Baked Salmon & Lemon Cream Sauce

A Quick and Easy Salmon Dinner

(Served with jasmine rice and sautéed vegetables)

I never ate much salmon growing up, so when I left home and started cooking for myself it was one of the first proteins I wanted to explore; needless to say, it was quite the failure at first. After countless sorry-dried-out excuses for a filet, I finally found a way to cook salmon to its perfect texture and temperature. From there, my recipes for salmon dinners evolved rapidly.

In my childhood, my mother made many variants of cream sauces at home for pasta dishes, and anything with citrus was always my favorite. Even more so than her pasta sauce, I loved the way our rice at home tasted better than that of any prepared by another parent during a sleepover.

I’ve combined my own newly acquired skills with that of my mothers’ familiar flavors and Mediterranean-style rice (seasoned and oh so fluffy) to create this wonderfully simple and flavorful, well-balanced salmon meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 lemons

• 1 large filet of salmon

• 1 bunch of parsley

• Rainbow carrots

• Broccoli

• Half & Half cream

• 2 Tbsp of butter

• Garlic paste

• Jasmine rice

• Olive oil

• Rice vinegar

• Spices: salt & pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, sage

Method:

1. First put up your jasmine rice to cook, (if you have a rice cooker, this would mean setting up the rice and turning it on to cook.) Otherwise, bring your water to a boil in a pot and start cooking your rice (1 part rice and 2 parts water with a pinch of salt.)

2. Prep the salmon by slicing the filet into pieces 3in wide.

3. Marinate salmon pieces with all spices, juice of 1 whole lemon, and olive oil, line a baking tray with aluminum or wax paper, place the salmon pieces on top and set aside.

4. Slice broccoli and carrots, I prefer my carrots sliced diagonally to show the different layers of color.

5. Slice your parsley and set aside, saving a few sprigs for garnish.

6. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Once preheated, bake your salmon pieces for 12 minutes.

While your salmon bakes, you will saute your carrots and broccoli.

1. Add olive oil to a shallow frying pan then add your carrots. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle it with a dash of rice vinegar to help caramelize.

2. After the carrots have been cooking for 5 minutes, add broccoli. Stir the veggies around and season again.

3. Add 2 Tbsp of water to the pan and cover with a lid to allow the broccoli to steam for 5-8 minutes.

4. Remove the lid to let any water evaporate and set veggies aside.

By this time, your salmon should be out and resting, and you can begin the lemon cream sauce.

1. Bring a small sauce pot to the stove and turn the heat on high.

2. Add your butter and half the chopped parsley to the pot. Stir lightly with a whisk until butter is slightly browned, then add garlic paste and lightly whisk again.

3. Pour half and half into the pot and continue whisking until the cream is boiling.

4. Once the cream is boiling, turn off the heat and squeeze the juice of half a lemon, add salt and pepper and whisk until done.

Now that your salmon, veggies, and lemon cream sauce is complete, your rice should have finished cooking.

1. Drizzle olive oil and some lemon juice from your remaining half lemon onto the rice. Fluff the rice and gently fold in the rest of the chopped parsley.

2. Plate your salmon, rice and veggies.

3. Spoon your lemon cream sauce over the baked salmon and rice.

4. Lastly, I like to garnish with a sprig of parsley and serve!