Copper River Sockeye Salmon with Corn & Tomato Salad

See this face:

That's how I feel that we still don't have a working grill. And it's summer.

Sad...

Sad...

SAD!

Our gas grilled exploded in a blaze of shooting flames last summer. And although we technically gave Jason a new grill for his birthday/Father's Day, we haven't actually bought the grill yet.

So, it's summer and we're grill-less. And we're walking through Whole Foods to pick up a few items and those damned product sample-giver-people reeled us in with their Copper River Sockeye Salmon with Corn & Tomato Salad.

We already have a favorite salmon recipe (and a second favorite salmon recipe), but since this one didn't require a grill and the salmon was on sale, we figured we'd give it a try.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1.5 - 2 pounds Cooper River sockeye salmon
• 4 ears white/yellow corn, shucked **
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 bunch basil, leaves only
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 1-2 lemons, juiced
• 1-2 pieces preserved lemon rind, chopped
• 2-3 T olive oil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• canola oil, as needed

Directions:

1. Cut the salmon into 4 portions, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Shave the kernels from the corn cobs using a sharp knife.

We tried this method first:



But he's right. We had corn kernels flying everywhere! Ruby (the puppy) loved that part.

Next we tried putting the corn in a bowl to trap the kernels as we cut. But you could only cut one half, then you had to flip it over and cut the other half. There's gotta be a better way!

We searched for video tutorials and found this little gizmo:



3. Combine the corn, tomatoes, lemon juice, preserved lemon (if using), olive oil, green onion, and basil and season well with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and film the bottom of the skillet with oil. Place the salmon pieces skin-side down and cook until the skin is brown and crisp before turning. Cook the flesh side until your desired temperature is reached.

5. Serve the salmon atop mounds of the corn salad.

Reviews:

Chef Jason -- It was really good. The lemon offered a little zing, which was nice. We only used one lemon. I think two would have been too much. The salmon didn't cook as crisp as I'd like, but that may have been our pan.

Tanya -- Very good. Only two of us eat tomatoes, so we cut the tomatoes down to 1/3 pint.

Miranda -- It was good. Very tasty.

Olivia -- It was good, but I still like my salmon better.

Hannah -- Can I have some Cheerios?!?


** An aside... while searching for corn-related videos we stumbled on something shocking! Google "rachael ray corn" and you'll see what I mean.

And if you're too lazy to Google it, here's a little tease:



So much for being a family-friendly food blog!


Photo Credits: Clown, Kid, Cell Phone.