Panfried Salmon with Broccolini and Orange Sauce

I’ve made this dish twice already and I loved it both times. This will definitely become a favorite on the rotation. I love salmon and as much as I enjoy the ways I’ve made it in the past, finding a new way to prepare an old favorite is never a bad thing. And this recipe is so simple and so quick to make that it will definitely become a “go-to” on those nights where I get a late start on dinner but don’t want to go out and grab something or have something delivered.

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Ingredients:

8 navel oranges
12 ounces broccolini trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon filets

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1. Cut off the tops and bottoms of two oranges. Using a small sharp knife, cut away the peel an white pith from the oranges, following the curve of the oranges form top to bottom. Holding one orange in your hand, and working over a bowl, make 2 cuts along the membranes on either side of a segment, then lift the segment out of the membranes and drop it into the bowl. Repeat to remove all the segments from both oranges. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to release as much juice as possible and discard them. Pour the accumulated juices into a 2-cup measuring cup; set the segments aside. Squeeze enough juice from the remaining 6 oranges to make 2 cups total juice.
   
2. Pour the orange juice into a wide heavy saucepan and boil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
   
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccolini and cook for about 2 minutes, or just until it is bright green and tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
   
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the pan, add the broccolini, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
5. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, then add the salmon and cook, turning the salmon over half-way through cooking, for about 3 minutes per side, or until it is mostly opaque, with a rosy center when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a small knife. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 2 minutes.
   
6. Divide the broccolini among four dinner plates and top with the salmon fillets. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into the orange juice reduction and drizzle over and around the salmon. Garnish with the orange segments and serve.

Weeknight Salmon with Baby New Potatoes and Fresh Dill

Magnolia Table – Volume 2
Joanne Gaines

Once again, I wanted to try this recipe for a new twist on an old favorite.  We love salmon in our house.  But sometimes you need to switch things up and cook an old favorite in a different way.  It was good and we definitely enjoyed it.  But it needed a little more *oomph* for my liking.  So next time I might play around with a few of the ingredients and see if that works.

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Ingredients:

1 pound baby new potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 skin-on salmon filets, 1½ inches thick (about 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Meyer lemons
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

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1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, olive oil, and ½ teaspoon each of the garlic salt and kosher salt.  Arrange the potatoes on one end of a nonstick sheet pan or a sheet pan lined with foil.
3. Roast until the potatoes are tender and golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes, turning them once with a spatula during cooking.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the pepper, paprika, onion powder, and remaining ½ teaspoon each garlic salt and kosher salt.
5. Cut two 1-inch long, ¼-inch-deep slits in the fleshy side of each fillet for the butter and seasonings to seep in.  Place the salmon fillets on the empty side of the sheet pan, skid side down.  Drizzle the melted butter over the salmon and potatoes.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the top.  Cut a lemon in half and squeeze both halves over the entire sheet pan, capturing the seeds in your hand.
6. Bake until the salmon flakes with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Cut the remaining lemon into 4 wedges. Sprinkle the salmon and potatoes with the dill and parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
8. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days.

 

So how would I tweak this?  Maybe a little more salt and some fresh garlic instead of garlic salt.  Then I might try a little more lemon fresh squeezed lemon juice.  All in all, it was good, but for my tastes, it needs a little more… but don’t let me stop you from trying it!

Honey-Soy Salmon

The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Come and Get It!
Ree Drummond

So it’s been a minute…  🙂   But I’m finally back.  Things have been super busy around here, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  BUT…  when I need to de-stress, I cook.  And while there hasn’t been much time to try new recipes and share them, I decided to make the time today.  Besides…  got the new Pioneer Woman cookbook and I got excited browsing through the recipes and had to try a few.  So…  I’m baaaaaaack!  😁

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Now that you know where I’ve been, let’s talk about this recipe…

I love salmon.  And for the longest time, I’ve been making it poached, with lemon and seasoned with salt, pepper, etc… and it’s simple and really good.  But sometimes you just need to switch things up.  Until now, I haven’t come across a recipe that’s been interesting enough to try.  And then I came across this delightful concoction.  It is so simple to make and absolutely delicious. 😊

I know I normally take photos during the preparation, but this was a spur of the moment thing so I just took photos of the finished product.  I’ll get back on track next time.  

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Ingredients:

3 limes (2 for juice zest and juice and 1 for garnish/more juice)
2 cups cooked rice
Two 6-ounce salmon fillets (skin on/off is your choice)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving

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Zest 2 of the limes into the rice and stir to incorporate.  Set aside.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper.  In a non-stick skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat.  Place the salmon skin side down (if you left the skin on) in the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the surface.  Carefully flip to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove the salmon to a plate while you make the sauce.

Back in the same skillet, melt the butter.  Add the honey, the soy sauce, and the juice from the two zested limes.  Cook the sauce over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until it’s bubbling and thick.  Taste and adjust the flavors, adding more soy sauce or lime juice if it needs it.  Cook for another minute or two if the sauce needs thickening.

Return the salmon to the skillet and spoon the sauce all over the top.

Pile some of the lime rice onto a dinner plate and add one of the salmon fillets on top.  Spoon on some sauce.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with a lime wedge.

Octopus and Potato Salad

Lidia’s Favorite Recipes
Lidia Bastianich

I love octopus.  Sometimes I eat it plain, just boiled with a little salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice.  Other times, I make it in a salad and add other ingredients to shake things up a little.  But any way I decide to make it, I always enjoy it.  I haven’t made this particular salad in quite some time simply because I forgot about it.  But it was very good and I had every intention of making it again.  So I guess I will at some point.  When I remember to buy some octopus, that is…  

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Ingredients:
2-3 pound octopus, cleaned
1 wine cork
2 fresh bay leaves, or 3 dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium Idaho potatoes, whole
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Lemon wedges for garnish

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Place the octopus, wine cork, bay leaves, and salt and pepper in a large pot.  Cover generously with water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, and cook the octopus at a vigorous simmer until tender but slightly al dente, about 25 minutes.  (Test periodically by inserting the tines of a fork into the thickest part of the octopus.  It is done when the form penetrates easily and can be removed with only a little resistance.)

Meanwhile, cover the potatoes with cold water in a second pot, and bring to a boil.  Cook about 25 minutes, until just tender, then cool, peel and cut them into 1-inch cubes.

Drain the octopus, discarding the bay leaves and cork.  Cut the tentacles away where they join the head.  Clean the octopus head, which looks like a pouch the size of your fist, by squeezing out the core with your fingers, and cut the meat into thin slices.  Cut the tentacles into inch-long pieces, and toss the octopus pieces with the warm potatoes.  Toss with the olive oil, red-wine vinegar, onion, and parsley.  Place on a plate, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve.