Monday, July 15, 2013

Reactivation: almond & basil-crusted salmon


Hello world!  It's been a while since I posted here.  Obviously the circumstances are to blame - not me.  You are asking: how come?  Well, my inspiration for writing was brutally beheaded time after time by the changing aura.

First, I wanted to complain about the bad weather (not an infrequent inclination of mine :P)  And the weather got much better...  So then I wanted to write about the sun, hot weather, ice cream, running through fountains, pleasant evenings on the terrace, and lying on the grass waiting for that first sunburn -- pretty much your average summery stuff.  Before I got to that, however, the weather changed again.  It got chilly and rainy, and the possibility of catching sunburn was exchanged for the possibility of catching a cold.  Nonetheless, at that point it seemed pointless and so-oh passé to complain about the bad weather, and I was left without topic, yet again.

 
This whole (questionably interesting) inner debate brought me to the conclusion that maybe I shouldn't base my blog posts on weather descriptions -- as fascinating as they may be (...for grannies waiting for weather reports whilst finishing knitting new scarfs). After all, this blog is about so much more than weather (theoretically, at least).

I guess what I'm trying to say by this whole litany of excuses and boring weather talk: I missed this blog, and will make sure to start posting on a regular basis again! The good thing is that I managed to take an insane number of pictures in the meantime -- all of insanely delicious food -- so I have plenty of great resources to draw from.
 
Thanks for bearing with me. And hold on to your hats: the reaaaaally good stuff is just about to start!   
 

Speaking of really good stuff: this almond & basil-crusted salmon is packed with flavors and utterly delicious.  The freshness of the basil paired with zingy lemon zest and buttery roasted almonds makes a perfect combination.  When you are making the dish, the most amazing harmony of scents fills your kitchen and hungry housemates intrigued by the smell flock to you.  I also like the combination of textures - meaty salmon, crunchy almonds and delicate herbs -- it really melts in your mouth.
 
The dish is very easy to make, so you can prepare it for a simple weekday dinner.  At the same time, the perfect flavor blend and appealing presentation make it a sure winner for dinner parties with friends -- your guests will love it!


Ingredients:
  • 4 skinless salmon fillets (approx. 600 g)
  • 100 g of whole unsalted & unroasted almonds
  • small bunch of fresh basil
  • 1 lemon (juice + zest)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • salt
  • pepper
 
Directions:
  • Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C.
  • Chop the almonds coarsly and roast for a few minutes in a hot dry frying pan, until golden-brown.  Transfer to a bowl, add the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Let cool.
  • Chop the basil and add to the almond mixture.  Add the butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Spread the crust on top of the salmon fillets.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes (check if your almonds are not burning -- if so decrease the heat).
  • Serve with steamed veggies and/or garlic baked potatoes.
 
*I found the recipe (by doktorek) on a Polish discussion forum.

Bon appetit!

1 comment:

  1. Hi Gaby,hb je een e-mail voor een babbel te doen..????

    ReplyDelete