The Best Salmon!

Living in the Pacific Northwest means being blessed with fresh fish, and salmon is one of my favorites. It would take a couple of pages to delve into the health benefits of salmon so we won’t go there, but just know it’s really, really good for you! 😃

This was a favorite recipe from years ago, shared by a neighbor that cooked his salmon to perfection every time. The recipe had been set aside for a while now, as the first ingredient is a stick of butter 😳, and my eating habits have changed. I remembered the recipe had a “secret ingredient” that I thought made it so good so maybe it was time to re-visit that recipe. The “secret ingredient” is a little bit of juice from a jar of dill pickles. And the butter? Well, now I use ghee - 🤔 so let’s try ghee, and add a little olive oil to supplement. And off we go on another experiment…

INGREDIENTS -

2-4 salmon fillets
2 Tbsp ghee
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dill pickle juice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp green onion or chives, minced

Melt the ghee in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, just to soften it enough to whisk together with the oil. Add the olive oil, dill pickle juice, garlic, and about 1/2 of the green onion, reserving the rest of the green onion for topping.

With a pastry brush or spoon, spread the mixture on top of the salmon fillets. If you allow it to sit like this for a while, your flavors will meld together wonderfully, but if time doesn’t permit, you can head straight to the grill or the oven.

If you are grilling the salmon, I would recommend about 10-15 minutes but keep a close eye on it! Depending on the size and thickness of your fillets, salmon can cook quickly, and if it is cooked too long you will end up with an overly dry piece of fish. Also, if you add a few wood chips in some open tin foil, you will get an even better smokey flavor! In the oven, bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, also checking frequently to ensure the correct doneness. Salmon will continue to cook a bit after it is removed from the heat so remember to allow time for that additional cooking.

Add a couple more colors to your plate, these organic purple potatoes were great along with the broccoli and salmon. Here’s to your healthy meal! Enjoy!