Racoon Repellent

We love Paula Deen's cooking. Most of her recipes look so decadent and delicious that we can feel our salivary glands tingling with anticipation. There are a lot of recipes that look so amazing we both want to make them, but one of us has to bow out. Paula Deen's Salmon Mousse with Dill Sauce is not one of those recipes. Neither of us wanted this one, but somehow I ended up with it. I wanted to go into it with an open mind, so I decided to save it when I cooked for a group of people so I could get a good sampling of opinions.

I spent a long weekend visiting my brother and his lovely family in Charleston and got to see my parents when they drove up for a couple of days. It was the perfect opportunity to test out my lightened version!

I used fat free whipped cream and mayo for the salmon mouse to lighten it up. For the dill sauce, I swapped fat free plain Greek Yogurt for sour cream and again used he fat free mayo.

I didn't have a fish mold, so just used a regular bowl to let the mousse set in. Here's the final product:

And what did everyone think of the final product??

Here's my Dad taking a bite....

Even my lovely little niece agreed to try it...

My mom (who is our most loyal Foodies Not Fatties reader) tried to be optimistic. I'm sure she just tolerated it because she's my mom and that's what moms do.

There was one taste tester who actually liked this "salmon jello," as my brother called it.

Everyone was nice enough to take a bite, but we still had a lot left. Greg (my brother) said he would leave it in the trash to keep the racoons away.

Since I'm out of town, I'm not on my usual computer so I don't have the nutrition graph, so I'll post it when I get back. But I will say that the lightened version cut the calories by over 100 calories and was much lower in fat. So I guess if you're the kind of person that likes salmon jello, definitely try this recipe. But if you just have some salmon, I'd use it in a different recipe.

Taste: I'll Pass!!

Waist: Tighten Your Belt a Notch!

What was the last recipe disaster you tried??

Here's the recipe, if you dare!

Racoon Repellent Mousse (a.k.a Salmon Jello)

Salmon Mousse:

1 unflavored gelatin

1/4 c cold water with 1/2 c boiling water for gelatin

1/2 c fat free or light mayo

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp grated onion

2 drops hot sauce

1/2 tsp paprika

2 c salmon, flaked into small pieces

2 tbsp drained capers

1 c fat free whipped cream

lemon slices

1 bunch parsley, washed and dried

Dill Sauce:

1 English cucumber, peeled, grated and drained for an hour

1 c nonfat Greek yogurt

1 c fat free or light mayo

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, minced

2/3 c fresh dill, finely chopped

Grease a 6 cup fish mold with cooking spray. Soften the gelatin in cold water. Add the boiling water and stir well until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, hot sauce, paprika and mix well. Fold in the salmon and capers. Add the whipped cream and continue folding until everything is well combined. Pour the mixture into the mold. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in a refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.

To make the dill sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

To serve, unmold the salmon mousse and serve the dill sauces along the side. Surround with parsley.