Catch of the day II

SALMON WITH MUSHROOM AND OLIVE SAUCE

                                                   

We keep hearing that fish is good for us, especially salmon because it's rich in omega 3 acids. I used to see a lot of recipes for salmon in newspapers, in magazines and on TV. But slowly, when salmon became more available, and cheaper, thanks to aquaculture, it started to become less and less visible and not "hip" anymore. Some even started attacking it and saying that farm salmon was not good for us, for many reasons that I won't discuss now. It seems that salmon is not the "it" fish anymore, and people started looking for more "chic" fish. Despite this, I kept cooking salmon. I had this dish at my friend's Fatima for the first time. She briefly explained to me how she prepared it. I didn't write it down as usual, but it was easy to replicate.

The recipe is so versatile, you can use it to cook salmon for lunch, using the small 1 inch fillets, for dinner using the round fillets cut transversely from the widest part of the fish, or as a main course to feed many people, using the fillet from a whole fish. Of course you'll have to adjust the quantities of the other ingredients accordingly. But that's very easy, since I use them as I like in the first place. You can put more mushrooms, more or less olives, as you like.  So I'll give you the basic recipe for two, using the small fillets. You'll need:

2 salmon fillets 1 inch wide

1 cup sliced white button mushrooms

1/4 cup green olives, sliced

1/4 cup black olives, pitted and sliced 

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp mustard

1 tsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

1 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Snipped chives for garnish

Season the salmon fillet with the lime juice and salt and pepper, and set aside while you chop the olives and mushrooms. In a non-stick skillet heat the olive oil and cook the salmon on one side for about 2 to 3 minutes depending on the thickness of the slice. Turn to cook on the other side for another couple of minutes. You may want to leave the center of the thickest part of the fillet a little pink. Remove the salmon to the serving dish and keep warm. In the same pan cook the onion/garlic mixture until soft, add the sliced mushrooms and a dash of salt. Cook until the liquid that came out of the mushrooms is absorbed. Add the olives and stir. Fold in the sour cream and the mustard, stir to form a creamy sauce. Pour the sauce over the salmon and sprinkle with some chives. Serve with a side of broccoli and potatoes, as follows:

BROCCOLI:

Cut the broccoli into florets. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover. Let boil for 3 minutes, not more to keep its beautiful color and have it al dente. Drain and serve.

BOILED POTATOES:

I use small red potatoes. With a peeler, peel a small strip in the middle of each potato. Boil in salted water, drain and serve. You can also boil the potatoes in a small amount of chicken broth to give them more flavor.