Tonight we had a salmon feast to round out a week of celebrations!  While we chose to make this week of school vacation a ‘staycation’ it ended up to be filled with day after day of reasons to raise a glass.  Here are just some of the highlights.

1. On Easter Sunday last weekend we spent the day with both of our parents, enjoying a feast of roasted lamb, with scalloped potatoes and roasted veggies.   It is such a joy to see our parents get along and our evening was filled with laughter and storytelling.
2. Tuesday was our two year wedding anniversary!  To mark the day, we went to a fancy dinner in town at Alden and Harlow. (If you love good food and you visit Boston I highly recommend this spot!) Instead of bread they give you pickled green beans. They have just the right amount of flavor and the crunch is perfectly satisfying as well. (I need to learn how to make them).
3. While many folks are present givers we prefer to find new experiences to share.  So, this year, we painted our kitchen! (Romantic, right?) It is hard to capture the color in a picture, but imagine somewhere between a buttery yellow and the inside of a creme brulee. It took a comical number of trips to the store but the result is so much warmer than the previous gray.
4. On Friday night we spent the evening out with friends, celebrating the first time two in our group were able to hit the town together as they had a babysitter with their new peanut.
5. My father continues to make active steps towards the next phase of his life, and his house (one that was filled with generations of trinkets and memories) is ready to go onto the market.  He has worked for months to sort, organize, donate, and gift so many items.  Now, in only 25 more days he will retire, sell his home, move into a new home (ours!) without my mother, and most importantly identifying how HE wants to spend his time.   
6. We bought tickets to go to Italy this summer! When one of your cousins marries a man whose family owns a vineyard in Tuscany you can’t pass up the wedding invite.  I have never been to Italy and I can’t wait to visit.  We are also considering a daytrip to Venice. To my traveler friends – what are some can’t miss spots?

So, with so much to celebrate, we chose to make salmon.  I’ve recently been wanting to cook a bit more fish and so we decided to make this recipe from The Cookie Rookie.  I always forget how easy it is to make fish.  For this recipe you first make the chunky salsa by combining fresh red onion, an avocado, and the juice from one or two limes.  It chills in the fridge while you make the rest of the meal.  Then, you generously rub each filet with a flavorful rub and grill until cooked through.  This recipe works outdoors on the barbecue grill or inside on a cast iron grill pan.  We chose to serve it over quinoa, but it would also work over spinach or with green beans.

In the end the warm fish had some nice heat from the rub but the cool salsa balanced it well. The original recipe called for two limes and when making it again I believe only one lime is necessary.  I plan to make this again and now need to keep my eyes peeled or more salmon variations!

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets between .75 and 1 pound each
• 1 avocado – cut into large chunks
• 1 lime
• 1/2 cup red onion – chopped into strips

  For the rub

• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Teaspoon cumin
• 1 Teaspoon paprika
• 1 Teaspoon diced red onion
• 1/2 Teaspoon chili powder

Steps and Notes:

1. Make the salsa by combining the avocado, juice from 1 lime, and red onion slices. Gently mash with a fork leaving some large pieces intact. Season with salt and pepper to taste then refrigerate for 20 minutes while the rest of the meal is prepared.
2. Next, combine the spices and diced red onion to make the rub.
   • Note: we were out of onion powder so we substituted finely diced red onion.  
3. Massage each filet with some olive oil then pat the rub over the filet evenly.
4. Add the salmon to a greased grill pan (or grill) and cover. Cook covered for about 8 minutes until the inside is pink.
   • Note: the cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your fish. If necessary, you can put the salmon into an oven at 350 for 5 minutes as well.
5. Top each filet with the cool salsa and serve over quinoa

Thoughts for Next Time:

• Turn the salsa into more of a guac by adding cumin and diced tomatoes
• Serve over spinach, shaved brussels sprouts, or green beans.