Roast Salmon with a Basil and Sweet Pepper Sauce
My time-saving trick on this one is using one of my pantry staples: a jar of roasted red peppers. You can blend them to make a quick pasta sauce, add them to salads, mix them with black beans, use them to jazz up a turkey sandwich or fold them into an omelet. It’s amazing how much you use these babies when you don’t have to spend 45 minutes roasting them yourself.
For this recipe, I use a food processor or blender to make a quick sauce out of the roasted red peppers and olive oil. (The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of olive oil, but feel free to cut back if you’re counting calories.) Then heat the sauce while the salmon is roasting in the oven, add a little last-minute basil to balance the smokiness of the peppers, and serve. Quick, delicious and guilt-free.
Now, here’s a question for you: What would you serve on the side?
Roast Salmon with a Basil and Sweet Pepper Sauce
Adapted from “Summer (Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection)”
Serves 4
- 2 roasted red bell peppers
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each, scaled but not skinned
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Puree the peppers in a food processor, and slowly add the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan, and gently heat the sauce on low.
3. Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a roasting pan over high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and place it in the pan, skin-side up. Bake for 2 minutes. Then turn and bake for about 6 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.
4. Just before serving, add the basil to the sauce. Plate the salmon, and spoon the sauce over it. Serve immediately.
Asparagus!
I’m in an orzo phase right now, so a pesto orzo :] I also LOVE broccoli with fish, so maybe just steamed broc with some lemon juice on it. Both would be nice and quick!
Perfect! Although I hear many people say that the taste of freshly roasted red peppers can't be beat I use the jarred ones all the time for the reasons you mentioned. It's nice to roast your own, but can't beat the convenience of jarred peppers!
Oh, I so cannot wait to make this. Not only is salmon one of my favorite fish/dinner dishes, but I also adore roasted red peppers. This looks so delicious. What a great weeknight dinner!
I'd go to the Dollar Store and buy a wonderful sack of slaw WITH the dressing in it in a nice pouch. Yum-O
Quinoa. Just because I like to say it. And a salad. Maybe with tarragon.
Ooh, good call. Very springy.
Well, if you like salmon and red peppers, this should be a winner for you. Let me know how it goes!
Pesto orzo? That sounds like something that needs to go on my must-try list. Broccoli and lemon also would be delicious.
Love the jarred peppers. The flavor isn't exactly the same, but it's usually close enough for me.
Can't get much faster than that. Is the Dollar Store slaw THAT good?
It IS fun to say quinoa, isn't it? Keen-wah. Keeeeeen-wah.
I think it is. Everyone eats it. You cannot get better than that.
What happened to the slaw you used to make with the Ramen noodles? That stuff was addictive.
hardly any ingredients… love that!
Yum! I love me any quick dinner idea. Jarred red peppers really are a great way to make something fancy with almost no effort!
This looks so good, I think I may have said "ooooo" out loud. I'm also pretty sure that all I'd need on the side is crusty bread to mop it all up. Yum!!
This looks fantastic! Love salmon and roasted peppers.
I actually made a sandwich in the past with smoked salmon, roasted peppers and brie ;)
Hello deliciousness. I made this tonight and served it with roasted fingerling potatoes with dill. Even my salmon-hating husband enjoyed it.
This sounds like a great way to serve salmon!
On the side…a simple salad! This looks so beautiful. I steal most everything from here, you know…I am fast becoming dependent. Thanks…this one is just lovely! Oh, and what did YOU serve on the side?
Long time lurker – first time commenter. I've saved several of your posts in my
Bloglines. This looks yummy and could be made pretty low-fat I think. (Olive oil is one of the "healthy oils anyway) which makes me feel less guilty about eating it. I have saved this and will try it soon. Love basil – so glad summer is rolling around again and I can grow my own!