red-pepper-salmon

You know those nights when you don’t feel like making dinner a big production, but you still want something you can feel good about? This is one of my go-to recipes for those nights, a Roast Salmon with a Basil and Sweet Pepper Sauce adapted from Le Cordon Bleu.

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.