Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa

With house guests this weekend, we had to decide what to prepare for dinner Saturday night. Our guests were a challenge- an organic farmer and a vegetarian (!)... I immediately thought of this dish, as it's a crowd pleaser- as long as your "crowd" likes fish and appreciates fresh, healthy ingredients. We served it with a salad of mixed greens and a crusty baguette with garlic butter.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and FoodNetwork.com

Salsa:

• 2 large oranges
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (I omitted)
  
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

• Vegetable or canola oil, for oiling the grill (I used olive oil)
  
• 4 (4 to 5-ounce) center cut salmon fillets, skinned, each about 3-inches square (I used one large fillet so it could be served family style)
  
• 2 tablespoons amber agave nectar (I used light agave nectar)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa: Peel and trim the ends from each orange. Using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and add them to a medium bowl. (This is a lot of trouble... I just peeled the oranges, segmented them and cut them into bite sized pieces.) Add the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, scallions, mint, capers, orange zest, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Toss lightly and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

For the salmon: Put a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the grilling rack with vegetable oil to keep the salmon from sticking. Brush the salmon on both sides with the agave nectar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to a platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes. (I have done this recipe before and grilled the salmon as the directed, but this time we had a very large filet and it wouldn't fit in my grill pan. So- instead I baked it at 400 for about 22 minutes. It was delicious both ways!)

Spoon the salsa on top of the salmon or serve on the side as an accompaniment.

........

We LOVE this recipe. It is healthy, delicious, beautiful and easy. The only down side is the expense. We bought 2 lbs of Alaskan salmon from Whole Foods to serve 4 and it was $25 ($12.50/lb). Normally we're just cooking for 2, so $12.50 is a lot more affordable. The salsa is just awesome. The flavors are so bright and sunny- it tastes like pure sunshine! Eventually I will try it with the mint- I'm sure that would add even more flavor. This is a 5 star recipe!

To all those people who may be scared or intimidated to prepare fish at home- don't be! Just buy a good quality fish from a reputable source and it will turn out great! This is a great recipe to start with, if you a beginner :)