Rustic Salmon

A few years ago, I was at a weekend seminar in Los Angeles. At lunch, I went downstairs to the restaurant and ordered this incredible salmon dish. When I saw how easy it would be to make, I had to recreate it at home. So here it is: my Rustic Salmon. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For the recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 boneless, skinless salmon filets
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 2 russet potatoes
• Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
• 1 lemon
• ½ to 1 cup of fresh green beans, ends removed and cut into 2” pieces
• ½ cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup hollandaise sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika (optional)

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by partially cooking the potatoes in your microwave oven for about 7 minutes (time may vary depending on your microwave oven).

In the meantime, place 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium high heat. Season the salmon on one side with either the Cajun or Creole seasoning. Place the salmon, seasoned side down in the hot oil. It should sizzle immediately when you place it in the pan.

Once the edges begin to get a little opaque, put the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the salmon just begins to flake. Remove the salmon from the pan and set it aside.

While the salmon is in the oven, prep the lemons for broiling. Slice a bit off each end of the lemon so it will stand straight on the plate, then cut the lemon in half. Place each half on a piece of foil under your broiler and depending on your broiler, cook for 5 to 10 minutes. You just want to get a nice char on the lemons.

Heat another pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Coarsely chop the potatoes and place them in the hot pan.

Once they start to brown, add the green beans and toss or stir to combine. Once the green beans have cooked for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and olives. Toss or stir to combine. Continue cooking until the beans are al dente and the tomatoes and olives are heated through, about 5 minutes. If you like your vegetables cooked more thoroughly, feel free to cook a little longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, spread a generous portion of the potato and vegetable mixture on a plate. Break the salmon into bite size pieces and place it atop the potato and vegetable mixture. Finally, drizzle to hollandaise (as much or as little as you like) over the entire dish. Sprinkle the dish with a bit of smoked paprika. Before serving, garnish with the char broiled lemons.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Tropical Fish Tacos

These tacos are made with Cajun seared tilapia topped with a tropical cole slaw and served in a crispy (not greasy) tortilla shell with pepper jack cheese. One bit of these tacos and you'll be picturing yourself on a white sand beach somewhere in the tropics with an ice cold beverage!

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 tilapia filets
• Your favorite Cajun seasoning
• 2 TBS vegetable oil 
• 4 lime wedges (additional wedges for garnish if so desired)
• Tropical Cole Slaw
• 4 corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup grated pepper-jack cheese
• Thinly sliced green onions (white and light green parts only)
• Avocado slices (optional)

Begin be generously seasoning both sides of the tilapia with the Cajun seasoning. 

Place the oil in a hot non-stick pan. Sear the tilapia for about 2 minutes on both sides until it begins to flake apart. Break the fish into small chunks, squeeze the 4 lime wedges over the fish and set aside.

If you have a griddle, preheat it to about 350 degrees. If you don't have a griddle, you can us a non-stick frying pan. Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray and place it sprayed side down onto the griddle or frying pan. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas.

As soon as the tortillas begin to brown (small brown spots on the underside), sprinkle 1/4 cup of pepper-jack cheese over each tortilla. Once the cheese is melted, remove from heat.

Place a tortilla shell on a plate. Top it with 1/4 of the tilapia and then some of the Tropical Cole Slaw. Finally, sprinkle the taco with the thinly sliced green onions. Optionally, you can also top them with a slice of avocado.

Grab a cold beverage, get out in the sun and enjoy!