Ranch dressing is as American as apple pie and baseball. Americans love ranch dressing. Everyone loves ranch dressing. Even snooty chefs and foodies that look down their nose at bottled dressing love ranch dressing! Ranch dressing is the culinary equivalent to Pigs in a Blanket. Pigs in a Blanket are the first dish that disappears on a buffet a party. It’s the same with ranch dressing. Put out some ranch and something will take a dip in it. Ranch dressing is easy to love.

Versatile

People use it for everything from what it is made for, as a salad dressing and a dip for vegetables, to you name it —a dip or a drizzle for chicken wings, pizza, burgers, kebabs, salty snacks, and more. It can do way more than dress salads. Ranch dressing is rich and creamy with a savory blend of herbs and spices. It’s not too oily, not too rich, and, it’s mayonnaise-based and that means Southerners really like it. (Mayonnaise is its own food group in the South.) Even though I sometimes make it from scratch, I always keep a store-bought bottle in the fridge.

Ranch dressing can cook, too. From a culinary standpoint, that means it’s also an emulsion of egg and oil. The mayonnaise component helps keeps proteins moist and juicy. There are a lot of chef-hacks of cooking with mayonnaise from thickening a sauce to a butter replacement for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Creole Ranch Dressing

Well, get ready to take your love of ranch up a notch! Tony Chachere’s has a new line of salad dressings that includes Ranch, Italian, and French. The ranch has got a little kick, not so much that it’s too spicy. It’s just enough that you know you’re getting your #CreoleCanDo on! It’s the perfect flavor blend of rich buttermilk and a peppercorn-like zing. My friend Jim said, “This ranch dressing would taste good on anything; it would even make ranch dressing taste better!”

Flatten the Curve

These are really tough times for everyone with the Coronavirus crisis. It’s scary! The CDC and WHO advises that we need to stay and home and help flatten the curve. So, that means if you forget an ingredient, it’s not a good idea just run out to the grocery store. And, if you and your family eat out on a regular basis, that’s changed, too. Maybe you aren’t used to cooking 7 nights a week – especially after working from home with your partner and home-schooling your kids! Yikes. That means that this might be an even more challenging time for you and that means you need comfort and EASY.

One-Pot Wonder

Meals made in one pot save time, make for easy clean-up and don’t require expensive equipment or fancy ingredients. (For more tips check out this post with a recipe for Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes.) The most important thing is that everything cooks in the same amount of time. In this recipe, the salmon doesn’t take that long to cook, which means that what goes with it can’t either.

Instead of serving protein with a vegetable and a starch, I often serve a protein with two vegetables. Cooked or canned chickpeas are a great side dish. They are very starchy and from a textural standpoint are very potato-like. To celebrate spring, I am suggesting using seasonal asparagus for the green vegetable. You could also use green beans or broccoli, but you will want to chop them into 1/2-inch pieces, too.

Double Duty

A little of the Tony Chachere’s Creole Ranch Dressing is used to coat the vegetables and more is Creole Ranch Dressing is used as the “egg wash” to hold the topping. Remember above with the mayonnaise? Well, the Creole Ranch helps keep the meat moist, just like mayonnaise. And, doubling up on one ingredient in a recipe is fundamental to building flavor.

In terms of the panko topping, you can chef it up and add some or all of the parsley, lemon, garlic, and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning or simply use plain breadcrumbs, for a more down-home comfort food approach. Don’t worry – one way other the other, this recipe works and tastes delicious!

Lastly, this technique works with both salmon and boneless skinless chicken breasts, making it exceptionally versatile. (The key is not to use mammoth chicken breasts because they can take a lot longer to cook.) This meal is the “non-recipe” dish you need to get an EASY, homemade, and delicious dinner on the table. (Psst the leftovers are great, too.)

Stay Safe and Bon Appétit, Y’all!
Virginia Willis

PS Need a mail-order source for sustainable seafood – use this link OR promo code VIRGINIA for $25 off 

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Crunchy Creole Ranch Salmon

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: dinner, lunch, main

Cuisine: American, Cajun, Creole, Southern

Keyword: 30 minute meal, chicken, easy, poached salmon, ranch dressing, skillet supper

Servings: 4

Calories:

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• zest of 1 lemon, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• pinch Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, or to taste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 15- ounce chickpeas, drained
• 1 pound asparagus, stem ends trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole Ranch Dressing, divided
• 24 ounces boneless skinless salmon filet
• OR 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl combine the panko, lemon zest, parsley, garlic, Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, and oil. Set aside.
• Place the drained chickpeas and asparagus in a large ovenproof skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of the Tony Chachere’s Creole Ranch Dressing. Stir to combine.
• Place the salmon filets on top of the vegetables. Spread remaining Tony Chachere’s Creole Ranch Dressing on top of the salmon. Sprinkle over reserved panko combination. Transfer to the oven and cook until the asparagus is tender and the chickpeas are heated through. When checked with an instant-read thermometer, the salmon should register 130-145°F and the chicken should read 165°F, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Disclaimer: When there’s an appropriate mutually beneficial opportunity I partner for sponsored blog posts. In full disclosure, I was provided product to work with by Tony Chachere’s for recipe development and compensated for this blog post and its social media promotion. 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. (That means I make a commission if you use my affiliate link to buy the product.) 

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