The Best Pan-Seared Salmon! [ADMIN RECIPE, not eligible to win challenge]]

Description

The full version of this recipe (with photos) is available on google docs:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17p490w0weCZgHMtx4AbrL4n932NcCofsHmQYwIO8uwM/edit?usp=sharing

Text-only:

Pan-Seared Salmon and Spicy Mango Salsa on Mint-Pea Puree with Mashed Potato Cakes:

The ingredients used for this challenge led me to decide to make a Mediterranean style dish with some tropical notes. There are multiple components to this dish, but none of them were too difficult to prepare. This is a dish that revolves around the salmon, keeping it the primary focus on the dish, but with enough unique flavors to keep each bite refreshing and unique. I believe you will also enjoy this dish and discover you can prepare a salmon entree like a pro! You shouldn’t need anything besides what was in the box and a few staple kitchen ingredients like salt and pepper.

Tools needed:
Stove
Cutting board
Blender or food processor
Strainer
Oven
Non-stick pot/pan
Non-stick muffin or baking tray

Home ingredients/staple items needed:
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Cooking oil or butter
Heavy cream or milk

Part 1: Spicy Ginger Salsa

- 1 cup mango, peeled and cubed
- 1 full teaspoon habanero, finely minced (about 1 full pepper)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
- ½ of a lemon
- Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Wash produce. Peel the mango, slice it, and then chop it into fine cubes. Chop the stems off of a habanero pepper, remove the seeds, and finely mince it. Make sure you end up with about 1 full packed teaspoon. Next, cut off a branch of ginger root, peel it, and chop it extremely fine. I recommend not using a food processor or blender for any of this, as you will end up with a paste.

Once you have each component measured out in correct amounts, mix the ginger, mango, and habanero together in a bowl, and squeeze the lemon into it (about 1 tablespoon of juice - make sure to catch any seeds and discard).

Season with a PINCH amount of salt and stir thoroughly. You do not need much salt at all, I do not recommend more than a finger pinch amount, or ¼ of a teaspoon at most. You do not want to make this component actually salty.

Set aside and let sit for plating.

Part 2: Mashed Potato Cakes

- 2 full potatoes, peeled
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- Lemon wedge
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash produce. Peel the potatoes, and then chop into circular slices, about 1 inch thick each. Next, put the potatoes in a pot of water and raise to a boil. Allow to boil for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

While they are boiling, preheat an oven to 400F and oil a baking tray. Personally, I used a cupcake/muffin tray, as it helps greatly with the following step.

After straining the boiled potato slices, place them on your oiled baking tray, and pour about a teaspoon of oil over the tops of each (olive oil is best for this, but any cooking oil is ok). Lightly press the potato slices flat, using a pestle or a spoon. The goal is to crush them into a chunky paste, not to completely mash them. I personally pressed mine until they fully and evenly filled the base of the cupcake/muffin trays.

Sprinkle a pinch amount of salt and pepper over the potatoes, and squeeze a few drops of juice from the lemon wedge over the tops of each one.

Place the tray in the pre-heated oven and let back for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and crispy.

Remove from the oven, let them slightly cool for a minute, and then remove them carefully onto your plate. Sprinkle the feta and chopped dill over the potatoes. Don’t be shy to fully cover the potatoes with the toppings.

Part 3: Mint-Pea Puree

- 1.5 cups frozen peas
- 3-4 large branches of mint
- Lemon wedge
- ⅛ cup heavy cream or ¼ cup milk (If you don’t have one of these at home, you can use ⅛ cup greek yogurt from the box instead. I actually believe this might be best)
- Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Wash the mint, and peel off all leaves. Place the peas and mint leaves into a pot of water, and raise to a boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Next, pour the vegetables into a food processor with the cream/milk/yogurt, a fully squeezed wedge worth of lemon juice, and a generous pinch of salt (I used a blender, and it came out more grainy than I intended. I highly recommend using a true food processor). Add about ½ cup of water, and blend thoroughly into a paste. You can add more water if the mix is still too thick to fully blend.

Next, pour the soupy mix back into the empty pot, and simmer on low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat once the mix is beginning to evaporate and thicken enough to hold peaks.

Set aside for plating and move on to the final component.

Part 4: Pan-Seared Salmon

- Salmon portion
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Lemon wedge

Instructions:

Carefully unwrap the salmon portion, and pat it very dry with a clean paper towel. Next, sprinkle a pinch amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder on all sides.

Heat a non-stick pan on your stove’s highest setting and grease with about 1 tablespoon of oil. I recommend olive oil, but any cooking oil or butter will work.

Once the pan is extremely hot, carefully place the salmon portion top-down in the pan. Be careful not to be burned as the oil will likely spit. I recommend using a spatula so as to keep your distance and also avoid damaging the salmon portion.

Let it sit in the pan for about 3-4 minutes. Then, very carefully flip the salmon onto the other side with a spatula, being careful not to break it apart. Place a lid over the pan, and let it sit on the high setting for another 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down slightly under medium, and let it cook for another few minutes with the lid on. Overall, it should cook for about 11-12 minutes in total, but this will vary depending on the shape and thickness of your salmon portion.

The best way to check if your salmon is cooked is to watch the middle of the salmon. It will slowly go from dark to light pink as it cooks. After the entire center looks light pink, you will begin to see a white substance emerge from the sides. Wait until you can see this happening in the center, and then immediately turn off the pan.

See the picture on the document version for an example of the dark pink you want to see fully disappear.

Do not let the salmon sit in the pan, or it will overcook. Carefully remove it onto a tray or a plate and let it rest. Finish by squeezing the lemon wedge over the salmon.

Plating:

Grab a plate, place a few of the potato cups on one side, and spread a generous amount of the pea-mint puree on the other side of the plate. Place the salmon on the puree, and then top with a few spoonfuls of the spicy mango salsa. Pair with a drink of your choice, and enjoy!

I hope that this inspired your own great ideas, or you enjoy this recipe enough to prepare it on your own again!