salmon with tarragon mustard glaze

I'm finally back in my own kitchen after 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. Instead of my normal flurry of kitchen activity after a trip, which usually ensues after I've missed cooking for a while, I've been completely laid out with jet lag. It's especially bad since I've had 3 new cooking magazines to look through, and have about 200 recipes tagged to try.

The only thing I've had energy to cook is this roast salmon from Bon Appetit. And if there's anything getting up from a semi-comatose state on the couch for, it would be this salmon. Tangy yet sweet, slightly crispy on the outside, it's just perfect. The recipe calls for a 3 pound side of salmon, but I only cooked a pound (so I only made a half batch of sauce - enough for A to have extra so he could pretend he wasn't eating salmon).

Grocery list: 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard, 3 T each finely chopped chives and tarragon, zest of 1 lemon, juice from half a lemon, 1 T brown sugar.



Mix all the ingredients for the sauce.



Place the salmon (skin-side down) on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.



Spoon just enough sauce over the salmon to cover the top of the fish - about one third of the total sauce. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the inside is opaque and flakes easily. Serve with the extra sauce.

grilled salmon with basil aioli

What I'm about to tell you is a true story, and hopefully no one will get in trouble for it... The other day my neighbor, who works for a major airline here in Atlanta, knocked frantically on my door. She was holding a plastic bag and practically jumping with excitement. What's was in the bag? Fresh salmon fillets, each about 3 pounds, that were flown in that morning from Alaska. Why was she holding them? Because the crate they were flown in on (via a competing airline) had fallen to the ground during cargo unloading, and my neighbor was kind enough (devious enough?) to sneak several fillets away before the competition noticed they were missing. She was generous enough to share one of these with me. I have to say that it was, hands down, the best piece of salmon I have ever had. I just grilled it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and made this basil aioli featured in July's Bon Appetit. On the side I made grilled polenta squares and a little caprese salad (to use up an avocado and some extra tomato and mozzarella I had leftover). It was the perfect summer meal.

Grocery list: salmon fillet (2-3 pounds), mayo, anchovy paste, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, worcestershire. For the avocado caprese, tomatoes, basil, avocado, mozzarella, balsamic, good quality olive oil. For the polenta cakes, just polenta and parmesan.



The original recipe calls for making your own mayo as the base for this aioli. Considering my past disasters with attempting homemade mayo, I decided to pass on this extra step and use good old-fashioned hellman's. Mix together one cup of mayo mixed with a few T of chopped basil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp each of red wine vinegar and worcestershire, plus 1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste, mixed together with a dash of hot sauce.



On the side, I made a simple grilled polenta. Cook your polenta according to the package directions, season well with salt & pepper, then spread into a thin layer in a pan, about an inch thick. Make sure you brush the pan with olive oil well first; then allow the polenta to harden as it cools (refrigerate to speed up the process). Invert the pan over a cutting board, cut into squares, brush with more olive oil, then grill over med-high heat.



I also cubed some leftover mozzarella, an heirloom tomato and an avocado, plus a handful of torn basil leaves. Tossed with some good olive oil and a few drops of balsamic, this made a great contrast in texture to the polenta and salmon.

salmon with agrodolce sauce

Why have I never heard of this before? A rich syrupy balsamic sauce ready in 15 minutes, served over perfectly cooked salmon fillets? Healthy, delicious, and I can make it in 30 minutes - my dream recipe. I found this in Gourmet magazine (April 2008), and hung on to it because I've been saying for a while I'm going to start eating salmon more often. A is quite the carnivore, and has been diligently trying (and liking, much to my surprise) different white fish recipes, but he has sworn he hates salmon. Last night I made the salmon for me, and a pitiful little baked barbeque chicken cutlet for him, in the hopes that my dish would be so tempting he'd convert. He tried it, and while he claims it's the "best bite of salmon" he's ever tasted, he says he still hates it. Oh well, at least this dish is simple and fast enough I won't feel bad making it just for one...

Grocery list: salmon fillets (the recipe says it makes enough sauce for 4 fillets), 2 medium red onions, balsamic vinegar, sugar.



Start by prepping the salmon -- pat it dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. In a nonstick skillet, heat 1-2 T of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the salmon, skin-side UP, for 12-15 minutes, till the underside has a crisp crust. Flip and cook on the skin-side for 3 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through (my fillet did not have skin, and was pretty thick, so it took a full 8 minutes - I really liked having the crispiness on both sides).



Meanwhile, slice the onions into wedges, and cook in a separate skillet over medium-high heat (in 1-2 T of olive oil) for 8 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.



Pour in 2/3 cup of balsamic, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 2 minutes -- it will reduce down to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and stir in 1 T of butter.



Spoon some of the sauce onto your plate, top with salmon (and pour any extra sauce right on top - you won't want to waste it!).