This is a great, quick weeknight dinner that seems much more time-consuming and fancy than it is. It’s also light and healthy. People often ask me how do I have time to cook? Well I want to eat good food and I make the time. But with practice, you get quicker too. This dinner, even with setting up and making the video, took one hour. So without the video you could easily do this in 45 minutes. And really, most of my recipes here in this blog are like that. I may put more hours into a dish on the weekends or certainly for a special birthday dinner but even weekend dinners may just have more oven time, not active time. I am all about making gourmet meals in quick time!
SESAME AND CURRY CRUSTED SALMON WITH TOMATO SALAD – adapted from Grace Parisi – Food & Wine Magazine
– serves 4
1 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1.5 lb. center-cut, salmon fillet, with skin
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbs. plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or Campari tomatoes, quartered
1/2 serrano or jalepeno chile, minced with seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a spice grinder, combine the sesame seeds, curry powder and crushed red pepper and pulse until coarsely ground. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, brush one side of the fillet with 1 tablespoon of the Dijon mustard and coat with the ground sesame seed mixture.
In a large, ovenproof, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the salmon, coated side down, and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the salmon. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through. Transfer the salmon to a platter.
In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the remaining 1 tsp. of mustard and 1 tbs. of olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, chile and cilantro and toss. Cut the salmon into 4 pieces and serve right away with the tomato salad.
I have this theory, with no scientific basis, but I think fish skin is good for you – and when it’s hot and crispy, it sure tastes good to me.
I served this with some steamed Basmati rice and sautéed mustard greens with roasted garlic.