork ribs, I never fail to fuck up. Hell, I can't even steam a damn fish. I even tried Chinese-takeout-style beef and broccoli. I mean, how can anyone fuck up some fake Chinese food right? Well, I never cease to amaze myself, for good or bad.

Anyway, today I have some leftover Chinese style salmon, and let me tell you, Chinese people don't care about fishy smells. You open that tupperware full of salmon leftovers and the smell of fish just explodes in your face and overwhelms you close to death. Obviously, putting it into the microwave is just going to amplify the situation and stink up the whole room, and I am not going to deal with that.

So I came up with this idea to add a ton of lime juice and mushrooms to the salmon to make quesadillas. Yes, it's an odd choice of meat for quesadillas. And yes, the amount of cheese I used between those two pieces of tortillas was criminal. But it turned out delicious and notably NOT fishy. So let's consider it a success!

Salmon and Mushroom Quesadillas 

Makes 6 pieces (that's 1 serving for me)

1/2 lb salmon, or 1 container of canned salmon

Handful of mixed mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms)

2 whole wheat tortillas

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or provolone cheese

Salsa:

2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

Handful of fresh cilantro, stems and leaves finely chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp vinegar or lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Pinch of red pepper flakes 

1. Heat pan on medium. Saute mushrooms and add salmon in the final stage to warm up the salmon. Set aside. 

2. Drain any excess liquid or oil. Place one piece of tortilla on the pan until light brown on one side. Flip the tortilla over. 

3. Add half of the cheese over the whole piece of tortilla. Then, add half of the mushroom and salmon mixture. 

4. Use a spatula to lift one side of the tortilla and flip it over to the other side. The tortilla should be slightly browned. Press to make sure all the ingredients are sitting tight together. 

5. Remove from pan, cut into smaller pieces and serve immediately.

For salsa, simply mix all the ingredients together. 

Freestyle cooking

I love cooking, but I don't cook everything well. Case in point:

Way too blackened Tilapia. 

Truth of the matter is, I am a kitchen newbie. I developed my interest in cooking because I loved food and dessert, and sometimes restaurant food just didn't feel right. Too salty, too much MSG, too pretentious, too suspicious (what is that gooey yellow thing made of? lard? shortening?), too long of a wait, or just way too expensive. I remember the tipping point came when I was at a Mexican restaurant with a friend, who zealously ordered a $15 "made at your table guacamole" which literally consisted of avocados, cilantro, salt, pepper, and a little bit of red onions. Or a little glass of patron margarita for $12. I CAN MAKE THAT SHIT MYSELF!

I am lucky to be with someone who is as passionate about food as I am. We love eating everything and everywhere. We both like to spend time in the kitchen and whip up a delicious meal, but that sometimes turn into kitchen rivalries. Last night, I was pleasantly surprised with a delicious 4-course meal, complete with egg drop soup, fried rice, curry crab and ginger/garlic vegetables.

Master chef likes to serve his dishes rustic style... 

....in stainless steel bowls with minimal to no presentation. 

When his freestyle cooking mildly backfired- too much egg in a egg drop soup!

But I'm not complaining, because it was sooooo delicious that I didn't feel like eating dessert afterwards. Now that's quite an achievement on his part! It was soooo delicious that I was still craving for more this morning... and as usual, we had enough leftovers for another meal. It was equally if not more delicious!

Unfortunately, I don't have recipes for any of it because the self proclaimed Master doesn't follow recipes. He's just really naturally good at everything he does and he's just too good for recipes. Sorry guys.