After two weeks of traveling through our East coast, I feel like I’m a little lost in the kitchen and with our meal planning. As much as I love cooking at home, it was nice to have a little break. So, after we returned from our vacation I got some basic groceries and I picked up the fish and seafood for our chowder (btw, check out our East Coast inspired seafood chowder…it’s seriously delish!). Anyway, my mind must have still been on vacation because I forgot some of the basics and I forgot to pickup ingredients for Monday night’s dinner.
A quick Monday dinner
On top of not being prepared with ingredients for dinner, I’d also forgotten that Monday night is our big guy’s music lesson night (I guess the vacation made me too relaxed, if that’s possible). On my way home from work, I considered just ordering a pizza, but honestly, after two weeks of eating out 3 times a day (and enjoying it, mind you) we’re all more in the mood for home-cooked meals again. There’s something comforting and relaxing about that. So I stopped at the grocery store and after a short wander around for inspiration I noticed a promo on fresh wild Atlantic salmon. Yes, we ate a lot of fish out East but we all like fish, and salmon in particular is our kids’ favourite, so why not.
Salmon… anything goes!
The beauty of salmon is that you can prepare it in so many ways and with different techniques; and the bonus for this meal is that it’s super quick to prepare. I’ve prepared salmon on the grill, in the oven, on the cast iron griddle, and pan-seared (and stay tuned for an upcoming smoked salmon recipe to be made in our new smoker). But for this meal, I decided to bake it so I could have a little extra time for the side. It took me just a few minutes to prep and not too much longer to cook! I whipped up a nice balsamic and maple syrup dressing for our salad while the fish cooked and we were set. It was simple, but so tasty. The boys commented a few times on how much they enjoyed dinner.
No time?
No time? No problem! Remember to keep a little stash of easy to make recipes for those busy days. Quick meals can be delicious and healthy…honest. Got a few minutes? Give this a try, and always remember to eat well, friends!
Cracked Peppercorn and Lime Baked Salmon in Under 30 Minutes
This cracked peppercorn and lime baked salmon is so tasty and it's on the table in less than 30 minutes! A perfect dish for a busy weeknight.
Author: Nelson Cardoso
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: North American
Serves: 4 to 5 servings
Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
2.2 Lbs or 1 Kg Salmon Fillet, skin on and cut in single portions
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1)
1½ limes, cut into thin wheels
½ Tbsp course sea salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 ºF
Rub the vegetable oil on the bottom of the baking sheet to avoid sticking. Alternately, you can skip the oil and line the bottom of the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the pieces of fish on the pan.
Rub the olive oil evenly over the pieces of fish.
Pour the lime juice evenly over the fish.
Place a couple of lime slices over each piece of fish.
sprinkle the sea salt and cracked black pepper evenly over each piece of fish.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 17 minutes.
Serve the salmon hot with your favourite side dish. Enjoy!
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