Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed

Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed

Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed
🐟 🍚 🌿

Hijiki is a dried Japanese sea vegetable that looks like thin, wiry black strands and is typically rehydrated before cooking. Once it softens, it takes on a tender, slightly chewy texture and a deep, savory flavor with subtle mineral notes from the sea.

Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed

Here, it cooks right alongside short grain rice in a light dashi seasoned with sake, soy sauce, and a touch of sesame oil, infusing the grains with oceanic character. That makes it an especially natural partner for hot-smoked salmon. Set over the warm rice to gently heat through, the fish releases its seasoned oils—salt, a hint of brown sugar, and alderwood smoke—into the grains below.

Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed

Finished with sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, thin rounds of Fresno chile, and lemon wedges for brightness, it’s deeply savory and completely crave-worthy.

Salmon Rice with Hijiki Seaweed Recipe

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Matzah and Haroset

Matzah and Haroset

Matzah and Haroset
🫓 🫓 🫓 🍎 🍎 🍎

Each year at Passover, we journey in our hearts from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy. Through foods steeped in meaning, we are compelled to experience that journey, just as our ancestors did over 3,000 years ago. Among the symbolic foods on our table are matzah and haroset.

This year, we served special handmade shmura matzos baked in Israel, certified to the highest kosher standards. (Thank you, Rich!) Shmura matzah—“watched” matzah—is carefully supervised from wheat harvest to baking to ensure it stays completely unleavened, making it the most authentic choice for Passover.

It is known as “the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt,” reminding us of a life shaped by hardship—plain, quickly made, and born of necessity. Yet that same flatbread takes on new meaning at the moment of liberation. As we prepared to leave Egypt, there was no time for dough to rise. What we baked in haste became the bread we carried into freedom, marking the urgency and immediacy of our departure. These two meanings—affliction and haste—are intertwined. Matzah is both the bread of our suffering and the bread of our redemption.

Matzah and Haroset

Haroset, another essential food on our Seder table, is a sweet, spiced fruit and nut mixture that carries its own story. Its coarse texture and reddish-brown color evoke the bricks and mortar we labored over as slaves, shaping and stacking them to build Pharaoh’s cities. Its sweetness reflects the joy we felt the moment Pharaoh finally freed us from slavery, following God’s sending of the tenth plague.

Here, I’m sharing my sister-in-law’s recipe, a cherished family favorite that brings both delicious flavor and tradition to the table. (Thank you, Kristy!)

Haroset Recipe
🍎 🍋 🍷 🍯

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Passover Recipes Collection

Passover Recipes Collection

Passover Recipes Collection

For nearly two decades, I’ve been sharing Passover recipes here on Taste With The Eyes—dishes that return to our table year after year, each one tied to memory, meaning, and tradition.

In this collection, you’ll find some of my most-loved recipes, from symbolic haroset and tender matzo ball soup to my much-requested brisket and more. These are the dishes that define our Seder—familiar, meaningful, and deeply rooted in the story we retell each spring.

The Passover Seder recounts our journey from slavery to freedom, a story that has been told for over 3,000 years. While the narrative remains unchanged, each year it resonates in new ways. Our menu, evolves gently—yet always honors tradition.

And yes… our tables are covered with frogs. A whimsical nod to the plagues, our Passover Frog Collection has become part of the celebration, adding a touch of personality and joy to the evening (you can read more about that here). 🐸

Passover Recipes Collection

Passover Recipes

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Matzo Ball Recipes Collection

Matzo Ball Recipes Collection

Matzo Ball Recipes Collection 🍲 🫓 🐓

Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of matzo balls—mostly traditional, but often with a twist. In this collection, you’ll find nine of my favorites: saffron, horseradish & chives, Mexican and Vietnamese variations, fancy fried matzo balls, a turkey-flavored version, and even one finished with edible flowers. Some are kosher for Passover, while others are variations meant for experimenting outside this holiday.

At the end of the post, I’m sharing my tips and secrets for making great matzo balls every time, whether you’re trying one of my recipes or your own family favorite.

Matzo Ball Recipes Collection

Matzo ball soup has become a familiar part of many Seder tables, even though it’s not required or mentioned in the Haggadah. For Ashkenazi Jews, it grew out of a simple idea: take matzo, the Passover staple, and turn it into something warm, tender, and satisfying. Dumplings made from matzo meal simmer in savory chicken broth, creating a dish that has become beloved over generations.

And beyond tradition, matzo ball soup is simply delicious. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the dumplings are light yet satisfying, soaking up every drop of goodness. Whether airy or a bit denser, it’s a dish that everyone enjoys as part of the Seder experience—while the story of Passover remains at the heart of the table. ❤️

Matzo Ball Recipes

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Kimchi Cheddar Hot Dog

Kimchi Cheddar Hot Dog

Kimchi Cheddar Hot Dog
🌭 🌶️ 🥔
Seaweed Gochugaru Potato Chips

This is the kind of hot dog that leans fully into bold, layered flavor—where every element has a purpose. There’s warm, sautéed kimchi for funk, a swipe of gochujang mayo for heat and creamy notes, and a fine shred of cabbage that keeps everything crisp and balanced. The cheddar melts just enough over the hot dog to soften into the kimchi, while scallions and sesame seeds add that final fresh, nutty finish. It’s a combination that feels a little indulgent, a little punchy, and very hard to stop eating.

On the side, the seaweed gochugaru potato chips echo similar flavors in a lighter, snackable way. The roasted seaweed—pulsed into delicate flakes—clings to the chips along with a dusting of gochugaru, giving them a subtle briny note and and a bit of fire. Paired with an ice-cold Hite lager, it all comes together as an easy, casual meal. It’s the kind of plate that works very well for serving outdoors, where the contrast of cold beer, hot spices, and crisp salty textures really shines.

Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. It has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers. Gochugaru, also made from sun-dried red peppers, is a coarse-ground chili powder. Together, they give this hot dog plate its distinctive Korean spiciness.

Seaweed Gochugaru Potato Chips
Hot Dog and Chips Recipes

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