Salmon gets fresh flavor from lemon, garlic

By Linda Gassenheimer

Tribune News Service

Lemon and garlic add a fresh and flavorful sauce to salmon fillet. The secret to perfectly cooked salmon is to sear it first in a skillet and then finish the cooking in the oven. It should come out soft and juicy and a little translucence in the center. It will have some carryover cooking once it is off the heat. Look for wild caught salmon. The tartness of the sauce is a perfect balance for the richness of the fish.

Fresh parsley adds color and flavor to the whole wheat spaghetti side dish.

Fred Tasker’s wine suggestion: A creamy California chardonnay would be nice.

Helpful hints:

Use a skillet that can also go in the oven.

Linguine or fettuccine can be used instead of spaghetti.

Countdown:

Preheat the oven.

Place water for pasta on to boil.

Start the salmon.

While salmon roasts, make pasta.

Shopping list:

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Dinner in Minutes.

To buy: 2 lemons, 1 small bottle white wine, 3/4 pound wild caught salmon fillet, 1 package whole wheat spaghetti and 1 bunch parsley.

Staples: olive oil, olive oil spray, garlic, salt and black peppercorns.

LEMON, GARLIC SALMON

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 ounces white wine

Olive oil spray

3/4 pound wild caught salmon fillet

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix lemon juice, garlic and white wine together in a bowl. Set aside. Heat a nonstick skillet that is oven-proof over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the salmon and sear 2 minutes, turn and sear 2 minutes. Pour the lemon sauce over the salmon and place the skillet in the oven for 5 minutes or until the salmon starts to flake. This is for a one-inch thick fillet. For 1/2-inch thick sear 1 minute on each side and 3 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 304 calories (39 percent from fat), 13 g fat (1.8 g saturated,4.9 g monounsaturated), 96 mg cholesterol, 34.1 g protein, 4.2 g carbohydrates, 0.2 g fiber, 76 mg sodium.

PARSLEY PASTA

1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and boil 8 minutes. Remove 2 tablespoons pasta water to a bowl and add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Drain the spaghetti and add to the bowl. Toss well. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 243 calories (23 percent from fat), 6.2 g fat (0.9 g saturated, 2.4 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 8.1 g protein, 42.1 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g fiber, 8 mg sodium.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author, most recently, of “Delicious One-Pot Dishes,” featuring 60 recipes designed to be stewed, braised, slow-cooked or steamed, each in a single pot. Additional titles by Gassenheimer include “Quick and Easy Chicken,” “Simply Smoothies: Fresh & Fast Diabetes-Friendly Snacks & Complete Meals,” “Fast and Flavorful: Great Diabetes Meals from Market to Table” and “The Flavors of the Florida Keys.” Her website is dinnerinminutes.com. Follow her on Twitter lgassenheimer. Email: lindadinnerinminutes.com