What's cooking this weekend.

A healthy trio of pan seared salmon on a bed of lemon pasta topped with a sweet and savory vinaigrette. This salmon dish is a fantastic healthy meal. Each of the components play off of each other with Mediterranean inspired flavors that break the rule that “eating healthy can’t be fun and taste great”. The real key to making this dish great is fresh ingredients and simple techniques that can be used in a variety of other dishes.

What makes this meal so inviting is the combination of a variety of textures and flavors that don’t over power, and never feel heavy. Toasty crusted salmon, brightened by lemon, capers, and garlic; sweetened by balsamic vinegar and tomatoes make this one of my favorite weekend dishes.

WHAT TO BUY:
Fresh is the goal here I can’t stress this enough. Do your self a favor, visit your local grocery store the same day you plan to make this meal. Do not substitute with bottled lemon, dried herbs or frozen fish. There is a time and place for those items, and now isn’t the time.

TOOLS REQUIRED:
Your basic kitchen tools are needed, but nothing special is required. Grab your favorite pan or skillet and utensils. I prefer to use a set of tongs for working with the salmon. You will need a shallow pan for roasting cherry tomatoes, a large bowl with a lid or cover, and a pot for cooking pasta.

TECHNIQUE:

INGREDIENTS:
2lbs Salmon (four 8oz pieces)
salt / fresh ground pepper
olive oil

pasta
1 lb Whole Wheat Pasta
2 cups of fresh spinach
8 fresh basil leaves, cut in to ribbons (Chiffonade)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tbsp capers, lightly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil

vinaigrette

1. First, begin roasting the cherry tomatoes. Since roasting the cherry tomatoes will take some time, and will be used at the end to deglaze the pan they can be prepared ahead of time. Start by preheating your oven to 375′F. Next, toss the tomatoes in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Place them on to a small baking dish, dust them with a pinch of salt & pepper, and place them in the oven on the top rack. Allow the tomatoes to cook for about 20 minutes or until the skins start to wrinkle and darken. When the tomatoes are finished, remove from the oven and set them aside.
2. While the tomatoes roast, start preparing the pasta sauce. Using a large bowl, big enough to hold the finished pasta; in the bottom of the bowl add the juice of one lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, and capers. Hold off on adding the basil, and spinach until later, they will be incorporated at the end.
3. Next, we will begin searing the salmon. If you have never done a pan sear before I suggest watching this excellent video above. If you follow this technique, you will have fantastic results.Preheat your pan to a medium to medium high heat, each stove top and pan will vary. While preheating your pan, it is a great time to start the water for cooking the pasta. The pasta and salmon generally take the same amount of time (about 8 minutes).
4. When the pan is ready, coat the pan with olive oil, salt and pepper the salmon. I try to be pretty generous with the salt and pepper, if you have a nice thick piece of salmon don’t be afraid to give it a good coating. Cook the salmon approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Avoid moving the salmon around the pan, and no peeking. Remove the finished salmon (Tip: If you are still waiting on pasta to cook, you can place the salmon on a tray in the oven it should still be warm from roasting the tomatoes.) To the pan add the roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley and olive oil. Stir the tomatoes together and give them a light mash. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
5. While cooking the salmon, you should also be cooking the pasta per the directions on the box. When the pasta is ready, remove about a half cup of the pasta water and add it to the prepared sauce. Next, drain the pasta and to the sauce bowl. Add the spinach and basil, mix well and the cover the bowl. Let the pasta stand covered while you finish cooking the salmon or at least 5 minutes before serving. This time will allow the hot pasta to cook the garlic, bring out oils from the lemon zest and wilt the spinach.
6. To serve, place a serving of pasta on a plate, stack the salmon on top, and add a generous spoon full of vinaigrette to salmon.

Enjoy the different combinations of salmon, pasta, and vinaigrette. This is one recipe you can feel good about, even if it tastes like you should feel guilty!

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