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Today is a special occasion for me, definitely worth celebrating - but a bit sad at the same time, you see, it's our thirty-sixth wedding anniversary - I've been blessed to be married to an unbelievably amazing man for all these years; he's kind, thoughtful, encouraging, funny, creative and very handsome! If you're a regular reader, you also know Scott's a fantastic photographer. And to top all that, he's not only put up with me for all this time, but has been the best friend this old girl could have ever dreamed of being blessed with! Thank you, Lord!
We'll celebrate, for sure, when I get home. Along with a getaway weekend in the mountains, I'm going to make him a delicious dinner. I created this Strawberry-Balsamic Glazed Salmon in honor of our anniversary and tested it out a few days ago on my daughter, son-in-law and the girlies. They all loved it, even little Lilly literally gobbled it up. And while it's perfect for a special occasion, it's simple enough for a weeknight family meal. The sauce comes together quickly and the salmon itself takes less than ten minutes to pan-sear on the stovetop. I'll be making this again for Scott next week, setting the table with my best dishes, candles, flowers, our favorite violin music floating through the air .........
I had fun with the salsa. I shared last week that I had gone a bit crazy at the local market and I used some the delicious produce for my salsa; sweet strawberries, crisp, crunchy, fresh fennel and juicy, ripe apricots, all diced and combined with honey, lime juice and fresh herbs. The salsa would be great with chips or quesadillas, but it was the absolute perfect compliment to delicious strawberry-glazed salmon. You could substitute peaches for the apricots, add jicama instead of fennel, but do give this salsa a try. With or without the salmon, I think it just might make a ordinary day feel like a very special occasion!
P.S. (just for Scott) Happy Anniversary my love! You're the best - can't wait to see you on Friday!
P.S.S. (just for Chris, from the photographer/confidant).... she's got it wrong...I'm the blessed one.... and all of you readers who follow TCSF know that Chris (or Gick as I call her) is one amazing person. If you met her on the street, you'd want her to be a BFF instantly. Happy Anniversary, love of my life... and call me from the Eiffel Tower today, you lucky duck!! :):):)
Strawberry-Balsamic Glazed Salmon
Ingredients:
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce*
1 tablespoon soy sauce
finely zested zest of 1 orange
6 4-5-ounce skinless, boneless salmon fillets
Directions:
1. Whisk all ingredients except orange zest and salmon fillets together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat; simmer until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in orange zest and set aside.
2. Season salmon with sea salt and a generous sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. Brush the top of each salmon fillet with glaze. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Cook salmon fillets, glazed sides down, 1 minute; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 2 minutes more. Turn fillets over, and cook 3-4 minutes for medium (salmon will be slightly pink in the middle), or longer if desired. Transfer to a plate; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Serve with Strawberry Apricot & Fresh Fennel Salsa, if desired.
Note: Another option - you could double the sauce, serve half of it and drizzle it over the cooked salmon instead of the salsa
Serves 6
Strawberry, Apricot & Fresh Fennel Salsa
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
a pinch sea salt
1 bulb fresh fennel, topped, tailed and chopped into ¼-inch dice
½ medium sweet onion, chopped into ¼-inch dice
4 seeded apricots (ripe but not mushy-soft), chopped into ¼-inch dice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
½ medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Combine honey, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and sea salt in a medium bowl. Add onion and fennel; stir well. Add apricots, strawberries, herbs and jalapeño; stir gently, just till combined. Serve ~ enjoy!
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