We are very fortunate to be able to get salmon year round. I will buy wild salmon from BC when it is in season. I will buy farmed Canadian Salmon when the wild season is closed.
Fast Basil Salmon is, as the name implies, quick to prepare. I show it here served with Easy Steamed Rice and Mushrooms Gratiné.
Fast Basil Salmon
A nice quick, flavourful dinner!
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 salmon fillets - or 2 large fillets
- 3 tomatoes - diced or one tin diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano - or 1 tbsp chopped fresh
- 1/3 cup red wine - or sherry
- 1/3 cup fresh basil - chopped
Instructions
- Melt butter in large frying pan, preferably non-stick, over medium heat. Add garlic. Stir often until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add salmon, skin side up, and cook until underside is light golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, coarsely chop tomatoes. Sprinkle with sugar. Turn fish over. Scatter tomatoes in pan around fish. Sprinkle with salt and dried oregano. Pour in sherry or wine. Simmer over medium heat, gently stirring tomatoes carefully as pan will be full, until tomatoes soften and the salmon centre is just cooked, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Taste tomatoes and correct seasoning (don’t add extra salt when using canned tomatoes), if needed. Serve on steamed rice. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Also nice with boiled new potatoes and a green salad.
Easy Steamed Rice
A no fail perfect way to prepare rice
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked rice - makes 1 cup of cooked rice
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 to 4 cups water or chicken, beef or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Bring the water and salt to a rolling boil. Add the rice and stir it to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Cook the rice in the boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Drain the rice into a strainer and then fill the bottom of the saucepan that you just used with about 2 – 3 inches of water. Place the strainer on the saucepan (ensure that the rice is not sitting in water. Cover the strainer and bring the water to a boil (steaming the rice). Cook for at least 20 minutes, but can continue to steam it until it is ready to be eaten. To increase the number of servings, just add more rice to the boiling water and follow the other steps.
Variation 1
- I will often cook some onions and mushrooms in a small frying pan and add them to to the cooked rice before serving. Sometimes I just add a tablespoon of butter to the rice and stir it in.
Variation 2
- If you would like to cook brown rice, increase the initial cook time in the water from 10 to 14 minutes and then steam it until it is tender.
Variation 3
- Cook the rice in chicken, beef or vegetable broth instead of water for the first 10 minutes and then steam over water as described above.