Poached Salmon & Vegetables with a Lemon Garlic Aioli

It is not often that I go on kicks of any sort.  Typically, I believe in eating whatever I want and walking a lot.  We usually eat pretty light during the day and have big dinners with bowls of pasta and bread - which I know is exactly the opposite of what you're supposed to do.  My system seems to work for me, my small (but frequent) treats keep my cravings at bay and at the end of the day we have a comforting dinner.



However, every once in a while I need a mini cleanse.  Not a strict all juice diet, but just a weekend of feel good food and activities to refresh myself.  Last weekend Mike and I treated ourselves to a one night getaway at The Elms (a local grand historic spa and hotel) to rejuvenate and relax.  The weather here was unbelievably nice so we took a lot of walks outside.  It felt like the smallest glimpse of Spring and put me in the mood for a really fresh and healthy dinner.  This is the simplest dish to prepare - all in one pot.  It would be perfect for an elegant luncheon, too.

Poached Salmon 
& Vegetables
with lemon garlic aioli
serves 4



1 pound of salmon (4 filets)
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and large dice
1 pound of baby potatoes, quarted
1 pound of green beans, trimmed and halved
spring greens & spinach mix
....
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1 cup of olive oil

Season a large pot of simmering water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt.  Cook potatoes and carrots in simmering water for 5 minutes. 

Add green beans and cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove vegetables from water (keeping the water in the pot) and set aside.

 
Add salmon and cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of your filets).  

Meanwhile, make the aioli in a food processor or with a small bowl and whisk.  Begin by chopping (in processor or by hand) garlic and salt together.  Add egg yolk to the garlic and whirl.  Add lemon juice (after juicing, I added the lemon to the pot of water for extra fresh flavor), red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whirling (or whisking) until mixture has thickened.

To serve, place a pile of greens on the plate, then add vegetables and top with salmon pieces.  Drizzle aioli over the entire plate. 

Lemon Roasted Salmon & Vegetables | Sheet Pan Suppers

Yes, this is a recipe post.  Nope, not a house post, and not a store post - a recipe post!  Feels good to be back in the saddle again.  Enjoy!  ; )

There is nothing like a new season to inspire new recipes... and a fantastic new cookbook that's right up my alley.  Just so you know, this is not a sponsored post.  I came across this book at a little book store in my hometown.  I do a lot of sheet pan cooking myself and thought it had some really great ideas for keeping dinner simple with great flavor.  With Emma becoming more involved in the kitchen and dinner prep, putting everything on a sheet pan (available here) and putting it in the oven is something she can 100% help with.  Stirring and sautéing on the stove?  Not so much.  For entertaining (remember all of the entertaining we used to do... when we had a house?!), putting everything on a sheet pan, early in the day ready to go in the oven when guests arrive, is a dream.

The cover recipe was what reeled me in, so it was the first I tried - Salmon & Roasted Vegetables.  Of course, I modified the recipe a bit, simplifying even more.  She instructs to make a gremolata (parsley, lemon zest and garlic) to sprinkle on after.  I'm sure it is great, but I just threw lemon slices, garlic and olive oil all over everything (and some butter on the salmon) before baking and it tasted delicious.  As the tomatoes roasted, they let out a little juice that blended with the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice and it made an amazing sauce in the pan that I poured over the platter after baking.  Simple!

Large & Small Essential Sheet Pans are available, here, in my store.

Sheet Pan cooking goes right with my favorite way of serving - everything on one platter.  So, everything bakes on one sheet pan, then goes onto one platter.  Mike's dishwashing duties just got very easy.

Lemon Roasted
Salmon & Vegetables
serves 4

1 1/2 pounds of Salmon, into 4 pieces
1 pound of Green Beans, trimmed
Large Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Red Onion, into large chuncks
2 Cloves of Garlic, sliced
1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Butter
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

On a sheet pan, scatter green beans, tomatoes, onion, lemons and sliced garlic.  Drizzle on olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt and toss.  Top with Salmon filets.  Put a lemon slice and bit of butter on each salmon piece, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake in oven at 425 for 20-25 minutes until salmon is cooked thru.  Serve on a platter with sauce from pan drizzled over or on the side.



The next recipe that caught my eye was this Roasted Mushroom and Burrata Crostini.  I need a carb (and usually melty cheese...) with every meal, so this seemed to be the perfect addition to our uber healthy roasted salmon and vegetables.

I started with prepping the vegetables.  The book called for asparagus, but Mike isn't a huge fan, so I used green beans.  I loved the crunch they added overall.  It made the entire meal seem very fresh.

Love the tiny tomatoes on a vine.  They stayed mostly intact during cooking and looked great on the platter and plate - again, perfect for entertaining.

Everything ready to go in!  Not pictured, I added a tablespoon of butter on top of each lemon piece on each salmon.  It oozed over during baking and made gave the salmon a very flavorful crust and added to the 'sauce' that accumulated in the pan.

Don't forget lots of sea salt.

Everything went in the oven and I got out the platters for serving... and waited.

After about 25 minutes everything was perfect.  Veggies and all.

Onto the platter and drizzled the sauce over.

Here is a peak at the burrata with thyme mushrooms on top.  Mike and Emma aren't mushroom people (as much as I try to convince them!), so we did half and half.  Recipe coming tomorrow (or thursday).

Large & Small Essential Sheet Pans are available, here, in my store.

Panko Crusted Salmon in a Brown Sugar Lime Marinade

When I go to the meat & fish counter at my market I always debate between salmon and sea bass, then end up buying a flat iron steak.  Am I the only one that likes the idea of serving fish for dinner, but lacks some really great recipes that I actually want to make again?  It seems like when I do serve it we both agree it was good, but not great.  Therein lies the problem.

Mike's Mom has a great marinade that I use on just about everything.  Recently I was revisiting a Barefoot Contessa recipe (Eli's Asian Salmon) that wasn't a huge hit the first time around.  I realized it was fairly close to Joy's recipe, but with limes instead of lemons and the addition of a panko bread crust that the marinade soaks into.  The real key ingredient is the addition of brown sugar - it turns the salty and sour marinade into a sweet sauce.

Here is another way to use this same marinade - Chicken & Vegetable Kebabs.

I decided to merge the two recipes and came up with a really delicious result.  One that we will actually look forward to making again.  It would be perfect for entertaining as it bakes in the oven for 20 minutes, pull it out when you sit down for salad - let it rest for 15 minutes.  You can take it right to the table to serve.

Panko Crusted Salmon
in a brown sugar lime marinade

2 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice (2-3 limes)
1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste
1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups panko

Place the salmon in a baking dish.  Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Mix together soy, brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, chili paste, green onions, garlic, sesame seeds and ginger.

Press the panko crumbs on top of the salmon.

   Pour the marinade over the salmon and panko.  

Bake at 500 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until it reaches 120 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Remove from oven and cover with foil.  

Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.