Baked salmon with a peanut-cilantro relish

by Sarah Steimer

I was a little concerned about using a shallot in the relish. The original recipe called for using the greens from one large scallion, but it was the one ingredient I forgot at the grocery store. I used a finely minced shallot instead, and it actually worked beautifully. The trick was rinsing the shallot under cold water after cutting. I saw Rick Bayless use this method on television once to mellow the taste of raw onions in salsa, and I figured it could mellow a shallot for relish! It sure did. The relish really blew this dish away.

For the relish:

• 1 tablespoon shallot, minced and rinsed with cold water in a fine mesh strainer
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the shallot, cilantro and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix in the the peanuts, salt and pepper right before serving so the peanuts do not become soggy (from the cilantro).

Makes about 1 cup of relish.

For the fish:

• .75 – 1 pound of salmon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• rice or quinoa, for serving
• lime, for serving

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle some of the olive oil in a glass baking dish. Place the fish in the dish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, along with the salt, pepper and garlic.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the salmon can be easily flaked with a fork and is firm to the touch.

Serve the salmon over the rice or quinoa, topped with relish and a squeeze of lime.

Makes two servings.

Relish recipe adapted from: Bon Appetit