Challenge: Help me make dinner tonight!

[KristaMB]

I'm feeling rather uninspired. I have some salmon steaks defrosting in the fridge, but other than that, I have no idea what to make.

I'm up for suggestions on how to prepare the salmon, and what sides to serve with it. I have potatoes, pasta and rice on hand. I need something fairly simple, since I will be at a birthday party until 4.

Inspire me!

Thanks for any ideas,
Krista

[jena]

Have you tried Barbequed Roasted Salmon ? I would have never tried it myself, as I think it sounds pretty gross, but it was in 'Back to the Best' and had such good reviews. It turned out to be one of our favourites. It can be quite spicy, but I use hot chili powder so that might be it. We have this all the time - it is very quick and easy (if you don't count the hour marinating in pineapple and lemon juice - maybe you can do that before the birthday party). We like it with potatoes or grits (with creme fraich or cream cheese in) and brocoli with lemon. If you're interested here it is.

Barbecue Roasted Salmon

Flavored with pineapple juice, brown sugar, chili powder, and cumin, this easy entree can transform any weeknight meal into something special. Try serving it with steamed basmati rice and a spinach salad tossed with mandarin oranges, sliced red onion, and fat-free poppyseed dressing.
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Ingredients
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking spray
Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions
Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Combine first 3 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400º.

Remove fish from bag; discard marinade. Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through cinnamon) in a bowl. Rub over fish; place in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400º for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon, if desired.

Preparation Time:
70 mins.
Cooking Time:
15 mins.
Total Time:
85 minutes
Servings/Serving Size:
4 servings
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Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 314 calories, 9 g carbohydrates, 111 mg cholesterol, 14.7 g fat, 405 mg sodium, 35.3 g protein, 30 mg calcium, 1.5 mg iron, 1 g fiber
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[beckms]

The orange-chipotle sauce is supposed to be really good with salmon...I haven't reid it, but there was a review of it in the last couple of days...

[Jeanne G]

I'm not usually a huge Emeril fan, but he does have some good recipes (that can be lightened!!!!). This looked good and was on his show the other day. I happened to turn to Food TV and watched some b/c I had not carmelized fish before, and the results looked really good! Most items you probably have, but maybe not the cilantro?

Salmon with Cilantro Potato Salad

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
2 pounds cooked quartered unpeeled new potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 cup sugar, (in a pie tin)
Salt and pepper
Garnish:
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Parsley

In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, onion, and celery together. Mix thoroughly. Fold in the new potatoes, carefully not to break up the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Season each fillet with salt and pepper. Dredge the salmon in the sugar. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, caramelize the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove from the pan. Place the potato salad in the center of the plate. Lay the salmon against the salad. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings