Friday, July 3, 2009

Salmon with Cilantro and Lime - Foodie Friday and Pink Saturday


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There's lots to learn about salmon and with a confidence held only by perfect fools, I've decided to summarize it for you in one short paragraph. Salmon, wild or farmed, ranges in hue from white or silver to pink and red. Pacific salmon are classed by size and in descending order you'll find the Chinook, Sockeye, Coho, Humpy and Chum. Those from Atlantic waters are actually Steelheads and are related to rainbow trout, so for our purposes they don't count. Salmon, however classified, will live from 2 to 8 years and return to the waters in which they hatched to spawn and die. Fisherman toss about numbers when speaking of salmon. They'll talk about a 1-2 or 2-3, and leave you to scratch your head or yawn. Here's the translation. They're talking about a biological pattern where time is spent in both fresh and salt water; the first number represents time in fresh water, the second time in the ocean. Should I buy wild or farmed salmon? Let conscience be your guide. Check with FishOnline - Fish to Eat , a database maintained by the Marine Leadership Council to see if environmentally responsible practices are used to catch the fish you want to eat. According to the group their is no problem with Pacific salmon. My favorite in the group is the Sockeye salmon - it's a 2-3. It retains its beautiful color when cooked and has oils that I think make it tastier than its counterparts. I think farm raised salmon has a mushy texture, so I'll buy wild as long as it's responsibly fished and certified. This recipe is really simple but it produces a really wonderful fish with subtle Southwestern overtones. Resist the temptation to overcook it. The fillets are broiled, so 7 to 8 minutes is perfect for a fillet that's one inch thick. I serve this with watermelon salsa and arroz verde. The meal bursts with color and flavor and it's good for you. The salmon is a five ingredient wonder that you can have on the table in 30 minutes. Here's the recipe.

Broiled Salmon with Lime and Cilantro...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 (6 to 8-oz.) Sockeye salmon fillets
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:
1) Combine cilantro, oil, garlic and salt. Set 2 tablespoons aside.
2) Pour remainder over fish in bowl. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Spray broiler rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place salmon on rack. Brush with 1 tablespoon of marinade. Then broil 4 inches from heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fish flakes when pierced with a fork. Brush with remaining tablespoon marinade. Transfer to a serving platter. Yield: 4 servings.

I'm sending this recipe to Michael at Designs By Gollum for Foodie Friday, the event she sponsors.

I'm also sending it to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for her Pink Saturday Event.

52 comments :

My Little Space said...

What a lovely and simple main course! Have a nice weekend.

Terry said...

dear mary....thank you for your kind visit to my blog.
now, by the time i went down through your posts to find your
ruby tuesday i find that i am starving!
not a good thing to be this time of night mary because it is a bad thing to eat before going to bed[almost 1am here in southern ontario]
anyways i didn't see your ruby tuesday but that's ok because on my way back up again i took a longer look at those three precious little boys....so cute and such little gentlemen...[i think] because my husband noticed that one little guy was kind of sticking his tongue out..was he mary?
ha!
well god bless you and take care.
i might be swiping a few of your recipes!!!
love terry

Mary Bergfeld said...

Terry, your husband has a good eye. The middle grandson is indeed sticking out his tongue. He is an imp. The Ruby Tuesday post is called Red Cooked Pork and it begins with an image of a beautiful little girl wearing enormous bows in her hair. I'm so glad you found us. I hope you'll stop by often and we can talk more. My email address is in my profile.

Printersdevil said...

We love salmon and I can't wait to try out your recipe.

The Fajdich Times said...

Great Salmon recipe. I love cilantro and lime. Perfect. Happy 4th:)

La Bella Cooks said...

I am slowly coming around to enjoying salmon while my husband has been a lifelong fan. I will have to give this one a go as well as he loves cilantro. You have some truly fantastic dishes, Mary. Always impressive.

Donna-FFW said...

MMMM, perfect pairing with cilantro and lime. Must have been a lovely dinner.

Katy ~ said...

For a long time, it was traditional to have salmon and green peas on the Fourth of July. This is perfect!

Unknown said...

Oh, man! I love salmon. Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July.

Lori said...

I love salmon. This looks delicious Mary. I need to make some fresh salmon, it's been so long!

Madam Chow said...

The colors are beautiful. I'm with you on the texture of wild vs. farmed salmon.

Ravenous Couple said...

those salmon looks absolutely gorgeous..and so do your grandsons! :)

Signing Out said...

This looks delicious ... and healthy!

Jane

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Thank you for the wonderful explanation on salmon harvesting.

I love salmon and have never tried it with cilantro - it sounds light and refreshing.

bj said...

My hubby loves fish of every kind but I am not a fish eater. I will sure give him this recipe to try, tho.
xo bj

Pam said...

This sounds great. I have been looking for a new recipe for salmon. This is my son's favorite dish.

Haden News said...

I eat salmon at least once a week. This sounds wonderful, and has three of my favorite ingredients - salmon, cilantro and lime!! Can't wait to try it. Happy 4th of July.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

All I can say is Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm so hungry at the moment, and salmon would really hit the spot!

Megan said...

I love cilantro and lime and can imagine this would be perfect on salmon. I'll have to try this combo!

Creative Classroom Core said...

MMMMM! I bet the cilantro and salmon worked just wonderfully together :)

Heather S-G said...

Yum, this looks amazing!! Thanks for the fun facts :D

Sasha said...

This is gorgeous! And sounds delicious...makes me hungry : /

theUngourmet said...

Oh Mary, these look so delicious!

I caught a 40 lb King Salmon on the Kenai river in Alaska way back in 1985. It was a fun time!

Shellbelle said...

Thanks Mary, I never knew what those numbers meant before. Also, a big thanks for posting a link to Fish Online, I hope everyone visits. They have a great pocket-sized guide to purchasing fish responsibly, which of course, helps protect our oceans creatures for futures generations.

Wild-caught salmon is so much better than farm-raised, you're right it is mushy tasting. Plus, your recipe just calls out for the best tasting salmon, as always — sounds yummy!

Olga said...

ooh now *I* want salmon :)
Looks great and super easy.

Suzy said...

What a great recipe. I love the flavor combination! I am a cilantro fan and might have to try this one day. I'm the only one that will eat salmon so I usually do it for lunch on a weekend. Beautiful photo!

Claudia said...

This salmon is beautiful and there are so many fresh varieties around right now. Definitely bookmarking this! hat a scrumptious summer meal!

The Cooking Photographer said...

I often wondered how that all worked. I love fish, we just don't get the best quality of it out here.

maryt/theteach said...

Mary, Have a happy 4th of July! That salmon recipe looks dee-lish! I Lurv salmon! :)

Kathy said...

Wonderful post Mary. both informative and delicious, our fave is sockeye served with baby new potatoes and asparagus, I will try your cilantro and lime version it looks so good, happy weekend, Kathy.

Joyce said...

I went to a fishery in Seattle and took a tour and learned way to much about salmon and you simplified it for me in terms that I can understand. My husband caught lots of it in Alaska and had it cleaned and sent home. Ironic, he does not eat any fish:) That was fine with me as I had more to eat for a few months:) I was in Alaska and it was so hot (approx 5 years ago) the salmon were cooking in the streams. It was an extremely hot summer that year so that is not the norm but the prices sort of went sky high for salmon that summer. Happy 4th and thanks for the recipe.
joyce

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Very beautiful Mary. Salmon is always on the menu when we visit our son in Seattle. I'll sure show them this recipe, we love exploring new ways.

NKP said...

Such a great flavour combination. I love salmon.

Cathy said...

A terrific post, Mary. Thank you so much for the info about salmon.I would never buy farm raised fish. I've read too much about it.

Lovely recipe. The cilantro and lime juice are two of my favorite flavorings.

Unknown said...

Fantastic recipe! Either you love cillantro or you don't... there is no inbetween! I love it and salmon! Have a wonderful week end and a fabulous 4th!
~Really Rainey~

Selba said...

I love all the ingredients... salmon, cilantro and lime :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary! My husband would love this recipe! He loves salmon. I'll bet I could do this! Thanks for the recipe! I can just taste the cilantro! Yummy!
Thanks for popping in to see me,
Shelia :)

chow and chatter said...

this looks great Mary i made your watermelon salsa today wow its awesome, will post on my blog tomorrow and mention you Rebecca

Anonymous said...

Fresh pink salmon MMmmmmmmmmmmmmm You always serve yum yum foods :-) If we get a chance to have fresh fish, I like to eat mine raw - with vinegar, lemon, salt, and some other things my father puts. I hope that doesn't gross you out.

Happy Pink Saturday!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

This looks wonderful, Mary! We eat a lot of salmon, and your recipe sounds perfect.

Happy Pink Saturday and FF!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Unknown said...

Love salmon and will definitely be trying these out very soon. I am starting a Crock Pot Wednesday series in August and hope you will join me.

melissa said...

Such a great recipe for salmon. I eat it a few times a week - can't wait to try this :)

Regina said...

Love to try this. Thanks.
Happy 4th of July. Enjoy your weekend.

KayEllen said...

Oh my sooo yummy!!!

Happy Pink Saturday and have a wonderful 4th of July:)

So nice to see cooking ideas!!I can set the table and make everything look pretty but am challenge in the cooking end of it:)

Thanks!!! I will be back!

Stop by for a stroll on Balboa Island:)

Smiles,
kayellen

Rattlebridge Farm said...

I enjoyed reading about salmon. I had a discussion recently about farm-raised vs wild, and for me, it's all about the taste, not the Omegas so much. I didn't realize FR was mushier! The freshness of the cilantro and lime is luring me, a siren song that I'm loving.
I will beg Bandwith to cook this.

Michelle said...

Oh this sounds so yummy! I truly love salmon and am always looking for creative recipes for just one more taste!

imjacobsmom said...

Thanks for demystifying salmon for me. I never knew what the numbers stood for and which salmon was the best one to chose. I think that I had coho that was farm raised because it was a bit mushy and I didn't care for it. Jacob and my Dad had some that they drooled over months later. I will have to prepare your recipe for them one of these days. ~ Robyn

Leslie said...

This looks wonderful!

Terri said...

I love salmon. Will have to give this one a try. thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog too. Hope you had a great pink Saturday.

Kristen said...

This looks absolutely delicious!

Mila said...

Mary, as always...great recipe! The salmon looks delish!

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Good Lord Mary. This one somehow escaped me last summer but I'm glad I've found it now. Gorgeous!!

http://meatandpotatoesfoodie.blogspot.com/

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