A beautiful filet of wild salmon, some fresh organic zucchini and arugula were the inspiration for this plate.
I am always looking to add spices and tastes from my heritage to my cooking when I can.
I also grew up with beautiful large walnuts trees which first gave the succulent raw walnuts which are white in the interior and then the beautiful dried ones that we all know so well. Walnuts are a staple in my pantry, I buy in bulk and keep them in the freezer.
The sauce is a play on the flavors of cumin and mustard to start with and then the flesh spiciness of arugula an garlic pulls it all together. It will stay in the fridge for a while to be used on salads and others dishes during the week so do invest in making a batch.
I have used 3 organic zucchinis so you will have leftovers for the week. The zucchini is inspired by Ayurveda which calls for simple ingredients. I have used clarified butter, cumin, mustard and fresh curry leaves….. the flavor is just amazing
Salmon with Arugula Walnut Sauce
A simple pan-seared Salmon served with Zucchini and a Walnut Arugula Pesto .
Ingredients
Salmon
- 2 fillets of wild salmon
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon Grapeseed oil
Zucchini
- 3 organic zucchini
- 1 tablespoon Ghee ( clarified butter)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 mustard seeds
- 10 pieces curry leaves
- Himalayan salt to taste
Sauce
- 1 bunch Arugula
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 red o1-inch
- inch piece of Feta cheese (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Run the ingredients for the sauce through the food processor adding water if needed and set aside. I like the taste Feta brings to this sauce but do adjust to your own taste
- Chop the zucchini into bite size pieces. In a skillet, add Ghee, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- When the spice starts to splutter add the cut zucchini and sauté on medium heat until tender. Salt to taste as you go,
- Put a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan over high heat. Add grapeseed oil and when the oil is hot the fillets in the pan, flesh side down and let sear for 1 minute. Flip to skin side down and let it cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crisp.
- To serve, plate the sauce and layer on the zucchini topped with the Salmon.
Very tasty looking dish! Arugula and walnuts is such a great combination.
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Thanks and yes it makes such an amazing pesto to be used for multiple dishes
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Yes, I love using pesto for different dishes. My last one was of tarragon and cashews, which ended up so good. Next time I’ll try your combination. 🙂
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Arugula walnut sauce, oh wow! That sounds very flavorful!
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It is really good with a little spicy kick to it!
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Doesn’t this look absolutely stunning? I love the flavours at play, and that brilliant colour. Thak you so much for sharing this dish with us at FF, Zeba!
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Thanks so much Ginger. I really enjoyed putting this plate together and then of course eating it 😀😀
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Wow Zeba, what an incredible dish! I grew up with walnuts outside our house. We must have had a dozen trees, but we kids were the only ones that ever ate them, peeling and cracking them open with rocks. Mostly we just threw them at the neighbor kids and they threw them back! What a waste, but we had a blast. I’d probably have a talking to my kids if they did that!
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Oh Mollie so lovely to hear. Eating raw walnuts is a experience including breaking them with rocks. Your hands get stained and as kids we would stain our lips with the skin. So much fun. If you still have walnut trees please invite me 🙏😍
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They are long gone, I’m afraid! As a matter of fact, our whole house and everything in the yard is gone, replaced by a new ranch by some owner or other! The only thing that remains is my handprint in the cement sidewalk. I was about seven when the sidewalk was put in and thought it would be a good idea to put my hand in the wet cement, haha! I think I was a naughty child!!
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Lovely dish Zeba! That sauce is amazing. I love walnuts too. I bet it was awesome growing up with a walnut tree,
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Thanks Antonia- amazing memories 😊
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