Market Basket

We talk a lot about the benefits of eating seasonal, real foods and of preparing simple, delicious dishes that allow you to be fearless in the kitchen and enjoy your own party—like this Blackberry, Peach and Hazelnut Crumble.

This weekend, I headed to our community food co-op without anything in mind for dinner, ending up filling my basket with what looked good—fresh wild sockeye salmon, juicy, local peaches and tart yellow tomatoes, crisp swiss chard and heirloom cauliflower.  The basket inspired this recipe.

Seared Salmon with Grilled Peach Salsa

Serves 2

1 peach, halved

1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced

1 jalapeño, halved

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

3 – 4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Zest and juice of one lemon

2 filets of wild sockeye salmon, 4 – 6 ounces each

Zest of one lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat an outdoor or indoor grill to medium high.  Drizzle the peach, onion and jalapeno with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the peach and jalapeno just until grill marks appear.  Grill the onion slices until onion is tender and starting to char.  Remove from grill, chop peach and onion into medium-small dice and add to a bowl. 

Be careful with chopping, because the vegetables will be slippery!   

Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno, if desired, and add to the bowl.  Add halved cherry tomatoes, torn basil leaves and the zest and juice of one lemon.   Stir together.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

For the salmon, heat a grill, cast iron skillet or salt block over medium-high heat.  Season salmon with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest.  Cook eight minutes (four minutes each side) for medium and nine minutes for medium-well.

I served this with sauteed swiss chard and roasted cauliflower, because that was what looked good at the market.  Change your plate any way you like!

All dinners are more delicious eaten outside with someone you love.  And candles and flowers don't hurt either.

 

You can easily alter this recipe, using whatever looks good at the market that day.  Salmon not in season? Use a pork chop.  Peaches not in season? Use mango and avocado.  Don’t like basil?  And cilantro.  The recipe is more of a method for using seasonal foods than an actual recipe.

Also, the salsa is delicious the next day.  Add feta or goat cheese and turn it into a salad.  With a slice of good crusty bread, that’s lunch.