Working Girl Cooks!

I have been busy lately, really really busy. I barely have time to cook, let alone blog! I have also not really had much of an appetite. I am not sure why but I just have not really been that hungry so everything I have been cooking is much lighter lately. This is a great meal for when you want something light but really have no time to cook. It is really fast, super easy, and looks like you spent a lot of time preparing it.

The sauce is a preserved lemon aioli and is mayonnaise based. It is really good but I am a little curious as to how it would taste if it was made with half plain yogurt and half mayo. I am also dying to try to make my own mayonnaise after reading Michael Ruhlman’s Ratios and I think this would taste amazing with homemade mayo. The key ingredient here is the preserved lemons, which I made awhile ago. You can also buy these at specialty stores if you do not want to make your own.

All you have to do to make the aioli is toss all the ingredients into a food processor and give it a whirl. I quartered the recipe because I was only making dinner for two and even then I had leftovers. But this would also be great in sandwiches or tossed in a salad so leftovers are not a bad thing! If you want to halve or quarter the recipe I would recommend either using a mini food processor or just chopping up the preserved lemon and garlic very fine.

Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. It is so easy and they come out so so so delicious. All I do is add a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. That is all they need. It really brings out the yummy flavor of the vegetables. I like my veggies kind of crispy, especially asparagus so I always roast them at a high temperature (about 400F or 450F) for a shorter amount of time (10-15 minutes) so they keep that crunch.

To sear the salmon and get that nice crisp surface I like to coat it with a little bit of flour and season it with salt and pepper. Heat an iron skillet to medium high heat and do not start cooking the fish until the pan is nice and hot. Then sear it for 3-5 minutes on both sides until the sides have turned from bright pink to a pale color. Serve hot over a bed of roasted asparagus topped with some preserved lemon aioli. Dinner is done in 20 minutes!

Pan Seared Salmon and Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon Aioli
Adapted from www.foodandwine.com
Serves 4

One bunch of asparagus spears
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 preserved lemon, peel only, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of cayenne
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 6-ounce skinless Salmon fillets
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut ends off of asparagus and spread on large baking sheet. Pour extra virgin olive oil over asparagus and spread around with hands until all spears are evenly coated. Spread asparagus out so they are all in one single layer across pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in oven for 15-20 minutes until browned and slightly crunchy.

In a blender, puree the mayonnaise with the preserved lemon, garlic, water, cayenne and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the aioli with salt and pepper and scrape it into a small bowl.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and dust with the flour. Cook the fish over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden on the outside and white throughout, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the salmon and asparagus to plates and serve with the lemon aioli.

Printable Recipe: Pan Seared Salmon and Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon Aioli