Low Carb Cauliflower Mash with Crispy Skin Salmon and Steamed Asparagus

Cauliflower mash is a great way to capture much of the flavor of mashed potatoes without all the carbs. In this recipe, we’re pairing cauliflower mash with salmon and asparagus for a low carb meal that still feels downright fancy. You’ll need a blender or a food processor for this meal to make the mash. Alternatively, you can often buy pre-made cauliflower mash in the freezer aisle, just make sure to track the calories, carbs, and sodium as you won’t have control over the ingredients.

Eating healthy needs to be sustainable, which sometimes means treating yourself while staying within the realm of your diet. Eating for weight loss won’t be sunshine and daisies all the time, but working in a few meals that are tasty and enjoyable is a good idea. There’s a reason grapefruit-and-boiled-egg diets fail, because the people on them are miserable. We say, splurge on some salmon every now and then. It’s worth it if it keeps you on track to losing weight.

If you’ve never tried salmon with the skin on, then do yourself a favor and take a nice crunchy bite. Salmon skin is not just edible, it’s tasty! Many sushi restaurants even offer salmon skin sushi rolls – that’s right, just the skin. Out of all the fish available, it’s one the easiest to get a crispy skin because the skin doesn’t roll up or shrivel like other fish when it hits the pan. Salmon in the grocery store comes already de-scaled, so you shouldn’t need to worry about fish scales.

To keep the calories low, we’re steaming the asparagus. Steaming is often looked down on in western diets but it’s a quick and easy cooking method that doesn’t add extra calories with cooking oil. Remember to track your cooking oil! Oils are pure fat, which has a lot of calories, so if you’re cooking at home you need to track them. We’re using cooking oil in the pan and butter in this recipe, and we’re tracking both.

Although cauliflower mash is delicious, it doesn’t stay good in the fridge very long, so eat up!

Ingredients

Active time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Directions

1. First, cook the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower in a pot and fill with water until the cauliflower is covered. Place on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and drain water.

2. Make sure your salmon portions are nice a dry with a paper towel – this keeps the oil from popping and splattering and ensures you have a nice crispy skin. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the fish.

3. Heat a large pan under high heat and add the oil. It should be just shimmering. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the pan and press into the pan with a spatula to make sure the skin is firmly against the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for five to seven minutes on the skin side. You want to make sure the heat isn’t too high or the fat will render out of the salmon, which can make it dry.

4. Chop the white ends off of the asparagus – they’re tough to eat. Place the asparagus in a steamer pan with some water and cover. Turn the heat to high and set a timer for seven minutes.

5. Flip the salmon and cook for just one minute on the opposite side – you just want to “kiss” this side to ensure an even cook. Remove salmon from the pan and place on a plate with paper towels.

7. Move the cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Add the four tbsps of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 tsp of chicken bouillon, along with parsley, if using. Blend until smooth.

8. Portion cauliflower mash into four equal servings. Plate salmon skin side up to preserve the crispy skin. Using tongs, separate out asparagus into four equal portions. Serve with a lemon wedge and more parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition Breakdown

Per serving: Calories 404, Fat 25g, Protein, 32.75g, Carbs 15g, Sugar 7g, Sodium 775mg, Fiber 7.3g