Still Cravin’ Asian: Blackened Salmon

I wasn’t kidding about the Asian cravins. In fact, I woke up dying for ginger. So I had fresh ginger & lemon tea. And then I thought about getting sushi for lunch. And then I thought about my budget. Then I came home and made lunch in my kitchen.

If you’re curious, said lunch was spinach, quinoa and an over-easy egg (sound familiar?), layered in that order. And yes, it’s important to be layered in the correct order. And for dinner, I made this Tempeh with Peanut Sauce, served over quinoa. It was amazing. Make it. Drink the sauce. I would did.

And a few nights ago, I made blackened salmon. It’s actually a recipe from a church cookbook that I got back when I was a wee newlywed and it’s one of my very favorite salmon recipes. (Amanda M., if you’re out there reading, thanks for contributing this awesome recipe to that cookbook!)

I bet even seafood haters would like this.

Blackened Salmon

• 1.5 t paprika
• 1 t freshly ground pepper
• 1 t fine sea salt
• 1 t dried thyme (I used powdered thyme this time, but I’ve also used the little sprigs too)
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1 t garlic salt
• 1 t oregano (powdered or leaves)
• 2 salmon fillets (skin removed; do it yourself or flutter your eyelashes and ask your butcher/fishmonger to do it for you)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all the spices in a shallow dish.
3. Spread the spices on both sides of the salmon, patting it with your hands to coat well.
4. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 T canola oil until it starts to shimmer and then just begins to smoke.
5. Carefully add the salmon to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the fish).
6. Once each side is blackened, place salmon in a glass cooking dish and bake in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until desired doneness.

I served it with plain quinoa (cooked in salted water for some flavor) and Stir-Fried Broccolete with Cashews…minus the cashews. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.

BTW, I am having so much fun reading all the good you guys are doing! Y’all are such a wonderful bunch!! Keep those good deeds and entries into the iHerb.com giveaway coming!

I went on a fabulous 6.5 mile run tonight – the weather was beautiful, it was a great time of night and I felt really strong. I even ran the last few miles at a sub-8 minute pace! I usually don’t like evening workouts as much as morning ones, but this one was pretty great.

Are you an AM or PM worker-outer? Or are you one of those lucky folks that can go in the middle of the day? I alternate between early AM and after work.

Tagged as: recipes