~Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa~

Holy cow was this good salmon!! How can anything go wrong with avocado?  I have just been in love with salmon lately; I can't get enough of it.  This is the perfect summer dinner in my opinion--fresh cilantro, avocado, red onion (with some other stuff) and fresh salmon.  I made this with white rice and baked broccoli.  I do also love summer grilling--who doesn't?  Summer is my absolute favorite season--the days stay light longer, the weather is warmer, the ocean water is also warmer, and grilling seems to happen several times a week.  My favorite smell of summer is the ocean air and Coppertone sun screen--there is no greater smell than that!

What you don't want to do is overcook the salmon--because then it's dry.  Dry salmon=no good.  What you do want to do is use lots and lots of avocado and cilantro :-)  This dish takes a total of maybe 20 minutes to make.  Who doesn't have time for that on a warm summer night?

Oil and season the salmon (I bought a pound fresh at Stater Bros....I never buy pre-packaged frozen salmon).  That's part of the secret to always having moist salmon.  Then grill those babies up!

 

Next, make the avocado salsa--chop up the veggies and slice the avocado.  I used one avocado for two people, which is a lot of avocado.  But seriously, I love it...There are 7 grams of protein in one avocado--yay for good fat!

Serves 4

You'll Need:

2 lbs. salmon, cut into 4 pieces
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground coriander (I didn't put this in)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper
Avocado Salsa:
1 avocado (or more!) sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 mild hot peppers, seeded deveined, diced
Juice from 2 limes
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Get Busy:

Mix all the ingredients together for the salmon seasoning.  Rub the salmon fillets with the olive oil, then the seasoning mixture, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  While the grill is getting hot, make the salsa and chill in a bowl until the salmon is ready.  Grill the salmon; serve topped with avocado salsa.  This dish is also really good with tostones (which I will post soon!).  Enjoy!

~Salmon with Mustard Wine Sauce~

Ohhhhhh my goodness!! This is restaurant-worthy salmon right here. Ah! If you want to impress your date/husband/wife/friends/family/whoever, this is a definite go-to recipe. It is also very easy to make--so you can't go wrong with this recipe. If you like salmon, or even think it's okay, you will still love this recipe. Honestly, it's that good.

I made this last week, and Jeremy already requested it this week. (Think he liked it?)

Normally, I don't serve a starch for dindin, and if I do it is brown rice. Tonight however, Jeremy requested white rice, so I paired the salmon with that and asparagus. I broiled the asparagus in the oven with olive oil and parmesan (click here for the simple recipe). Such a simple, moist salmon. Big pet peev of mine--dry fish. Yuck. Not this recipe--the salmon was soooo moist--perfection!

Serves 4

You'll Need:

4 pieces frozen skinless salmon fillets, thawed

flour for dredging

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

3 Tbs. butter

1/2 c. white wine

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/2 c. fish stock*

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 c. heavy cream

Get Busy:

Lightly flour the salmon. In a large skillet, heat the oil, add the salmon and saute over medium heat until golden, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Set the salmon aside and discard the oil from the pan.

Add the butter, wine, salt and pepper to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the mustard, fish stock and lemon juice. Simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

Gradually add the cream, stirring constantly and simmer until slightly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the salmon to the sauce and simmer until the fish is well coated and the sauce is reduced, maybe 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and pour remaining sauce on top. Enjoy!

*Don't have fish stock? I didn't either, and I couldn't find it at the grocery story I went to. So I just used chicken stock--no big deal. It was still amazing. If you make it with fish stock let me know how it turned out.

~Bang Bang Shrimp~

BANG this was good! Jeremy and I inhaled this the other night for dinner. I think it is supposed to be an appetizer...however, I wanted it so badly for dinner, I made this for the main course and some brown rice and buttered carrots! However, if you throw some tookthpicks on the side, they will be an amazing hors d'oeuvre. This recipe is sure to impress friends and family for the upcoming Superbowl party or New Year's Eve. Don't mind the picture...I forgot to take off the tails because I'm smart like that...Cut off the tails haha :-)

This is the best Sriracha sauce out there (and comes from LA) and this is the rice vinegar I use for those who don't know what it is. Both of these can be found at any grocery store, even Super Walmart.

