Tangy Salmon Delight!

I love it when pomegranate season rolls in...can't resist those crunchy tangy red pearls bursting with flavor. I've experimented with pomegranate a lot - in salads, desserts and yogurts but never with a main dish. I finally took the plunge with one of my other most favorite food items - Salmon! I recently bought myself a fabulous skillet with an aluminum base from Sur La Table recently...here's the inaugural recipe that put my skillet to good use, to create a deeelightful meal -

Salmon in Pomegranate Reduction (heavily inspired by this recipe with my modifications)

- 3 Salmon fillets (cut into chunks as shown in the picture)
Dressing ingredients
- Fresh pomegranate seeds (one handful)
- Pomegranate juice if you have some or just pound another handful of pome seeds for fresh juice - 1/2 cup
- Balsamic vinegar - 3 tbsp
- French mustard - 1tsp
- Soy sauce - 2 tsp
- Olive oil - 1tbsp
NOTE : My measurements are a vague approximation...make sure you taste the sauce and let your tastebuds do the talking for your modifications!

Procedure (cook time 30 mins)
1) Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and let the salmon fillets soak in this goodness for a couple of minutes.
2) Drain the dressing into the skillet and let it cook on low heat for a few minutes.
3) Now place the fillets in the skillet and cook them on low heat. Let the flavors soak into the fillets as the cook.Flip the fillets to make sure they cook uniformly on both sides.
4) Serve fresh (or even better..a day later!) with warm bread.

Here's a snapshot of a lovely meal we had last week, perfect dinner for two and some :) On the table - Yam Feta Salad, Ginger Asparagus, Pome glazed Salmon and French Baguette

Yam Feta Salad, Ginger Asparagus, Pome glazed Salmon and bread...quick lovely meal!

Fun with fatty fish!

The husband and I are trying to bump up those darn HDL levels these days. Fortunately for us, that means eating more of something we happen to love - FISH!! Mmmm that wonderful omega-3 fatty acid powerhouse that just happens to be delicious! I can certainly do with more Salmon :) Other fish high in omega 3s include mackerel, herring, sardines and tuna. Also, to get the most out of these fish in terms of omega-3s, it's apparently best to bake or broil and NOT fry them.

Dinner last night -
* Grilled salmon fillets
* Grilled squash, zucchini and mushrooms
* Sauteed Ginger Asparagus
* Warm french bread with an olive oil dip
Total prep time : 30 mins with parallel processing!

Grilled salmon fillets (Prep time : 30 mins)
Ingredients
- One fillet of salmon (about 200-250 gms??)
- 2-3 cloves grated garlic
- Balsamic vinegar drizzle
- Olive oil drizzle
- Salt and pepper to taste
(Sorry, I'm not good with measurements!!)
Procedure
Cut the fillet into roughly 4 salmon chunks and rub well with the mixture of ingredients listed above. Place on a baking sheet / cover in foil and bake/broil in the oven till the chunks easily flake off with a fork (takes around 20 mins I would say). Serve warm!

Sauteed Asparagus ginger (Prep time : 10-15 mins)
 Ingredients
- One bunch of asparagus
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optionals : flaxpowder, crushed walnuts to garnish
Procedure
A friend of mine suggested this asparagus recipe from Manjula's kitchen...I followed it word for word and simply LOVED it! Simple no-fuss recipe resulting in a beautiful crunchy and of course, healthy side-dish. I threw in a tablespoon of flax powder on the asparagus after taking it off the stove. The verdict : Yum.my!

Grilled veggies (Prep time : 10 mins)
 Ingredients
- One zucchini
- One yellow squash
- A bunch of mushrooms
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper, red chili powder
- Optionals : fresh rosemary
Procedure
The veggies get minimal treatment. Just chop up the zucchini, squash and mushroom into slightly bigger than bite-size pieces, mix up well with olive oil, salt, pepper and/or red chilli powder and grill/bake in the oven at 375F for about 10 mins. Broil for a couple of mins if you want them crispy. Sometime I add rosemary to the veggies for an italian-y flavor.

Dipping sauce for the french bread 
 Ingredients
- Olive oil (OO)
- Balsamic vinegar (BV)
- Dried oregano flakes
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Procedure
Mix the OO and BV (in a 2:3 ratio roughly) along with the other ingredients and use as a dip for warm french bread (easily available in Kroger / any generic grocery store)

Bon appetit!