On holidays like Labor Day, the best dishes to serve friends and family are the ones that take very little effort to prepare. That way you can spend your time enjoying the day not laboring in a hot kitchen.
Versatile salmon can be grilled, sauteed, baked, and braised. More often than not the preferred approach is to simply grill the fish--whole or filleted--with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, the Italian way. But there are times when a little more seasoning accents salmon's natural flavors.
Spanish style preparations saute the fish with fresh tomatoes, pitted olives, peppers, onions, and parsley. American barbecue relies on sweet-heat. Another approach, one borrowing from South American and Caribbean recipes, marries citrus with honey and garlic in a simple sauce.
Serve the roasted fish with a side of reserved pan drippings and a mango-grilled corn salsa and you'll have the perfect summer meal to be enjoyed with a glass of chardonnay or an ice cold beer.
Mango Salsa
Make the salsa ahead and keep refrigerated in a sealed container
Serves 4
Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 ear corn, husks and silks removed, washed
1 large mango, washed, skin removed, meat cut into small pieces, pit discarded
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, skin on, charred in an open flame
1 tablespoon olive or safflower oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Method
Grill or oven roast the corn in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and remove the kernels. Discard the cob. Clean off the charred skin from the garlic, finely chop, add to a bowl with the corn kernels, mango, onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss well. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper.
Roast Salmon with a Citrus Glaze
Buy a fillet that has skin but not bones for easy serving. The fresher, the better.
Serves 4
Time 45-60 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet with skin on, washed, pat dried
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, skin removed, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes or cayenne
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cutting across the fillet, score deeply into the flesh about half way. Place the salmon on a
Silpat or other non-stick material like parchment paper placed on a rimmed baking sheet.
Mix together the juices, honey, garlic, olive oil, cayenne, and parsley until the honey is well dissolved. Pour over the fillet. Roast in the oven 30 minutes. Remove and clean away and discard any pink solids.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 500 F. Baste the fillet with the pan drippings. Return the salmon to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste, bake another 5 minutes being careful to brown but not burn the skin.
Transfer the salmon to a serving plate. Use a rubber spatula to collect all the pan drippings and place in a small bowl.
Serve the salmon with the pan drippings, mango salsa, and a green salad or freshly steamed rice.
