March 28, 2016

Roasted Salmon with Leek, Shiitake, & Arugula Salad

Name: Roasted Salmon with Leek, Shiitake & Arugula Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 24 ounces salmon fillets with skin on (around 6 oz. each); 5 ounces of Arugula; 2 leeks (white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed well and thinly sliced); 8 ounce shiitake mushrooms (stem edge trimmed off and the rest sliced 1/8 inch thick (we use the stem and slice it into pieces)); 1 medium lemon; 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; Balsamic glaze - we have one from Gia Russa

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We’ve been making Roasted Salmon with Leek, Shiitake, & Arugula Salad for many years, and it’s one of our very favorite dishes. The leeks and shiitake roast along with the seasoned salmon on a rimmed baking sheet. Easy preparation, easy cleanup, what could be better than that?

When we take the roasted salmon out of the oven, we gently baste or drizzle it with a balsamic glaze. The glaze gives the meat a beautiful deep color plus a more complex taste.

The vegetables are done in no time at all. They are tossed, right from the oven, in with the arugula. The heat from the roasted vegetables wilts the arugula. A splash of fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil , a sprinkle of kosher salt and several grinds of pepper and the salad is finished.

This dish doesn’t just taste good — it’s good for you too . Both the oil-rich salmon and the arugula are loaded with nutritional benefits. Now, this is between you and me, and I don’t know how much research has been done on this, but arugula is purported to have aphrodisiac benefits — well, at least the Romans thought so.

If you can attest to this — inquiring minds would like to know. 😉

This particular time it took a trip to Trader Joe’s to inspire us to make the roasted salmon with leek, shiitake and arugula salad for dinner.

I was looking over Giotto’s (what Trader Joe calls himself) veggies when I spotted the packages of arugula. Hmmmm! That sounded good. Plop! Into the cart went one package. Next thing I knew my hand was reaching for a carton of shiitake mushrooms. We love the earthy taste of shiitake mushrooms. Into the cart, a carton went.

Before I knew what was happening, there was a package of leeks joining the arugula and shiitake. I could see part of our dinner coming together. My Honey loves the Leek, shiitake, and arugula salad over farro or quinoa. I hadn’t gotten to the entree yet, but I wasn’t worried. I figured inspiration would strike sooner or later.

I started to push the cart around the corner away from the vegetables and fruit. There, at the end of the aisle, I saw an open freezer case. Being the adventuresome {nosey} shopper that I am, I took a peek. Lo and behold, inside the freezer case were countless packages of wild caught Alaskan coho salmon. Now I know, not everyone gets excited with a wild caught salmon discovery, but I certainly was.

We really enjoy wild caught salmon but at its exorbitant price, we hadn’t enjoyed any in a long time. I was almost afraid to look at the price. My Honey picked up one package and flipped it over. YES!!! Two beautiful fillets were less than $8.00. I had the entree! It was going to be Roasted Salmon with Leek, Shiitake, and Arugula Salad. Perfect!! See?! Sometimes being nosey has its rewards. 🙂

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.