Broiled Salmon and Couscous

Took Alex bowling for the very first time this afternoon. Actually, it was my first time too and here’s one new thing I learned about my husband of almost 11 years – Keith knows how to bowl and had in fact, bowled quite a bit back in his middle school days…and he claims daily he has nothing new to tell me – men! We brought Alex to ice-skate for the first time too last week – I wimped out the last minute and left Alex and Keith to fend for themselves…not that I would have been of any help to them if I had joined them on the rink. They did pretty well I’ve got to say – both of them went around the rink a few times and did not fall down even once. Yippee! We’re planning to take Alex to ice-skate again tomorrow…maybe I’ll take some pictures of them this time…from the sideline. :-D In the meantime, here’s a quick, healthy, and delicious meal that you can make any night.

Broiled Salmon
Salmon fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Coarse salt
Dried or fresh dill

Place fillets in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil for easier clean-up. Coat fish with a little olive oil and pour lemon juice on top of the fillets (I normally use  1½ – 2 large lemons for four fillets and I squeeze the juice straight onto the fillets). Season fillets with salt and dill (I do it on just one side). Broil in the oven (I set the sheet on the middle rack) until cooked through. Goes great with couscous or rice pilaf.  

For pre-packaged couscous, our favorite brand and flavor is Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil – delicious as is but sometimes, I would add roasted red pepper, shallot (although in the Summer when chives are abundant in my garden, I would use chives instead of shallot), and lemon juice to make it extra special and unbelievably amazing! Enjoy.

Couscous with Roasted Red Pepper and Shallot
1 large red bell pepper
1 small shallot, sliced thin
1 package Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Place whole pepper on a sheet pan lined with foil and broil in the oven until the skin is completely charred, turning it a few times. Remove pan from the oven and wrap pepper with a piece of foil or paper towel (be careful as the pepper will be really hot). Set aside until the pepper is cool enough to handle. In a small frying pan on medium heat, fry shallot in a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil until golden brown. Place shallot (including the oil) in a small bowl. Note that I would substitute a handful (about ¼ cup) of finely minced fresh chives for the shallot when I have them. In this case, I would just mix the olive oil and minced chives in the small bowl and proceed on with the rest of the recipe. Prepare couscous according to the package. Pepper should have cooled sufficiently by now – remove the skin and seeds and chop into ¼” to ½” pieces and add (along with any juices that have collected) to the shallot or chives. Once couscous is done, fluff the grains with a fork. Stir in the shallot and roasted red pepper mixture, and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve.