Fast Salmon
How often is it that you make plans, only to have some interruption ruin it all? In my case, I can’t even count that high! We are in the depths (known as ‘in the weeds’ in the restaurant business – a scary place where you can’t catch up) of our baseball & softball seasons. This makes for craziness at our house on most weeknights.
Here’s a story of an interrupted evening we experienced last week: I picked up kids from school, raced home (I missed my calling as a race car driver, ask those who ride with me!), & made a snack. Cleaned up the snack & kitchen and started prepping dinner. Begged kids to finish homework and unload their lunches (one kid remembers to unpack lunch, he is my favorite), and reminded them of what time we’ll be leaving for practices – all too soon. Oh, and “get your practice clothes on, pack your gear and don’t forget the water!” After a fun scramble game of “I can’t find my sock!”or “where are my baseball pants?”, one daughter is ready…yep, she’s my favorite. I went back to dinner prep: Preheat oven, wash & prep produce. Throw the sweet potatoes into the oven. Tick Tock!
This particular night I had hoped to try a coconut crusted salmon recipe I had found. When I lovingly unwrapped the salmon I found that all the portions were loaded with pin bones. Insert WRENCH (and moans and groans and whining)! Ugh. Did I profess to be a fishmonger? Ok then. Logically it took me the rest of my prep time just to get those bones out. Tick Tock!
Plan B? Resort to ‘FAST Salmon’. Other daughter enters kitchen, hugs me and says brightly, “Mom, that looks great!” She’s my favorite. So I put the coconut away for another time. Throw FAST Salmon into the oven and check in with kiddos. Remind them again to unload lunches (kid who forgets about the lunch is plugging away at his never ending supply of homework – without me nagging. You guessed it, he’s my favorite).
Then, the after school taxiing begins. Ball practice, meetings, games, errands. The bonus here is that I get to practice my race car driving again. I was able to cheer at the game, see them improve at practice, hear the excitement about the youth meeting, grab some groceries and stop at the post office. I got through the ‘weeds’. And I got to be their Mom.
Here’s the amazing part: after all the running that had to happen before I sat down in my quiet kitchen at 9:30pm – this salmon was just what I needed. I had forgotten about my frustration & lack of time for deboning. Simply seasoned & completely nourishing , it hit the spot – no bones about it (gee I’m punny).
As I enjoyed my late meal, I finally relaxed knowing that my hubby & four favorite kids got a delicious, healthy dinner made with love…which is WAY more important than making what I had originally planned.
Fast Salmon
4-6 salmon portions, pin bones removed (ask your fishmonger…trust me, this is fastest)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
salt
pepper
2 lemons, sliced
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lay your salmon portions on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with coconut oil. Salt and pepper generously. Lay lemon slices over top of each portion. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and flaky. Simply delicious, even at room temperature!