I was so excited to receive mint in my CSA this week. That emotion was quickly replaced by panic, what the heck can I make to actually use up all of this mint? I do have a dessert or two in the mix, but I wanted to include it in some dinners that were a little more rare than lamb with a mint sauce. Naturally, my love of salmon made choosing this recipe a no brainer.
Ingredients:
- Lemon zest from one lemon
- Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot (about one shallot)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Prepare your lemon zest and lemon juice. Zest the entire lemon and use one half of juice of the lemon.
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
Whisk in the 1/4 cup olive oil, adding the oil in a slow steady stream.
Stir in minced shallot and minced mint. Set aside.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on the salmon.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Place salmon skin-side up and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Flip, and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
Remove from heat and drizzle with the lemon-mint dressing.
I was really afraid my salmon would come out tasting like toothpaste so I’m happy to announce that it honestly doesn’t even taste minty, but it is fantastic. The lemon and mint work to enhance the salmon flavor without overpowering it. Be sure to use shallots instead of onions in this dish, the onions would take over the whole flavor.
Yum! Look delicious, Kait! I am always looking for new and different salmon recipes and this looks like a fun twist with the mint.