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Asparagus and Salmon Season
Spring has sprung in Baltimore. After months of cold days and freezing nights the forecast for the next five days has us reversing course in a big way. The overnight lows for the next several days are higher than the daytime highs have been for months. With night time lows in the mid 60’s I am getting my vegie garden going. Daytime highs are going to be in the 80‘s tomorrow if the weather guessers are right. Soon my Rocky Top lettuce blend will be feeding us amazing fresh salads. The peas won’t be far behind. Then in June the first fresh salmon from Cordova Alaska’s Copper River will show up. It won’t be until July that the first tomatoes from my garden will make an appearance on the table. About that time Moore’s Orchard across the street from me will be selling the first of the season peaches. Ah, I can just close my eyes and taste the first juicy peach already. But hey, it’s April and that means Asparagus is in season and showing up on my grocery store shelf. This is not the stuff from Peru or other points south. This is North American asparagus and I’m ready to buy some. Last night I made one of my favorite meals. It was Baked Salmon, with a side of Oven Baked Asparagus and Quinoa Pilaf. This is a simple,healthy meal that takes just 20-25 minutes from start to finish. If you subscribe to my Enewsletter on my blog you will receive two of recipes, Quinoa and Asparagus) that are not featured here so please sign up as it costs you nothing but a couple minutes of your time. For now however I will share with you the salmon recipe. I hope you enjoy it.
Baked Salmon Filets
1 pound salmon filets skinned and cut into 4 portions
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
In a individual baking dish or cookie sheet place salmon skin side down. Rub salmon filets with oil, then drizzle lemon juice over them. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the filets and bake for 10-15 minutes or until salmon flakes when pressed on. Don’t overcook.
Note:
I like to add a touch( 1/2 teaspoon) dried or fresh thyme for a nice herbed flavoring, or ground cumin.
A bit of garlic powder is a nice touch too. A little goes a long way.
I highly recommend Alaska salmon over farmed salmon when available.
Baked Salmon Dinner Trio
We love asparagus from the oven! We will occasionally mist it with olive oil and add a pepper/garlic seasoning to it for some subtle flavor (sometimes a little parmesan cheese finds its way in there as well..). The salmon is always a treat, especially when it is sport caught! Haven’t tried the Quinoa but usually brown or white rice makes the cut. Might pick some up when Whole Foods opens up this fall in a city near us.
Oven baked asparagus is just about my favorite way to cook it. I learned the oven method back in the 1980’s working at the Blue Spruce Inn in Frisco, Colo. Costco carries quinoa but it’s a pretty big bag compared to what grocery stores carry.
Asparagus has been used as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavour, diuretic properties, and more. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. Still in ancient times, it was known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter; Romans would even freeze it high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus. Emperor Augustus reserved the “Asparagus Fleet” for hauling the vegetable, and coined the expression “faster than cooking asparagus” for quick action.’
Thanks for the historical perspective on asparagus.