Friday, November 12, 2010

Walnut dill crusted salmon

Some people get sweet cravings, I get fish cravings. It started at lunch when I was thinking of what to cook for dinner. Luckily I remembered that I had bought a frozen salmon fillet from Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago. Since the age of 12, I've had a shellfish allergy. It was quite a plague as I loved lobster, crab and shrimp. Growing up in the South of France, near the Mediterranean Sea, my family ate a lot of fish and shellfish. When my allergy developed and worsened, my dad made it a point to buy me salmon when he'd buy shrimp for the rest of the family. I've loved it ever since.

Fish is usually fast and easy to cook. It's easy to overcook so one has to pay attention during the cooking process. I took my unfrozen salmon, laid it on a baking sheet lined by aluminium foil. Sprinkled it some olive oil, crushed walnuts and chopped dill. I had a family recipe that I had been using for years for my salmon but it called for bread crumbs and butter. I wanted a nice crust for my fish so thought of using nuts. Walnuts are very nutritious and they have one of the best omega 6 to omega 3 ratios. Dill pairs great with fish. I baked the salmon for about 20 min in a 350 degree oven. 



I wanted to keep the side dishes simple to keep the salmon as the center of the dish. I tossed arugula salad with flaxseed oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder and some pine nuts and I roasted some brussel sprouts for about 15 min. After the first 8 min of roasting the brussel sprouts, I added some water to the pan, and cover it to let the brussel sprouts steam. The complete dinner took about 30 min: 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. You can serve this dish hot or cold. It makes a very good brown bad next day lunch. 

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