Sesame Salmon with Green Onions and Lemon

I’ve been eating pretty crummy lately, a lot of take out and not a lot of thought about what I am eating. So it’s about time I tried a new salmon recipe. The latest Cooking Light has a recipe for Sesame Salmon that caught my eye. I made a few changes to the recipe (some intentional, some not) but kept the overall gist of the recipe in tact. Salmon is one of my favorite weeknight meals and this one is no different. The recipe takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, great for a busy night.

Ingredients:

• 4 (6-ounce)  salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups sliced green onions (about 2 bunches)
• 5 thin lemon slices, halved
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup baby arugula

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the salmon to a cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray.

Combine the sesame seeds with 3/8 teaspoon salt. (If you can find black sesame seeds also, use 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds. That would have made the presentation so much nicer!)

Sprinkle the sesame seed mixture over the salmon, pressing gently so it sticks to the fish.

Cook for 14 minutes.

While waiting for the salmon to cook, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Chop the green onions. (I just used kitchen shears and cut them from the bunch.)

Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl. Add the green onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the lemon slices and cook for another 2 minutes.

Sprinkle the mixture with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat.

Add the arugula to a bowl. Add the green onion mixture to the arugula and toss until the arugula is slightly wilted.

Serve with the salmon.

The sesame seeds add a nice texture to the salmon that I enjoyed, although I feel like it was missing just a little bit something. I think maybe toasting the sesame seeds prior might add some additional flavor.

The arugula salad was fantastic. I would double the amount of arugula you use though because it left me wanting more. Who knew green onions and sauteed lemons were so delicious?I really do wish I was able to find the black sesame seeds. Just having the white ones doesn’t make the dish look as appealing as it could have been. I’d suggest taking whatever is left of the lemon and squeezing it over the salmon for a bit more citrus.

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