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salmonWe’ve had a mild winter, but it feels like it’s been hanging on for far too long. The past week has finally been a delight of warm days, cool nights, and the singing of peepers.
So when I tried to think what to make for supper last night, I felt a sudden craving for . . . spring. And what does spring taste like? In our house, it’s salmon with leek cream sauce and roasted asparagus. So I made a quick stop at the grocery store and headed home to cook up the season.
Here’s how you do it:
SALMON WITH CREAMED LEEKS
2 five-six ounce fillets of salmon
2 smallish leeks
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1/4 cup cream
salt to taste
Get your non-stick skillet good and hot, swirl in just a little oil. Add salmon skin side down–it should sizzle mightily. Once you see that about 1/4 inch of the salmon has turned opaque, flip it and peel off the skin. Once you get a nice sear on the top of the salmon, flip it again and finish it in a 425 degree oven.
Cut the leeks into thinnish slices and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Use your thumbs to push the rings apart. Let drain while you melt a little butter in a second skillet. Add the drained leeks to the hot butter and cover with a lid until they’re mostly tender. Add cream, tarragon and salt and let cook down until the cream has thickened a bit.
Make a little puddle of the leek cream sauce, put the salmon on that and then pour the rest of the sauce over.
Meanwhile, break the tough ends off the asparagus, toss them in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 425 (same temp as salmon) for 15-20 minutes. Grate a little Parmesan cheese over while still hot and serve.
Yum! We enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay with our feast. And the best part? Easy enough for a weeknight.
Happy Spring!