This shrimp didn't take too long to make. In one bowl, you combine all of the spices and flour.

In another bowl, combine the milk and egg.

In a third bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce.

Next, you dip the shrimp in the flour mixture, then the egg, then back to the flour mixture to get a real good coating.

Heat some oil in a pan on medium high (or higher) and drop those coated babies in. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, remove them and place them on a cookie rack or towel to soak up some of the oil.

serves 2 for a main dish, or 2-4 as an appetizer

you'll need:

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

vegetable oil for frying, enough to completely cover shrimp

for the sauce:

1/2 c. mayonnaise

4-5 tsp. sriracha sauce*

1 tsp. sugar or 1/2 tsp. agave

1 tsp. rice vinegar

for the egg mixture:

1 egg, eaten, 1 c. milk

for the breading mixture:

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried basil

*If you like it spicy, add 5 tsp. or more. If you like it not so spicy, add less.

get busy:

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce; set aside. Combine all the ingredients for the egg mixture; set aside. Combine all the ingredients for the breading mixture; set aside. Bread the shrimp by first coating each one in the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg mixture, then back into the breading mixture. Place the coated shrimp on a plate and put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes (this is supposed to help the coating stay on the shrimp when it cooks...who knows if it really does). Heat the oil in a deep fryer or pot. When the oil is hot, fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain them on a rack or towel. Once all the shrimp is fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl and gently mix with the sauce so that the shrimps is completely coated. There you go. BANG!

~Grilled Honey-Lime Salmon~

I have to thank my awesome dad-in-law Jed for this one. Jed is an amazing cook! This past September Jeremy and I helped his dad cater a cycling tour through southern Utah. One night for dinner, Jed made this fabulous marinated salmon. He didn't have clear-cut measurements, so neither do I, but I will do my best to write the measurements down. This salmon turns out perfect when grilled; it's moist and sweet. I love limes lately, so much in fact the other day I bought 21 limes for 97 cents. Bingo!

you'll need:

2 salmon fillets

1 lime

1/4 c. honey (or more? eyeball it)

1/2 c. olive oil (or more? eyeball it)

get busy:

In a large ziploc bag or bowl, combine the fillets with honey and olive oil. Squeeze the lime juice in as well. Cut the lime in fourths and add to the mixture. Let the salmon marinate for a few hours (2 or 3). Grill. That's it. Serves 2. A very healthy and yummy way to prepare salmon without any fatty base. I served this tonight with steamed brown rice and green beans with slivered almonds. Enjoy!

~shrimp with cilantro pesto~

...and other good stuff too. j and i had a fun weekend. here are some of the things we were up to:we tested out our wetsuits. water wasn't even cold! we had a blast trying to ride the waves.







we also went to carlsbad village to longboard the boardwalk. way fun.
but i stink at longboarding. this sunset was taken on my phone! we made homemade fresh salsa today. delish recipe, and very easy.

we have been watching a lot of food network lately, so this recipe was inspired by that channel. YUM.

~shrimp with cilantro pesto~

you'll need:

pesto:

1 lime

1 1/2 c. fresh cilantro

2 green onions, chopped

2 Tbs. chopped pecans

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp. sugar

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

shrimp:

3/4 pound raw medium-sized shrimp, deveined and peeled

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

get busy:

pesto:

juice entire lime into food processor. add cilantro, green onions, pecans, garlic, sugar, vegetable oil, and olive oil. pulse until well-combined, but still somewhat chunky. salt and pepper to taste.

shrimp:

in a bowl, toss shrimp with 1 Tbs. pesto. heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. sautee shrimp about 3 minutes or till pink. you can save the rest of the pesto and freeze for another time. enjoy!

For dessert tonight, i made a simple halloween funfetti cake. hubby couldn't wait to eat for me to take a decent picture. he had 3 pieces :-)

j starts work tomorrow for edward jones. wahoo!