Grilled Salmon and Macho Pea Smash.
Dinner tonight needed to be easy and thanks to fresh ingredients it is. My mother always served a meat or protein, starch, vegetable and salad. I’ve abandoned the need to check all those boxes. There are times when the starch and vegetable are the same like in today’s trio of vegetables, sweet potatoes, corn and peas. Actually I didn’t realize until after I put it all together that this meal has three vegetables, all rather starchy.
There is no salad but the fresh mint and parsley in the pea smash is fresh and bright.
I’m so glad I don’t have to follow rules when I’m trying to throw dinner together to feed my gang something remotely healthy. It just goes to show that dinner can be what ever you feel inspired to serve. That does not mean that cake is a suitable dinner!
I love the colors of summer. When ingredients are fresh the recipes are often very simple. Why mess with the great flavors of the food. So this recipe is going to be a bit unconventional. More explanation and less recipe.
The corn is simply boiled until tender then finished on a buttered grill pan to bring out the sweet sugars in the corn.
The sweet potatoes are washed and unpeeled then chopped into dice sized cubes. I toss them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with about 2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt then roast them in a 400° until tender and blackened on the edges. About 30 minutes.
Macho Pea Mash
This couldn’t be easier. Give it a chance even if you are not a pea fan. I tasted it for the first time just recently at Nando’s in Lakeview, in Chicago, with Maria and Sarah Liedlich. It had such a great flavor I decided to recreate it at home.
Just a note, this pea smash was delicious the next day on sourdough toast with a soft boiled egg on top. You know we love being creative with leftovers.
It can be made with fresh peas but today I used frozen (thawed) and it was delicious.
- 2 cups peas
- 2 Tbs rough chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tbs rough chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 Tsp olive oil (or melted butter)
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients and roughly mash with a fork. Put half the mix in a blender or food processor and blend by pulsing until incorporated but not smooth. Add the blended portion back to the other half that was mashed roughly with a fork. Stir together.
It’s delicious cold but 2 minutes in the microwave makes it even better.
The Grilled Salmon
- 4-6oz salmon (skin on) per person
- one bunch fresh dill
- 2 cloves chopped or crushed garlic
- 2-3Tbs olive oil
- 1 fresh lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Combine garlic, dill, olive oil, salt and juice of one lemon. Marinate the salmon in this mixture for about 30 minutes. Save a bit aside to drizzle over the cooked salmon.
This can be grilled on an outdoor grill or as I did on a grill pan on a stove top. Flesh side down first until you get a nice sear from the grill then flip to cook the skin side until done. About 3-4 minutes per side.
This post was originally posted HERE on 365 Barrington for Heinen’s
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