Here’s a quick and easy way to prepare salmon, best of all its delicious, light and summery! I used a stovetop grill pan, but you could use an outdoor grill, a frying pan, or even bake the salmon. I used one large wild sockeye filet cut into 4 serving pieces. I recommend to purchase salmon with the skin on, its less likely to fall apart on the grill and the salmon skin crisps up full of flavor. For the yogurt sauce buy the best Greek or Middle Eastern yogurt (labneh) you can find, the brand I love is Turkish, called Ulker, you can find it in Middle Eastern groceries. I use this for so many things, I go through 2 large cartons a week! It’s the best!
Marinade for the salmon:
2-3 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon divided in half (save the other half for the yogurt sauce)
1 clove garlic minced
2-3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 large salmon filet with skin on, cut into four serving pieces
Mix all marinade ingredients together. Season the fish with salt & pepper and place in a shallow plate. Pour the marinade on top and let sit 15-20 minutes. On a very hot grill pan, grill, or frying pan (lightly brushed with olive oil) sear skin side down (important) for 1-2 min, then flip and cook 2 – 4 more minutes, depending how well done you like your salmon (or not) Very important, don’t throw away the leftover marinade!! Pour it into a small frying pan and cook down until reduced halfway, about 5 minutes, then add 1 small pat of butter. Pour this delicious sauce over the fish, it makes the dish!
To make the lemon dill yogurt sauce:
3/4 cup of good Greek or Middle Eastern yogurt
Juice of half a lemon
Zest of other half of lemon (set aside from above)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve along side the fish. You could warm it up if you like on the stove, but don’t let it cook. The flavors will also intensify if you make this ahead of time and let it sit for at least 30 minutes or more.
Serve the salmon and yogurt with grilled veggies. To grill asparagus, just lightly brush grill or pan with olive oil, grill just a few minutes on each side so spears stay crisp and retain bright green color. Season with sea salt & pepper. Bon appétit!