Monday, April 7, 2008

Artichoke Heart and Toasted Pine Nut Salsa on the Perfect Salmon Fillet



I’ve branched out.

I managed to prepare a seafood dish without the pig.

It was difficult. Prosciutto would be absolutely divine in this salsa , but I didn’t do it.

Howsomuchever… this artichoke heart, red bell pepper, Nicoise olive, toasted pine nut salsa for salmon ROCKS!!! It's an old recipe heartily adapted from the Food Network.

Seriously.

It’s amazing stuff. It’s good in a spoon, on a Tostito..it is divine.

Throw in some tuna canned in olive oil (truly the only kind of canned tuna to eat) and call it lunch.
Add cannelini beans and call it bruschetta.

Make it your own.

It is a portent of things to come this summer and I, for one, cannot wait.

Artichoke Hearts and Toasted Pine Nut Salsa

1 6 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup Nicoise olives, pitted and chopped coarsely
Freshly ground black pepper
About ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine all of this , mix well and season.
Makes about 1-½ cups.

Perfectly Seared Salmon
adapted from Michael Fennely
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat a cast iron skillet on top of the stove. Add a good swirl of extra virgin olive oil.
Put two nice sized fillets of wild salmon in the pan skin side down.

Cook until skin is crispy, takes about three minutes or so.

Put the pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes til salmon is done.

Top with salsa and wait for applause.

Serves 2.

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9 comments:

RecipeGirl said...

This is my kind of dish- I love all that stuff. YUM!

michael, claudia and sierra said...

i'm not a huge salmon eater but i'd throw that salsa on another fish with abandon.

Anonymous said...

OK, you've twisted my arm. That salsa sounds fantastic and salmon's a big favorite in our house.

One weekend meal down, three more to go...

Joy of Cooking said...

We're on the same page again, Mary! I made salmon last night too (will post on it soon...) yours looks great! I love all of those things in one dish.

Jessy and her dog Winnie said...

Yum! That looks like a really elegant dinner.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, I just had salmon for dinner and this salsa would have been perfect. What a beautiful photo as well.

Mary Coleman said...

Lori: These are my favorite things all rolled into a salsa.

Claudia: I won't eat salmon unless it is wild caught salmon. None of that tasteless farm raised for me. Not til they figure out how to make it taste like the wild. Therefore my salmon eating window is very small.

Amy: This is great stuff...on swordfish or any kind of meaty fish as well.

Joy:Great minds think alike!!

Jessy: It's the kind of elegant dinner you can eat in your running shorts!

Noble Pig: Why, thank you!!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Wow, this looks delish!!
I love fish and love artichokes...

Mary Coleman said...

Patricia: I promise it's as good as it looks!