Ingredients
–Tzatziki*–
2T chopped dill (40c, 7.2k, 2.2p, 1.4f)
1 Lemon juiced (12c, 14.06k, .18p, .2f)
½C traditional plain Greek yogurt (110c, 7.5k, 4.5p, 7.5f))
1 5-6” grated cucumber (45c, 10.93k, 1.96p, 1.5f)
–Crumbled herb Feta–
1C Feta (396c, 6.14k, 21.32p, 0f)
1T chopped rosemary, thyme, dill and 2T chopped basil (26c, 4.78k, 1.41p, 1.22f)
1T citris infused olive oil (119c, 0k, 0p, 0f)
1/4t red pepper flakes (1c, 0k, 0p, 0f)
–Spanakopita Slamon–
12 sheets Athens phyllo dough (432c, 86.4k, 12p, 2.4f)*
16 bursts of Olive oil spray (16c, 0k, 0p, 0f)
2-1/2C frozen (or fresh cooked) spinach (235c 24.67k, 19.02p, 24.68f)*
8oz skinless salmon fillets (240c, 0k, 42p, 0f)
1 lemon zest and sliced (12c, 4.06k, .18p, .2f)
1C chopped fresh dill (4c, .62k, .31p, .2f)
–Egg wash*–
1 egg (18.5c, .10k, 1.57p, 0f)
1T water
Whole dish: 1706.5c, 166.46k, 106.65p, 39.3f
4 servings
Single serving: 426.63c, 41.62k, 26.66p, 9.83f
Directions
First, thaw frozen phyllo dough starting the night before by placing the frozen box in the fridge to thaw.
2) Wash veggies and herbs. Defrost frozen spinach by placing in a colander in the sink and letting the water drain. Once completely unfrozen, squeeze out all the moisture you can from the spinach place in a bowl and set aside.
3) Tzatziki: Grate the cucumber, drain, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Put 1/2C Greek plain yogurt in a bowl, add the 3T chopped dill, cucumber and 2t lemon juice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper, then refrigerate.
4) Make herbed feta by crumbling a block of feta cheese into a bowl and mixing with chopped fresh herbs: 1T each rosemary, dill, and thyme and 2T julienne basil. Add 1T citrus infused olive oil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. mix well, and set aside to marinate. Mix occasionally and before using add a couple of twists from the lemon pepper grinder, and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
5) Spanikopita Filling: Remove herbed feta crumbles from the fridge to warm up. Zest a lemon, and then thinly cut slices of that lemon, and if there are lots of pith on the slices remove it and seeds. (This lemon part will be eaten so the less pith, the tastier the meal.) Cut the slices in half so each meal portion will have at least 2 half slices of lemon. One more time squeeze out any remainder of liquid from the spinach and set aside.
6) Using your meat cutting board, slice the raw salmon as if you are preparing thinly sliced smoked salmon for bagels. Place 2 ounces in a bowl, salt and pepper, and add a squirt of lemon juice along with a pinch of dill. Mix and then place the sliced salmon on a plate in a way that preserves the portion size and allows the fish to marinate.
7) Then when ready, remove the phyllo dough from the fridge and its box, and place the internal packaging on the counter to reach room temperature. You want the very thin sheets of dough pliable without breaking. (Keep phyllo dough frozen until you are going to use it. Also, once exposed to the air, keep it covered with a moist kitchen towel until on the baking pan for it will dry out and be impossible to use.) Figure out how many phyllo sheets you want use per serving, I used 3 sheets per serving.
8) Unfold the phyllo dough on a lightly floured surface. If there are any cracks in the pastry, sprinkle with water and press together to seal. Pull one sheet of dough, spray with olive oil, and place another sheet on top, then pull another, spray and top — do this for the minimum of 3 sheets per salmon serving.
9) Putting it all together: Prepare one serving of the 3 layered phyllo dough. Center 2 half slices of lemon, topped with the 2oz portion of salmon. Add a portion of herbed feta on top, then a good pinch of dill, and a pinch of lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Top that with a portion of spinach. Quickly spray oil around the perimeter of the dough and fold up over the mixture. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet with the folded seam side down. Continue until each serving is done. Once they are ready for the oven, brush each salmon packet with an egg wash (whisk one egg with 1T water).
10) Once all salmon are wrapped, on the sheet, and brushed with the egg wash, place in the preheated 400F oven for ~15 minutes. Check and if cooked but not brown enough on top, place under the broiler for a few additional minutes. You want to see a golden brown top and the salmon should reach 130F. Take out of the oven and let sit for ~5 minutes before serving.
11) Serve as a whole meal. I like to cut the salmon packet in half when I serve so all the colors are visible, I add a heaping teaspoon of the Tzatziki on the plate topped by a bit of dill.
[x] Flexitarian + Omnivore
[O] Vegetarian + Vegan
[x] Pescatarian
[O] Weight Maint
[O] Keto
[x] Mediterranean
[O] Lectin Avoidance: wheat, milk, egg
[O] Purine Avoidance: Fish
[x] Food Allergies: WHEAT, GLUTEN, CHEESE, EGG, MILK, FISH
— with changes (notes below) —
[x] Oxilate avoidance (remove spinach and add more of the fresh cut herbs in its place)
[x] Gluten free (put all the ingredients into a ramekin to bake without the dough)
Comments
*Tzatziki: Some add 1 minced or crushed garlic to the Tzatziki but I did not for the fresh garlic taste is too overpowering for the meal. If you want a stronger flavor just add some garlic juice from a garlic press, not the meat.
*Phyllo Dough: I used 3 sheets per serving, and figured out this box of phyllo dough is, per slice of dough 36c, 7.2k, 1p, .2f.
*Spray Oil: If you run out of the olive oil spray, just use olive oil and brush it on the phyllo dough. It works just as well, but you are more likely to use more oil than with the spray so the actual calories will go up quickly.
*Egg Wash: I used an egg wash on the 4 servings and had almost of all the egg left over (which my lucky dog got as part of his dinner). So I am only counting 1/4th of an egg.
Source: I thought I had come up with this idea by myself, but just prior to publishing this recipe I did a search and found others had similar ideas. My recipe is different however, from the handful I reviewed so I feel comfortable publishing this without a source.
