Salmon Broccoli Bake

I found this recipe and it sounded delicious!  I wanted to make it because i thought it would different from your everyday chicken or beef.  I love salmon but my boyfriend doesn't like it that much.  The first time i told him i was going to make it he didn't want it...so i waited a few days and told him i was making a surprise dinner.  I wouldn't tell him what i was making and i asked him to stay out of the kitchen.  When i served it to him before telling him what all was in it, he had already decided it was delicious!  He had second helpings and took it for lunch the next day!

Salmon Broccoli Bake
Prep: 15 min               Bake: 35 minutes               Preheat: 350 degrees

1 Cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 Cups cooked wild rice
1 Can (7.5oz) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed
1 Egg
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1-1/2 Cups (6oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Prepare rice as directed.  In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender.  Remove from the heat;  Stir in rice and salmon.  Combine egg and mayonnaise; add to the salmon mixture.  Spoon half into a greased 2-qt baking dish.  Top with half of the Parmesan cheese and broccoli.  Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese.  Top with the remaining salmon mixture, Parmesan cheese and broccoli.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

I did all kinds of things differently with this recipe and it came out great!  The first thing I did was I had 1/2 Cup extra rice because the rice mix I used had 2 Cups in it.  This made the dish a little more hearty.  Therefore to compensate next time I would add 1/4 Cup more mayonnaise to make sure the rice and salmon do not get too dry.  I also used broccoli florets instead of chopped broccoli.  Therefore, i layered mine a bit differently.  I put half the salmon mixture down, then the Parmesan cheese and all the broccoli florets, and then the cheddar cheese.  I then put the other half of the salmon mixture on it and covered it with Parmesan cheese and baked it.  It still came out delicious!
   

This was my first time ever using canned salmon!  I thought it was going to be chunks of salmon...to my surprise it was part of a salmon, with the backbone, rolled up into a can.  Needless to say, i was a little shocked and grossed out.  I had to take the skin off and remove the spine and little bones.  It was a bit of a hassle making sure none of them got into my food.  If i were to make this recipe again, i would just use boneless, skinless, salmon filets and chunk them up!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!  Enjoy!