My sister Jessica called yesterday and announced her pool was open and she went swimming with her son. Well, it’s official! The chilly weather is gone and Summer is tapping us on our shoulders. Jessica’s been faithfully going to the gym every morning for a year lifting weights and kickboxing, so slipping into her swimsuit probably wasn’t a scary moment. She’s got a smokin’ bod! Even though it’s basically swimsuit season year-round in Hawaii, there’s still motivation to slim up when the blazing hot sun arrives and you just have to go the beach every day for survival. I know it’s rough. Air conditioning is a rare find on the North Shore; that’s saved for the beach-side million dollar homes (in case you haven’t deduced, we don’t live in those homes.)
Unlike my sister, I haven’t even seen a gym in many moons and my corps is crying out for some extra T.L.C. Inspired by Andrea’s mouth watering lemon-pepper salmon post, I banned heavy meats and potatoes from our family menu for a while and replaced them with fish and rice. Unfortunately, my husband is not a lover of fish and as much as he’s tried he can’t fall in love with salmon. But I LOVE salmon. So when I want to cook up this fish I need to give it a boost… mask it’s fishy qualities, so to say.
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I believe that there is nothing some browned butter and lemon juice can’t enhance, so for my version of this “swimsuit friendly” meal, I’ve roasted the fish with Italian herbs and drowned it in a browned butter lemon sauce. The kids cleaned off their plates and I pretended not to notice when Teya started licking up the remainders. The Bod was able to handle the salmon and almost enjoy it, which is HUGE for him since it’s usually a gagging matter when he eats it.
To round out the meal we had Texmati rice with freshly chopped cilantro added, and some thick cuts of a rainbow of good roasting vegetables. The veggies were sprinkled with oregano and freshly grated parmigiana to compliment the herbs on the salmon. Is this the part where I mention from start to finish this entire meal took no more than 30 minutes? All of it, from prep to serve that fast. Love.
You just got healthier simply by looking at that photo.
- 4 salmon fillets *
- Italian herb mix
- oregano
- olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
- ½ cup white wine
- juice of one lemon
- salt and freshly/coarsely ground black pepper
- optional– a few sprigs of fresh dill
- First prep the salmon. Place fillets skin side down on tinfoil lined baking sheet. Shake Italian herb mix, some extra oregano, and a touch of salt and coarse black pepper across the fillets.
- Drizzle olive oil across the fillets to add moisture and flavor.** Place in a preheated oven at 425 for 15 minutes. At that time check the texture, if it flakes easily it’s finished.
- While the salmon is cooking work on the sauce. Place the butter in a saucepan and melt it on med heat. Watch it closely and stir until you see it turn light brown, but don’t let it get too dark. Notice the smell that emits, you’ll learn to recognize it.
- Once the butter turns, add the rice flour and whisk for a couple minutes until it thickens to a brown roux.
- Add the lemon juice and wine and whisk together until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the salmon with the sauce drizzled over. If you have fresh dill, snip a few sprigs for a garnish.
this looks amazing! i want to make it right now. the pictures looks awesome
I DO feel healthier… and hugrier
*hungrier. I guess it’s possible I was more hugrier too. I DID give Jack lots of hugs
Your pictures look great and yummy, and I don´t even like fish!
Thank you
You sound just like my husband too, he likes to look at it and lap up the sauce, but has to be “Brave” to actually eat fish!