This to me is such a classic dish, yet it is soo good and can be altered for many different outcomes and flavor profiles. To me, this would be perfect to eat on a date night with a good white wine, it is very light and healthy. Also since many do not know this about me yet, I am very interested in the role that food plays in health, so in this dish you are getting omega-3 fatty acid from the salmon. Most of the omega-3’s are present in the skin, which is why I keep it on (it also tastes very good when you get a piece of the crispy skin with the mash).
Vegetables
The vegetables included in this dish are onions, garlic, potatoes and asparagus. I prefer to use Vidalia or Spanish onions for this dish, simply because of that subtle sweetness it has. I slice these and allow them to get some color by caramelizing them. Meanwhile I blanch my halved asparagus in salted water, then finish it in the pan with the onions with a little butter to add richness.
My potatoes of choice are waxy potatoes, they are high in moisture and less starchy. To be exact I usually shoot for Yukon Gold potatoes because of their flavor. For the potatoes you first will have to peel them, then dice them into small uniform pieces, this way they cook faster. Then you are going to strain them and add your cream, parmesan and garlic.
Most would typically garnish this dish with a fresh or dried herb like parsley, but this particular day I had a feel for citrus, so I topped the salmon with freshly grated lemon.
Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
| Fresh, skin on salmon | 2, 6 oz pieces of salmon |
| Yukon, or any waxy potato | 2-3 Yukon potatoes, peeled |
| Heavy Cream | 2 oz heavy cream |
| Minced garlic | 2 tsp garlic |
| Spanish or Vidalia onion | 1 large onion, sliced |
| Asparagus | 6 spears, halved |
| Salt | TT ( To taste) |
| Pepper | TT (To taste) |
| Garlic powder | 1 Tbsp |
| Thyme | 2 sprigs |
| Butter | 1 Tbsp |
| olive oil | as needed |
| Lemon | 2 quarters |
Instructions
- Get the salmon and hold it with one hand while scraping in the opposite direction of the scales over the sink to remove the scales. You can fill your sink with water and do it under water to avoid a mess of scales everywhere.
- Put the salmon in a container and season all sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh thyme, then refrigerate
- peel potatoes, and dice them, then place them in a pot and cover them with cold water. Add salt and bring to medium high heat. Cook until they are soft and a fork goes through easily.
- Peel and slice onions, Cut asparagus in half. Get a pot of salted water boiling and add the asparagus. Cook the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes and then take it out and place it in a bowl of ice water.
- When the potatoes have finished cooking, strain them and put them back in the pot on low heat. Add the heavy cream, minced garlic, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste, mash the ingredients together and add more heavy cream if you want it creamier.
- Get a pan and add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, turn it on medium heat. Place the salmon in once the oil gets hot, skin side first. Cook on the skin side for 2-3 minutes and then gently flip and cook on all four sides. (Tip: after cooking you can keep the food items in the oven on 170 F, to keep them warm while waiting for the other components)
- Get a pan with olive oil and cook the sliced onions on low heat until they start to brown, then add the asparagus and sauté on medium heat. After this, assemble all of the ingredients on a plate and grate frsh lemon zest on top.
Tips:
- If you want to make a sauce with this dish, the sauce I did was a pineapple- cilantro sauce. It can easily be made by simmering pineapple juice, adding fresh chopped cilantro and then finishing with a little butter
- MISE EN PLACE – this is one of the most important preparations, get your ingredients out before you start cooking, that way you are not running around looking for stuff, next thing you know your salmon burns.
- GET CREATIVE – you can switch it up to your liking, it is for you after all. Add your favorite seasoning to it and see how it tastes
Brainstorm:
Here is my little segment where I brainstorm a dish, this time around I will share some thoughts on how I personally would do this dish differently. If I had a feel for an Indian taste, I would season the salmon with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric. Instead of using regular olive oil I would infuse the oil with ginger and chili peppers. Instead of the Yukon potatoes, I’d make a sweet potato puree with hints of coriander, and a vegetable medley of corn, diced tomatoes, bell peppers and onions.
Picture a white plate, with a spread of the light orange sweet potato puree, on top of that in the center is the colorful vegetable medley, above that is the beautifully seared and flavorful salmon. I can picture this dish so clearly in my head and am now actually eager to try making it, I can smell the aroma of the infused oil as I am heating it up for the salmon. Ah, the mind is such a vast thing, there is so much undiscovered that we can create.
Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Please share this with your family and friends and look forward to my next food blog!
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