If you’ve been following my blog, you know I prefer simple, easy-to-prepare dishes. I like food to look simple and not be fussy. That’s why you won’t see any “essence of,” “foam,” or time-consuming reductions included in my recipes. The only thing I ever reduce is balsamic vinegar, and that’s because it’s nearly foolproof, fairly quick, and adds such a nice touch to roasted fruits or types of bruschetta.
In fact, the only thing that complicates my recipes, would be my substitution of flours. Since I’m always trying to add nutrition, texture and flavor to things, I often substitute several whole-grain flours for all-purpose (i.e., one ingredients becomes three or four). In my defense, I only do it for the sake of my health (and yours!).
For a while now, I have wanted to post a series of quick dinner ideas. I’m constantly scanning various publications (Sunset, Real Simple to name a couple) looking for fast and easy dinner recipes. I considered titling this series “20-Minute,” but experience has proven that many dishes you can prepare in 20 minutes or less are so basic they’re bland and boring. So I bumped up the time to 30–primarily to allow a little wiggle room. Most of the recipes require less than 20 minutes of actual work, but including the cooking time, they make take closer to 30.
This salmon dish is easy, quick to prepare and tasty. It also offers a great combination of colors and textures–one thing I always look for in a main dish. You can serve it with a tossed salad on the side.
Ingredients
3/4 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes (I use baby reds or yukon golds)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion slices into thin rings
1 red (and/or yellow) bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp capers
Salt and pepper to taste
“Barbecue” Spice Mixture
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh-ground pepper
2 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillets, about 1-inch thick
Preparation
Heat oven to 450F.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 8 minutes so they’re partially cooked; drain and set aside.
In a large ovenproof skillet (cast-iron preferred), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and give it a good stir. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until softened. Add cooked potatoes, capers and salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste, and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.
Stir together the ingredients for the spice mixture in a low, wide bowl. Coat the fillet with the mixture on both sides. Place the fillets on top of the potatoes and peppers and place the skillet in the oven. Roast approximately 20 minutes, or until the fillets are firm to the touch. After removing from the oven, allow everything to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 2.
Enjoy!
So when are you going to invite me over for dinner?
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So this is the problem with a name like John Anderson… Provided you are THE John Anderson of careers past, you are ALWAYS welcome to dinner.
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You made this very creative photograph! The presentation of your food is always lovely!
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Thanks for your comment, Robin. I’ve been making this dish for over 10 years, but only recently thought to post it. I don’t think the photographs came out as well as I had hoped… Salmon IS pink, but for goodness sake–it looks even pinker in my photos.
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