Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Citrus-Basil Salmon

We have been on a mojor seafood kick lately (probably because preparing chicken grosses me out right now) and this is one of the all-time best seafood recipes I have found. It was from Eating Well magazine, so as you serve it to your family you can be brimming with pride that you are serving a really easy, delicious and healthy meal. Or, at least you won't feel bad when you eat something fattening and delicious for desert!

We serve with lemon pepper rice and a veggie. You can also convert this recipe to work with chicken but make sure to marinade it for 15 minutes or longer since it takes more time to soak in the flavor - we did ours on the grill and it was yummy too).

2 Tbsp. basil olive oil (since I don't have any of this, I just mixed some chopped fresh basil in with regular olive oil and it worked great)
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (bottled works fine too, but fresh is more flavorful)
4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (bottled works fine too, but fresh is more flavorful)
1 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest (you can do without it, but again it is more flavorful with)
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest (you can do without it, but again it is more flavorful with)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 7-8oz. salmon filets (I use about 1/2 of a giant filet from Costco)
Garnish: julienned strips of fresh basil leaves, lemon zest and lime zest

In a large shallow dish*, whisk 1 Tbsp. basil olive oil, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. lime juice 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest, 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Add salmon to dish, turning to coat filets.

Spray large non-stick pan with cooking spray. Heat over med-high. Add salmon, rounded side down and cook 4 minutes. Turn and cook 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness.

Spoon remaining ingredients over filets, dividing evenly. Add garnish.

(*I have followed the recipe exactly as it says and my own "lazy" way and both turn out about the same. Now, I always do it the "lazy" way, which is: mix the full amounts of basil olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, lime zest, salt and pepper in a salad dressing shaker and shake until mixed. Pour 2/3 of mixture into a shallow baking dish and add filets, turning to coat. After cooking according to directions above, pour the remaining mixture over the filets and then garnish and serve.)

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