4 June 2016
Welcome friends. In the midwest, we get a lot of rain in the spring. Lately, when it rains, I've been thinking about what one of the space station astronauts said. Someone asked him what he missed most about Earth after having been in space for a year. He said the rain. It made me think back to when I was a kid and rainy days where fun. I don't know when, exactly, but over time rain got a bad rap with me. Maybe it was all the times I got caught in the rain on my bike. That astronaut's statement has made me appreciate the rain more. I took the picture above as I was walking home after a rain shower. There was something about the light and the way the water collected on the leaves that was jewel-like.
I like the pairing of this dish: the sweetness of the strawberries; the peppery bite of the arugula; and the buttery flavor of the salmon. I like to cook salmon in the spring and summer. It cooks fast and makes for a quick meal. Most of the time, I purchase sockeye because it has a bold and slightly gamey flavor. Coho tends to be much more expensive and taste milder. But for a couple of weeks every year the price of Coho drops by about half. That is when I pull out this recipe. For me, six ounces is about the right size for a serving. So, a pound of salmon is about three servings.
The taste of strawberries resonates of Spring for me. As I've mentioned in some other posts, I like to make liqueurs. I've tried to make liqueur with fresh strawberries several times but I haven't had success. There is something vibrant about them that I haven't been able to capture. I think it has made me appreciate them more. I throw them on everything at the start of Spring. I use my honey balsamic dressing, that I make for my winter salad, on this salad.
Salmon and Strawberries
15 min. prep time | 25 min. bake time | 5 min. cool time
Ingredients
serves 3
- for the salmon
- 1 lb salmon fillet, preferably coho
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 tsp champaign vinegar
- 1 tsp mirin
- fresh ground pepper
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 Cup sliced almonds
- for the dressing
- 1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp tamari (reduced sodium)
- fresh cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 12 fresh strawberries
- 2 Cups arugula
- 1 fennel, optional
- 1/2 Tbl olive oil, optional
- 1 tsp butter, optional
Directions
preheat the oven to 350° F.
drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and spread it around with your fingers. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the baking sheet. Make a glaze by combining the oil, vinegar, mirin, and pepper. Brush the top of the salmon with the glaze and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Cover the top of the salmon with the almond slices. If you are using fennel, melt the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Chop the fennel bulb into small strips and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the fennel to the sheet pan. Reserve a few of the fennel fronds for garnishing the fish.
place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. The salmon should be firm and cooked through.
combine the olive oil, balsamic, tamari, and a little fresh cracked pepper in a small bowl and whisk a few times. Add the mustard and honey to the bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are combined and the dressing has thickened a little, this should take a minute or two. Set aside.
cover the serving dish with the arugula. Drizzle some of the dressing over the greens. Stem the strawberries and cut them into halves. Set them aside until the fish is plated.
remove the salmon from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to the plate and surround it with the strawberry slices. Drizzle the strawberries with the dressing. Add a few of the fennel fronds and serve.