Salmon in a Cilantro Lime Sauce

Salmon, wild rice, and steamed asparagus.

I have been eating less meat recently, but that doesn't mean I don't have a craving for it every now and then. Recently I had been lusting after the beautiful rose colored flesh of the wild pacific salmon. While walking through the farmer's market, I stumbled upon a fish monger selling some beautiful fish fillets. The wild salmon looked too good to pass up. At $22 for 2 lbs of fish, I felt like we were getting a pretty good deal. Our fish guy informed us these beauties were from British Columbia. Not exactly local, but better than farmed, and still on the west coast.

I had some wonderfully fragrant cilantro and some limes, so I decided to mix up a cilantro lime sauce to serve with our fish. Take two handfuls of cilantro, three cloves of garlic, the juice of two limes, and add just enough olive oil to emulsify in the food processor.

To cook the salmon fillets (I used 8 oz pieces), heat a pan over medium to medium high heat. Place 2 tbsp oil to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, place the fillets in the pan, skin-side up cooking for 4-5 minutes. Flip and add the cilantro lime sauce on top. Cook for three minutes. There will still be pink in the middle. To finish cooking through, place in a 325 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

The flesh was buttery and sweet. The cilantro lime added bright fresh flavors that worked well with the supple flesh. Serve with steamed asparagus and rice, and some lemon wedges. Bon Appetite!