Salmon with pea puree

Another gem from the kitchen of Giada! If you're anything like me, cooking salmon usually means using 1 of 2 things - teriyaki, or honey maple. While both are great for everyday meals (it's really hard to go wrong with salmon..) this healthy recipe gives salmon a fresh taste, packed full of flavour. AND it looks super fancy, great for impressing your guests at a dinner party! :)

What you'll need:

Lemon Brodetto:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced

2 lemons, juiced

1 lemon, zested

2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

Pea Puree:

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salmon:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 (4-6 oz) pieces salmon

salt and pepper to taste

To make the Lemon Brodetto, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the  shallots and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm, covered, over low heat.

To make the Pea Puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

I added the Parmesan into the blender right away, like you would do for a pesto

To make the Salmon, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon until a golden crust forms, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 2 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fish.

My tiny kitchen stove pulled through with all of this cooking madness

To assemble the dish, add the tablespoon chopped mint to the Lemon Brodetto and divide between 4 shallow dishes. Place a large spoonful of Pea Puree into the center of each bowl. Place a salmon piece atop each mound of Pea Puree. Serve immediately.

Add the tbsp of chopped mint for added flavour

Pour the broth in each bowl

Add a large spoonful of pea puree

Add the salmon

And garnish with a mint leaf

Voila!

This recipe was fairly easy and only took about half an hour to prepare. And how great does it look?! Seriously, it looks a lot more difficult to put together than it actually was. A word to the wise - concentrated lemon juice is NOT the same as squeezing a whole lemon, or at least it wasn't for me. I only had one lemon, and thought I could equal the 1/4 cup of  real lemon juice by adding 1/4 cup of bottled lemon juice. Wrong...the lemon flavour was REALLY overpowering and I wish I had just stuck with the one lemon. Oh well, something to learn for next time.

Happy Friday!

A.C