When I was little and learning to play the piano, there was one song that I loved more than any other, and I played it constantly. So much so, that just playing it became kind of pedestrian, and I had to do something to jazz it up…. So I timed myself, to see how fast I could play the piece from beginning to end.  It came out sounding just as you would expect a song to sound that a 6 year-old was speed-racing her way through, but I had to do something to make it challenging, and speed was my handicap of choice.

Skip ahead a couple of decades, and I’m not exactly the little pianist hellion banging away on the keys with no thought other than speed…. But, I’m not that far away from her, either. Nice 10 mile commute to work? I’ll ride my bike. Beach read? I’ll take Sophie’s Choice over Sophie Kinsella. Friends over for a work-night dinner? I’ll flake out and make this pan-seared salmon with luscious green sauce, which takes 30 minutes if I’m slow and 15 minutes if I’m in crazy speed-demon mode.

As much as I love a challenge, there are certain restraints of the space/time continuum that I can’t overcome – namely that I am required to be 15 miles outside the city until at least 5 o’clock and plan to serve dinner at 6:30, which gives me approximately 30 minutes to prepare something guest-worthy. And, this salmon dish works perfectly .

Lightly cooked salmon is brightened with a really pungent and tangy green sauce, consisting of fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, and, if it suits your taste, anchovies. It tastes way more decadent than the prep time or calorie count suggest, and, is just different enough to be really noteworthy.

Enjoy!

Pan-Seared Salmon with Luscious Green Sauce, Serves 2

Adapted from Caprial’s Bistro Style Cuisine

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Total Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the Salmon:

2 6oz. Salmon Fillets

Salt & Pepper

3 Tbls. Olive Oil

For the Green Sauce:

1 Cup Basil Leaves, chopped

¼ Cup Mint, chopped

½ Cup Parsley, chopped

3 Tbls. Capers

1 Lemon, juiced and zested

2 Anchovies, chopped or 1 Tsp. Anchovy Paste

3 Cloves Garlic, minced very finely

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof pan over medium-high heat until just smoking, about 2-3 minutes, depending on how quickly your stove heats up.

While the oil is heating, liberally salt and pepper your salmon fillets.

Once the oil is just smoking, add your fillets to the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side.

While the fillets are searing, place the garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl and mix well to cover the garlic with the lemon.

Once the fillets are done searing on the stove top, transfer the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 8 minutes.

While the fillets are baking, add the rest of the green sauce ingredients to the bowl and mix well; the lemon juice will ‘cook’ the garlic enough to take the sting out, but be sure that your garlic is minced well – no big chunks!

Once the fillets are done remove from the oven plate, and heap the luscious green sauce on top. Enjoy!