A Month-of-Mediterranean: Salmon on Asparagus

What could be heart-healthier, on this day of the heart, than another salmon recipe? There are so many preparation options, thank goodness, since this is the fish we eat most often. The sheet pan dinner makes clean-up easier for you and your sweetie, too.

Top the meal off with a dessert with a kick, Chocolate Chia Pudding.

Salmon on Asparagus (serves 2)

2 salmon steaks

2 small potatoes, cut in chunks

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound of asparagus, woody ends trimmed off

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Sea salt

½ lemon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Toss the potatoes with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Toss again with salt and garlic powder. Place on one end of baking sheet. Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

Massage remaining olive oil onto asparagus spears and place on other end of baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt.

 

Place salmon steaks on top of asparagus and drizzle on lemon juice.

Put back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until salmon flakes.

Salt and pepper to taste at table.

Yep, dessert is another one of those recipes that isn’t from the Mediterranean region but is consistent with Mediterranean Diet principles. Honey or maple syrup as sweeteners are acceptable in the Mediterranean Diet and are preferable to white sugar. 

Chia seeds are tiny black seeds from the plant Salvia hispanica, which is related to mint. Chia seeds were an important food for the Aztecs and Mayans back in the day. They prized them for their ability to provide sustainable energy. In fact, "chia" is the ancient Mayan word for "strength."

 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (serves 2)

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup chia seeds

2 strawberries

In medium bowl, mix milk with cocoa powder, and honey.

Blend thoroughly. Add chia seeds and blend well.

Refrigerate overnight (or at least 8 hours) in bowl or in individual serving dishes. If you want a smoother pudding, process in your blender until you get the texture you like.

Cut strawberries into fan shape and top the pudding before serving.

DH’s Rating: Fish—4 Tongues Up; Chocolate Chia Pudding—3 Tongues Up

“This was good, but kinda bland. I like your other salmon recipes more.” The pudding got a different response. “This was too bland, too. You know I don’t like chia pudding. Why do you keep serving it to me?” Uh, because you like chocolate, and because this is good for you. Next time I’ll put in cayenne pepper and cinnamon. I’ll bet he’ll like it then.

Month-of-One-Pan Meals: Pecan-Crusted Salmon

Welcome to my annual Month-of Recipes on this blog. Go rummaging in the attic here and you’ll find past recipe months for appetizers, chicken, soup, mini-desserts, and more. The way it works is, for each day in February I post a recipe that fits the category. This month is one-pan meals, excluding pizza, most casseroles, and slow cooker recipes.

Like most Americans, we’re trying to get more fish into our meal rotation. Fish not only has all the nutrition stuff going for it, but it cooks quickly. And, while not quite as versatile as chicken, most folks don’t try many new things with fish so they get tired of it.

Years ago, at the Green Valley Grill in North Carolina, I had my first bite of Pecan-Crusted Trout. Delicious! Melt-in-the-mouth delicious. Linger-on-the-tongue delicious. So I had to give it a go myself. Here is one of the ways I now serve salmon. The problem I face is DH. He loves my ginger-orange-lemon grass-soy marinade for salmon so much, I have trouble getting him to venture out! But I persist!

I adapted this recipe for Pecan Crusted Oven Baked Salmon and it was wonderful! I think you’ll agree!

Pecan-Crusted Salmon (2 servings)

1 sweet potato, cut in coins

½ pound Brussels Sprouts, cut in half

10 baby potatoes, halved

1 piece bacon, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil for coating vegetables

Coarse sea salt and pepper to taste

2 salmon fillets

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon dill weed

½ cup pecan halves, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

After cutting vegetables, put sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes in a zipper bag with oil, sea salt, and pepper. Massage to coat.

Place vegetables on the baking sheet, leaving empty space for salmon later. Add bacon

pieces to top of Brussels sprouts.

Place in oven to cook while preparing salmon. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle salmon with sea salt and pepper and set aside.

Mix chopped pecans with butter, garlic, and dill in a small bowl.

When vegetables come out, place the salmon in the open space, top with pecan mixture, and put back in the oven.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the salmon flakes easily.

Serve immediately. 

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

“This is really good. I like the crunch of the nuts, that’s different. Very tasty. But, next time, can you make it the old way again?”

I must have given a look because he then said, “But it’s good to try something new, right?”