Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I absolutely must use the rest of my leftovers before I inevitably cook more! I have plans for something delectably green for the holiday and absolutely do not want to be sitting on copious amounts of rice and salmon when I do. Now, Salmon Nachos might not exactly be the most typical of things to make with these leftovers. Although it's not entirely that far fetched. Rice goes in Mexican and Latin American food quite often. And I'm not one to necessarily pass up a fish taco. The salmon is kind of a curveball, but I'm a Pacific Northwestern girl at heart and will always have a soft spot for salmon.
The real debate here is whether or not fish and cheese go together. Ordinarily, this is something that I would scoff at. Cheese belongs absolutely nowhere near my seafood! But, when you think about it, that's not entirely as true of a stance as I want to believe that it is. Shrimp often ends up in sandwiches with cheese. Lobster alfredo is quite high end. Even sushi ends up with copious amounts of dairy in it at times (I'm looking at you cream cheese). So, when it comes to whether or not cheese and fish ought to be on the same plate? There's a little bit more wiggle room than at first I thought! So, here we go: Salmon Nachos w/ Cheddar Cheese.
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Variations of Salmon Nachos
Seafood nachos aren't something that I often make! Although I am no stranger to salmon or nachos. So, it is likely inevitable that the two would one day meet. Especially since I've been on a salmon kick lately and have pretty much made this exact same meal in several different ways over the last week.
These Salmon Nachos consist of broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, shallot, jalapeño, garlic, turmeric, tamari, and rice wine rice with baked salmon and cheddar cheese. I also topped it off with avocados and a little bit of Tartar Sauce w/ Greek Yogurt & Jalapeños. Although, I was too busy eating it than taking a picture of it! And, if there isn't evidence of it existing? It didn't really happen. So, feel free to add sour cream, Greek yogurt, or any other topping of choice! Ordinarily I also add hot sauce, but the rice and tartar sauce that I paired with it are quite spicy to begin with.
Cook Brown Rice w/ Broccoli, Bell Peppers, & Rice Wine. This takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of rice or quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.
I also used Baked Salmon for this dish that I'd prepared ahead of time. It takes about 40 minutes to prepare from start to finish and is a relatively quick and easy fish to toss together. Alternatively, you can Barbecue Salmon in roughly the same amount of time or swap out your own fish of choice.
Cook Nachos
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, lay out tortilla chips across a baking sheet.Cover until you can't see the baking sheet any longer. They should be touching, but not overlapping too much. You really just want to be able to add toppings to every chip without it getting too much on the baking sheet!Exactly how much chips you use is largely a matter of personal preference as well. I've never sat there carefully measuring chips! Roughly two handfuls usually equates to about a serving. I tend to cook far more than I actually need, though. So, as always, adjust to personal preference!
Spread toppings evenly across the tortilla chips.This acts largely like refried beans would in a typical nacho recipe. You can either spread across each of the chips or just drop little dollops across the chips.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the chips begin to toast.
Serve
Once the nachos are done cooking, remove from the oven and top with a dash of salt and pepper.
Serve immediately. Once the nachos begin to cool down, the tortilla chips will absorb too much moisture and soften. Once this happens, there isn't a lot that you can do to crisp them up again!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on nachos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Nachos. I make suggestions on settling the microwave vs. oven debate and give suggestions on serving size, topping order, and potential reheating tips and tricks.
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