Grilled Spiced Salmon with Corn Relish

Last Year's Post: Mexican Chicken Pasta
Two Years Ago:   Roasted Tomato Californian

It's corn season, and this is a fun and different way to use fresh corn.  Almost nothing says "summer" more than grilling so celebrate the end of summer and the fleeting corn season with a healthy and delicious salmon and corn dinner.

I made fairly drastic changes to a recipe I found in the New York Times that featured halibut, but I'm sure the halibut would be equally good.  Their recipe called for pre-cooked corn which made no sense if you're going to be grilling anyway, does it?  If it's not corn season, just use frozen thawed corn - Trade Joes even has a bag of frozen roasted corn with nice char marks already on it that would be perfect.

Note that the recipe says to marinate the fish with spices for up to 3 hours, although I'm not sure why.  I think you could skip that step and go directly from rubbing on the spice mix to the grill, letting the fish sit and marinate on the side while you grill the corn.

Regarding the spices, they're fairly potent so use your discretion regarding how much to add to the salmon and how much to add to the corn relish.  I preferred a light hand with the spices so I could taste them more as a background note to the fresh salmon and corn. If you really like the spices in Indian food, by all means increase the amount.  Just remember you can always add more later but you can't take some out.

The yogurt might seem like an unusual addition but the neutral creaminess goes really well with the spices and the rich salmon.  If you skip (or shorten) the marinating step, this is a really easy weeknight dinner.  Start the grill, rub the spices on the salmon, then start some rice.  Grill the corn, then put the salmon on the grill while you (or a helpful friend) make the corn relish.  Start to finish, I would say this shouldn't take any longer than about 45 minutes.

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Grilled Spiced Salmon with Corn Relish

Serves 4

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 salmon fillets, 5-6 ounces each

2 lemons (1 juiced and 1 quartered)

1 large or 1 small ears fresh corn, shucked (about 2 cups of kernels)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves plus more for garnish

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Hot cooked rice

Combine cumin, coriander, fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt.  Rub salmon fillets with juice of ½ lemon, then sprinkle on some of the spice mix (light to medium as preferred), leaving at least 2 teaspoons spice mix for the corn relish.  Rub the spice mix in, then refrigerate the salmon for up to 3 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium-high.  Brush the ears of corn with the vegetable oil, then grill for 2 minutes per each of 4 sides until grill-marked and tender.  Remove and let cool.

Place the salmon fillets on the grill skin side down for about 5 minutes, then carefully flip with a spatula (the skin should come right off).  Grill another 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 140d.  Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the salmon is grilling, prepare the corn relish:  stand the ears of corn upright and cut the kernels off the cobs.  Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, then add the chopped onion and sauté until tender.  Stir in 1-2 teaspoons spice mix (depending on preference) and sauté, stirring, until you can smell the spices.  Add corn kernels and the juice of ½ lemon.  Cook briefly to heat through, then add the cilantro and stir to combine.

To serve, place some rice on each plate.  Top with a salmon fillet and corn relish.  Add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on the side and garnish with a lemon wedge and cilantro sprig.

Spiced Carrot Soup (Hot or Cold)

Last Year's Post:  Baked Falafel
Two Years Ago:   Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Skewers

I knew that The Lawyer and I had gone over to the dark side when all we could talk about last week when we were on vacation (and stuffing ourselves with all manner of deliciousness) was coming home and making a healthy cold vegetable soup for dinner.  Say what?  I know, that's really sick.  It's kind of like every time I go to Las Vegas all I want to do when I get home is exercise and eat vegetables.  I guess it's good news that we actually start to crave healthy food while we're consuming the bad stuff, but still.

So why a cold soup in particular?  We've been trying to eat more vegetarian meals as part of a healthy diet, for starters.  One of my challenges to myself was to find more ways to accomplish that without having a salad every day for the rest of our lives.  Living in the Southwest where the temperatures are at or above 100 degrees for most of the summer, I decided to explore the world of cold soups.  When I lived in the Midwest cold soups never really appealed to me, but all of a sudden they make more sense.  And when you're trying to eat light and healthy or maybe lose a few pounds, soup makes a perfect dinner with some crusty bread on the side, hot or cold.

We all know carrots are really good for you, but what I particularly like about this recipe is that the Indian spices add depth and sharpness to what could otherwise be a pretty sweet flavor profile, and the seeds and radish add a nice crunch.  When I first tasted the hot soup there was a definite kick from the cayenne, but when it was cold the heat was much less.   My recommendation would be to make it as written and then taste and adjust the heat level to your own liking.  If it's too spicy, add a dollop of plain yogurt to tone it down when you serve it.  Or if you want more heat, add a little minced jalapeno to the seed topping.

Nobody needs heavy food in the summer.  This is a perfect light, delicious and nutritious meal for the hottest summer nights.

Update:  we had leftover soup for lunch the next day and experimented with sprinkling it with za'atar spice blend instead of the seeds to give it a smoky Middle Eastern profile rather than Indian spices.  Success!  I think it would be good with any spice or seed blend of your preference - BBQ, southwestern, Middle Eastern, whatever.  Have fun and experiment.

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Spiced Carrot Soup (Hot or Cold)

Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon turmeric

½ teaspoon toasted and ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Salt

2 pounds young carrots, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 radishes, minced (for garnish)

Cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Lime wedges, for serving

Plain Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

Put a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  When oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until onions are lightly browned.  Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and cayenne and cook for one minute more, until fragrant.  Season generously with salt.

Add carrots and 8 cups water.  Raise the heat and bring to a brisk simmer, then put on the lid and turn heat to low.  Cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from stove and let cool slightly.

Note:  if you plan to serve the soup cold, you can let it cool partially or completely at this point before pureeing and placing in the refrigerator, covered. Proceed with the remaining directions before serving.

Puree in a blender in batches or use an immersion blender to puree in the pot.  Thin with water if necessary; the soup should not be too thick.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook for one minute, until spices are fragrant and beginning to pop.  Set aside.

Taste the soup and adjust for salt.  Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the vegetable oil/seed mixture, minced radishes, cilantro leaves and an optional dollop of yogurt.  Serve with lime wedges for squeezing at the table.