Zesty Cook » lemon

Simple Pan Seared Salmon

zesty — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:49:18 +0000

Good day to you! Sometimes dinners can be rushed and you need a quick and easy solution but still keep the food “somewhat” healthy. Today’s feature is dead easy and if I might add quite tasty. I might be biased as I love salmon – especially fresh Atlantic salmon.

However, any salmon will work and be just as yummy. It is all about the flavoring combination and individual taste buds. For this dish I went with a lemon dill combination hit with a little heat of the red pepper flakes. Over the years, I have cooked salmon in many different ways whether it be roasted, poached, grilled or as today – just a simple pan sear.

I will not get into the specifics but I will say… 8 mins to salmon! Hello…. that is faster than grabbing dirty bird on the way home.

Ingredients

4 Pieces of Salmon
Onion flakes, or powder
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of Dill, dried
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp. Butter
Juice of Lemon
Drizzle of olive oil

Method

Bring a sauce pan up to medium high heat.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, leaving out the lemon and rub it all over the salmon.
Add half the butter and the olive oil to the preheated pan and lay the salmon in the pan.
No need to move the salmon in the pan. let it get a nice sear about 3-4 minutes.
Once the sear is achieved, flip the salmon and let cook 2 more minutes on the other side.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the other half of the butter and the juice from the lemon.
Let reduce to a little sauce to drizzle over the salmon upon serving.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By adding a little bit of olive oil to the butter in the pan, it prevents the butter from burning as the oil has a higher heat tolerance than butter. It also adds a nice flavor to the slamon.

OK well another recipe complete. Now you just have to go make it and tell me if it was thumbs up or down. If it was mediocre you can tell me it was thumbs sideways. Zesty Junior started that the last couple of years… I find it funny. The most recent was on the blueberry muffins. Hey Dad, ” something about these tastes weird, I give them thumbs sideways”. Haha what a cat.

Talk to you all on Friday – whooo hoooo. have a super day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

Roasted Salmon w/ Lemon Relish

zesty — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:25:17 +0000

Whooo Hoooo – I am back home! But it is cold…. damn weather and only to get worse. I might have something that you can whip up and warm up for those cool evenings. How many of us are busy as a beaver and feel we make up excuses to eat healthy? Pick me Pick me… but with this simple salmon dish, you are in and out of the kitchen in 15 minutes, eating on the couch or table and happy as a clam.

For those of you who are not fans of salmon this will work with any protein for the most part. White fish, chicken, pork, tofu – you name it it will taste great. The dish is all about the relish. The freshness of lemon, combined with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunch of the almonds.

Ingredients

4 Salmon portions
1 Clove of garlic
1 tbsp. Balsamic
3 Tbsp. Raisins
1/4 cup Almonds, toasted
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Fresh Tarragon
Salt and Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly rub olive oil, salt and pepper over salmon. Roast in the oven about 8 minutes per inch of thickness
In a large pan, add remaining olive oil to pan. Saute garlic and shallot until translucent about 4 minutes.
Add balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, raisins and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Finish the relish with the toasted almonds.
Top the salmon with the relish, tarragon and serve over salad.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Try not to overcook the salmon. The last thing you want is dry overcooked salmon. If you want a little more lemon flavor you can cook the salmon in a little bit of the lemon juice to cook the salmon.

Alright, I have a busy day of catch up at the office. I will talk to you all on Wednesday but until then have a good start to your week and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

Chicken Curry w/ Spinach Lemon Cous Cous

zesty — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:58:33 +0000

Happy Friday to you! I have about 8 minutes to complete this post and than head to the office so bear with me for the quick and simple low down on how to make tender chicken legs with little to no effort. Slow roasting food, all be it takes some patience, but it is definitely one of my favorite things to do. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the bbq, the broiler and of course pan searing – but there is something about the slow roasting technique that really gets me cranked up.

The smell fills the room, people around you get happy and the reward at the end of the wait is well…. worth it! Last Sunday I had some chicken legs thawing on the counter without a whole lot of ideas bouncing thru my head as to how I was going to prepare them. A coated potato chip crust, went thru my head and left. A simple dry roast with some herbs came and left and then I realized that I had some curry paste left in the fridge.

Curry and mustard with some dried oregano and lemon zest was screaming my name. I ran to the fridge – well probably just walked quickly and gathered my lemon, the curry paste and mustard. Quickly turned the corner and grabbed the oregano and I was set. Ripped down a roasting pan, grabbed a bowl and open the chicken legs like someone with a fluffy tail was chasing me.

I had this concoction ready to go before I even preheated the oven. Oh so easy… Oh so good. As it was just finishing up, I tossed in some cous cous and threw in a little chopped spinach and lemon to compliment the chicken and let it cook. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Toss it with a fork and garnish with some green onion.

I will be honest here, as I pretty much always am…. I don’t like cous cous but Mrs. Zesty loved it. Needless to say she had the left overs.

Ingredients

8-10 Chicken drumsticks
2 Tbsp. Curry paste
1 Tbsp. Mustard
Splash of soy sauce
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1/4 Cup water
zest of a lemon
juice of a lemon
Cracked black pepper
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Onion, peeled and chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Assemble chicken in roasting pan, add carrots and onions
In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients and toss over chicken and vegetables
Cook uncovered for about 90 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and the chicken to caramelize.
Remove from heat and serve with your favorite side dish.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you find the sauce too thick just add a little water before tossing it in with the chicken. You want the sauce to pour easily. Be sure to baste the chicken during cooking maybe 2-3 times.

Alright, so last day of work before a holiday weekend and lots to get finished up. I hope you have a great day and you know what next week means. Turkey ideas and leftovers for all…. and maybe a recap of the infamous turkey day at the zesty in-laws. Talk on Monday!

Take care

zesty