Today I found a beautiful piece of Wild Alaskan Salmon on
sale at my local market and I wanted to build a simple, healthy, and delicious
dinner around it with not too many calories so I could splurge on some ice
cream for dessert.
I came up with a simple grill pan preparation for the salmon
using lemon, salt, and fresh tarragon from the garden. If you aren’t fond of
tarragon you can always use oregano or basil, or a simple sprinkling of herbs
de Provence from the cupboard. You can also use a regular sauté pan if you
don’t have a grill pan.
I had some kale leftover (that I bought to make a green
smoothie), and picked up some baby zucchini, yellow and green crookneck squash,
a fresh ear of corn, and a small sweet onion from a local farm stand – I
decided rather than making rice and a salad to combine all of these vegetables
to make a yummy fresh side dish with some crunch and varying texture.
Before I started I grabbed a nice glass of a red blend wine
and a slice of fresh sourdough and sat on the deck to relax and reflect after a
busy day.
After the wine and bread, the salmon and vegetables was just
the right amount of food for dinner and the pairing was delicious.
Both recipes follow – If you prep ahead you can cook both at
the same time. Approximately 15-20 minutes from start to finish:
Pan Grilled Salmon (serves 2 –
recipe can be doubled)
½ pound fresh salmon filet (about half inch thick)
½ lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon (3 sprigs approx) or herb of
choice (basil or oregano) – if you do not have fresh you can use dried.
Sea salt to taste
Olive oil
Olive oil spray
Green onions for garnish
Put grill pan over burner on top of stove and preheat about
3 minutes or so till hot, spray with cooking spray and drizzle a little bit of
oil (1/2 tablespoon or less) – you can use flavored oil if you desire.
While pan is heating, sprinkle top of salmon (flesh side)
with salt and herbs.
When pan is ready place skin side down and set your timer
for 4 minutes.
Flip salmon over after 4 minutes and cook another 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for about 2 minutes.
Top with sliced green onion and serve.
Note: May be slightly under done, which I prefer as it is
moist and not dry. If you prefer it more done add 1 or 2 minutes to cooking
time.
Sautéed Corn, Summer Squash,
Onion, and Kale (serves 2 – recipe can be doubled)
1 Ear sweet corn, shucked and cleaned
4-5 miniature summer squash or 2 medium size
1 small onion (sweet preferred)
6 leaves Lacinto (or dinosaur) kale
Olive oil cooking spray
Garlic olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cut corn off cob into a bowl.
Clean and chop squash into bite size pieces (if using the
larger squash cut in large dice)
Slice onion and cut the slices in half
Tear kale leaves off of stem and discard stem; cut leaves
into 1 inch ribbons
Put all vegetables in a bowl.
Put sauté pan on medium high heat and heat for about 3
minutes. Spray sauté pan with olive oil cooking spray, add a small amount
of garlic oil. If you do not have
garlic flavored olive oil you can use regular and thinly slice a clove of
garlic and add to oil while heating.
Add all of the vegetables to the pan at the same time when
it is heated.
Cook and stir until kale is dark green and onions are
slightly softened and zucchini is fork tender – about 4 – 5 minutes. The onions
and corn will stay relatively crispy.
Season with salt and pepper during the cooking so that all
the vegetables absorb the seasoning.
Turn off heat and let set while Salmon is cooking and
resting.
Divide Salmon and vegetables between two plates and
enjoy. You can add a salad, some small red potatoes, or some
fresh sourdough bread if desired.
Enjoy!
Until next time… may you find
enjoyment in food and nature,
Marla
