Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.
Bethenny Frankel
Sunday dinners, to me, are really a gathering of family and friends to enjoy a terrific meal. You don’t always have to prepare a decadent pasta dish or a long-simmering roast. As we approach summer, it’s more fun to celebrate the season with a day at the beach, a dip in the pool, a long bike ride, or a simple sunbathing nap in your faithful lawn recliner, than it is to cook a long, heavy or complicated meal. How about a meal that is pretty enough to make your family and friends believe you were in the kitchen for hours?
This Sunday, I’m featuring a Roasted Salmon recipe, adapted from a recent recipe in Food & Wine. Don’t let the beautiful photo scare you off; it’s neither complicated nor time-consuming. In fact, this is one of the easiest recipes I’ve prepared in a long while, and the taste is healthy, fresh, and all sorts of delicious! In fact, it’s so easy to prepare, you may just be tempted to add it to your weeknight rotation.
Set your table and gather folks around before you begin your preparation, because it comes together very quickly. The relish preparation takes approximately 10-15 minutes depending upon how fast you chop. The fresh scents of lemon zest and chopped shallots and fresh thyme will entice your family and friends to linger. Once the salmon goes into the oven, it’s only a matter moments before the warm, savory aromas waft through the kitchen and, you’re ready to serve and enjoy.
ROAST SALMON, MEYER LEMON RELISH
Menu Suggestion:
Spring Salad, Fresh Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
Roasted Asparagus
Fresh Lemon Curd, Summer Berries
Wine Pairing: 2018 Banshee Sonoma County Pinot Noir; Cost: $24.95
Wine Enthusiast Tasting Notes: “High toned in cranberry, rhubarb and strawberry flavors, this herbal, earthy wine shows a tartness of acidity….The oak is integrated and unobtrusive, offering wide appeal and breadth.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest, plus ½ cup finely chopped Meyer lemon segments, divided
¼ cup finely chopped shallot
2 – ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
¼ cup drained capers, roughly chopped
¼ cup pitted Castrelvetrano olives, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 (5 ounce) skin on salmon filets
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves¼ teaspoon black pepper
PREPARATION
1. Combine lemon segments, shallot, one teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl. Gently whisk in one-third cup olive oil; stir in capers, olives, two tablespoons parsley, red pepper, and cayenne. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush salmon with remaining two tablespoons olive oil; season with thyme, pepper, lemon zest, remaining one tablespoon parsley, and remaining one and one-half teaspoon salt. Roast salmon, skin side down until skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Flip fish and continue roasting until desired degree of doneness, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Transfer filets to dinner plates, and top evenly with relish.
NOTE:
I do recommend making the lemon relish in the morning, and placing it in the refrigerator during the day to allow the flavors to meld and get happy.
