Monday, March 23, 2009

The Best Salmon



Giada De Laurentiis is one of my very favorite Food Network personalities, but that wasn't always the case. When I first watched her show, I thought to myself, "seriously, now I know this chick can't cook. No one that beautiful can possibly be a good cook." But after I was forced to watch her show for the umpteenth time, only because there wasn't another thing worth watching at 3 p.m. (remember, I was in college back then), that I realized that she could, indeed, cook. And by cook, I mean she is a real chef who studied in Paris and was born in Italy to real Italian parents. If that isn't a recipe for a good cook, then I don't know what is. I know, you're jealous of her too. Aren't we all?

Now, salmon is one of my very favorite foods. That too is something that wasn't always the case. I used to hate salmon, but I knew that it had to taste good because it was on every restaurant's menu and seemed wildly popular among diners everywhere. So, I just continued to try it, and eventually, I started liking it, and now I love it. Thank goodness it's healthy because I eat my fair share of the pink flakey fish. So much so that I was eating at least once a week until I had to slow down before I turned into a salmon.

Giada always has terrific fish recipes, and this one is no exception. It has all the things that make a perfect dinner dish, it's healthy, green, balanced, and most importantly, it's delicious. If you don't like salmon, just try this out because the fish comes out perfectly everytime. It is moist, flakey, and has a wonderful crust on top. It's sure to turn the salmon haters of the world into salmon obsessed cooks and eaters. Giada would never steer you wrong.

Salmon with Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Spinach
Adapted from Giada Di Laurentiis

1/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 (4 oz.) salmon filets
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbs. fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tbs. capers
1/2 lemon, zested
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 cup fresh spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 400.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 6-8 minutes. Scoop pasta out of pot with a pasta spoon and add to a mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tbs. pasta water to keep moist. Add the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

Place a sheet of tin foil over a baking sheet. Place the salmon, skin side down, on foil. Do not oil the bottom of the foil. Drizzle a little oil on the tops of the fish and add salt and pepper. Bake salmon for 10 minutes.

Add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture and toss to combine. Take the salmon out of the oven. Using a very flat, preferable metal spatula, carefully separate the salmon from the skin leaving the skin on the foil (it will be stuck to the foil). On your plate, create a bed of spinach. Add half of the spaghetti mixture and a salmon filet. Squeeze a little lemon on top of fish and serve immediately.

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