Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Grilled Salmon with Potatoes, Snap Peas, and Green Goddess Dressing

LESLIE: If that title doesn’t get your mouth watering, I don’t know what will.

I mean, seriously. Green goddess.

I spotted the original of this terrific recipe in the New York Times, but you’ve heard me say it before—I am virtually incapable of making something as written. Definitely true here. Now, I generally find the NYT recipes pretty reliable, but this one called for broiling the potatoes on a sheet pan, in foil or parchment paper, then nestling the salmon in between in a way that seemed to me like a recipe for both a serious mess and ingredients that finished cooking at different times.

So we turned, as we often do, to the grill on the back deck.

We did roast the potatoes in the oven, but they could be roasted on the grill, too, where, frankly, cooking two ingredients at the same time would be much easier to manage than under the broiler.

As for the fresh herbs, choose what you’ve got on hand. Chives, mint, basil, cilantro, and dill are all good.

That’s part of the beauty of a good recipe, right? Flexibility.

A note about lemon juice: I’ve learned the hard way to start on the low side and adjust. I’ve cut the amount of juice already for this recipe, but I still recommend you start with 1 tablespoon and add more if your tongue says you need it.

My version serves two, although you may have some vegetables and dressing left over. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Serve with a green salad, fresh bread or grilled pita, and a crisp white wine.

Grilled Salmon with Potatoes, Snap Peas, and Green Goddess Dressing

1 pound small new or baby potatoes; if yours are larger, halve or quarter them
olive oil
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1-8 ounce or 2-4 ounce salmon fillets, skinned
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup mixed fresh herbs
1-2 cloves garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces snap peas, trimmed and cut in half, on the bias (about 1 cup)
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
lemon wedges, optional for garnish
fresh parsley or dill, optional for garnish
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat grill to medium-high.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Add the potatoes and toss with oil and seasoning, then spread evenly. Roast until done, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Alternatively, oil and season and grill in a basket or on a perforated grilling sheet.

Rub the fish with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Grill until done, roughly 5 minutes a side.

Make the dressing: Combine the parsley, mixed herbs, garlic, zest, juice, yogurt, and mayonnaise in a small blender, or use a bowl and immersion blender. Puree until thick and consistently green. Taste and add lemon juice if necessary, and season with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are done, place in a large bowl or if you are serving on a tray rather than plates, on the tray. Add the peas and cucumbers and squeeze on a bit of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper and toss.

If you used one salmon fillet, cut in half and place on plates or serving tray. Spoon vegetables along side the fish and dress both vegetables and fish. Top with parsley or dill and lemon wedges, if you’d like.

Enjoy!













From the cover of CHAI ANOTHER DAY, Spice Shop Mystery #4 (Seventh St. Books): 

 Seattle Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece probes murder while juggling a troubled employee, her mother's house hunt, and a fisherman who's set his hook for her.

As owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece is always on the go. Between conjuring up new spice blends and serving iced spice tea to customers looking to beat the summer heat, she finally takes a break for a massage. But the Zen moment is shattered when she overhears an argument in her friend Aimee's vintage home decor shop that ends in murder. 

Wracked by guilt over her failure to intervene, Pepper investigates, only to discover a web of deadly connections that could ensnare a friend - and Pepper herself.

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story, and is now nominated for a Macavity award; read it on her website. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

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6 comments:

  1. Sounds and looks delicious.
    The green goddess against the salmon is particularly pretty.

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  2. This looks wonderful. Thank you. I dont do fish, but my husband does. I can just substitute chicken for myself.

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  3. Oh,, green goddess dressing! Funny how I keep running across things I may have forgotten about but so enjoy.

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    1. Right? It's a classic, but updated here with half yogurt, half mayo to give it a lighter, tangier taste. And so pretty!

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