salmon or swordfish with citrus pesto and grilled or roasted asparagus

This is one of the best ways that you will EVER eat fish.  This is Giada’s recipe with some of my own modifications, and it is originally supposed to go with swordfish or white fish, but I put it on salmon all the time.  I make a batch of the pesto and then divide a few other portions into bags and freeze them for future dinners.  We have a great grill pan that goes over two burners; I put the fish on one end and some asparagus or squash and zuchinni on the other.  So easy and SO, so good.  If you don’t have a grill pan, obviously just use a regular sautee pan for the fish and roast the asparagus.  If I can use a meyer lemon and a tangerine in place of a regular lemon and orange, I always do; it really makes all the difference.

Fish with Citrus Pesto

• one bunch of fresh, washed basil (about three cups torn – if you have less, no big deal)
• 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts (I just dry toast in a little pan on the stove, over medium, until warm and fragrant)
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 orange or tangerine, zested and juiced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• some freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of grated parmesan (ONLY use freshly grated, as in you just grated it off of a block of cheese!)
• a few boneless, skinless fish fillets

1. add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice, orange zest and juice, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender, and pulse or blend until well chopped and combined
2. slowly pour olive oil into the mixture as you continue to blend or process
3. pour mixture into a bowl and stir in grated parmesan
4. rub your fish fillets with olive oil and salt and pepper, and grill or pan sautee for about 3 minutes per side (turning only once) depending on the size of your fish, over medium to medium high heat (a delicious crust should develop on the meatier fish varieties)

GRILLED OR ROASTED ASPARAGUS

• one bunch or more of asparagus, rinsed with woody ends snapped off
• extra virgin olive oil (or garlic infused olive oil)
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper or garlic salt

1. if using a grill pan, simply give the asparagus a good douse in olive oil and seasonings, and put on the grill for about 10 minutes, turning periodically
2. if roasting, give the asparagus a light coat of olive oil and seasonings, and roast for 20-25 minutes (depending on size of asparagus) at 425 degrees

If asparagus is very out of season or overly pricey, I often substitute summer squash and zuchinni.  I just slice them into quarter inch rounds, season them the same, but squeeze a bit of lemon on towards the end of either method of cooking.  They are especially tasty on the grill.  Finish them with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan.  If roasting, up your oven temperature just a little.

If you make this pesto ahead and freeze some, you can have dinner ready in less than 15 minutes.  Lovely.

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sole almandine with sauteed haricot vert

This is a quick and tasty little dinner.  We ate it last night, and it is consistently delicious.  The recipe for the sole came from Gourmet magazine.  While there aren’t many ingredients, you do have to pay attention and prepare this properly, or your almonds and butter will burn.  The texture and taste of the sole really compliments this preparation, and because of this, I don’t think any white fish would do as a substitution.  If there isn’t any sole at the market, trout may work well. 

Very tasty with some sauteed haricot vert (little french green beans – I buy bags of frozen from Trader Joe’s) and shallots, sprinkled generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Sole Almandine – Serves 2

• 2 sole filets – skinned
• 3 tbsp butter (I use smart balance sticks) – divided
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds, or just  a generous handful
• a lemon
• a little flour, salt and pepper, and canola oil

1. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil and 1 tbsp of the butter over medium high heat in a flat bottomed sautee pan
2. Gently salt and pepper the filets and dust them with flour
3. Cook the fillets in the pan, about one and a half minutes per side – very quick!  Remove them from the pan and put a fillet on each plate
4. Dump the oil and fat from the pan, wiping out any excess
5. Add the other 2 tbsp of butter and your almonds, cooking over LOW for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently
6. Remove the pan from the heat, and squeeze your lemon juice into the pan
7. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve – so tasty

Sauteed Haricot Vert or regular Green Beans – Serves 2

• a few generous handfuls of the veggies (if using regular green beans, snap the ends)
• one medium shallot, cut into half rings or very coarsly chopped (you could do an onion if you don’t have shallot, but for this I prefer the delicate flavor and size of a shallot)
• olive oil, salt and pepper

1. add a few glugs of olive oil to a pan, heated over medium
2. throw in the shallots with a little bit of salt, and cook for a minute or two
3. add your green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for five to seven minutes, or until starting to brown a little (sometimes I blanche frozen green beans in a little bit of boiling hot water first, but it isn’t totally necessary)
4. finish with some sea salt and a generous grind of pepper

This is a quick and easy dinner.  It’s not too terrible for you; although some could make an argument about the butter.  Oh well… it tastes delicious.  🙂

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