Sockeye Salmon with Pasta Primavera
Rich, buttery sockeye salmon is paired with silky pasta, bathed with a simple garlic and onion-based sauce. Fresh vegetables and smoked venison sausage add color, flavor, and texture balance to this easy but luxurious dish.
The beauty of this dish (besides the gorgeous salmon!) is that, if you play your cards right, everything comes together at the same time, making this a great mid-week meal. Enjoy!
Sockeye Salmon with Pasta Primavera
1 lb fresh sockeye salmon fillet
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
4 oz thin spaghetti noodles
1 tb olive oil
1 tb butter
1 clove garlic, mashed
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup sliced smoked venison (or other) sausage
1 tb cornstarch
1 handful fresh spinach, washed
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place salmon in dish. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until done, when fish just begins to flake. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Remove from dish to serving platter.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta liquid. Set drained pasta aside if sauce is not quite ready to receive.
While pasta and salmon are cooking, make the sauce: In deep saucepan heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until just fragrant. Add stock, and bring to a gentle boil. Add broccoli, mushrooms and sausage, and simmer briefly until broccoli and mushrooms are just al dente. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup stock or cooled pasta cooking liquid, and stir into sauce until slightly thickened. Add pasta. Fold in spinach. Check seasonings and serve at once with salmon, garnishing all with chopped parsley and lemon, if desired.
