Sarasota's Salmon, Roasted Fennel & Lemony Spinach Salad

SarasotaCook's Note:

Light healthy and easy to make. Roasted fennel and spinach salad with a very light lemon mustard vinaigrette topped with roasted salmon. This is healthy and quick but a beautiful dish to serve for guests or just a nice dinner for you and your husband or significant other or just family. As you cook the salmon and fennel all in the oven, roast some simple new potatoes at the same time on the same pan and save clean up time. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and you have an easy dinner side dish to go with the salad and salmon.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0 Fillets ...

• 4 salmon fillets (I like to get middle sections, so I don't get any thin tail sections. This makes for more even cooki)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lemon thin sliced and roasted on the salmon

Salad

• 4 cups baby spinach
• 2 fennel bulbs (cut in half and sliced, not too thin)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lemon , cut in half (roasted and squeezed over the salad)

Vinaigrette

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1⁄3; cup dry white wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 teaspoons fresh dill
• pepper
• salt

Garnish

• fresh dill , if you want

Directions:

1. Vinaigrette -- Mix the white wine, olive oil, mustard, fresh dill, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Salmon -- Remove and let set to take the chill off. Then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Nothing more. Top with 2 lemon slices per fillet and place on a sheet of foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
3. Fennel -- On the same baking sheet, 1/2 we will be baking the salmon and the other half we will be baking the fennel. So add the fennel, lemon and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and lightly toss.
4. Bake -- In a 425 degree oven on the middle shelf, bake the salmon and the fennel for about 15-20 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of your fennel and salmon, but they take approximately the same time.
5. The fennel should be lightly brown around the edges and the salmon done and flaky, but still a little moist. The salmon will cook a little more once removed, so don't over cook - 120 internal temp and then remove. You don't want it bright pink and translucent in the middle, but more opaque. The salmon may get done first, so just remove and set on a plate and cover with foil.
6. Salad -- At this time, the fennel should be done. So, to a large bowl, add the baby spinach and the roasted fennel and squeeze 1/2 of the roasted lemon and add 1/2 of the vinaigrette (or you can go a bit less). You want a little to drizzle over the salmon as well, so dress the salad to your liking. I tend to go light on the dressing where others like a bit more. Just use what you like.
7. Note: if you like more lemon like me you can squeeze the other half of the lemon. Once roasted it gets very sweet and adds a great flavor, but I always tell people to squeeze 1/2 first. You can always add more, but you can take it away. I prefer to squeeze both half, but that is up to you.
8. Plating -- Add a nice helping of the fennel spinach salad to the plate and top with one of the roasted salmon fillets. Top with a little of the vinaigrette over the salmon and garnish with the fresh dill (optional).
9. Now my favorite is to serve this with some roasted potatoes. As you cook the salmon and fennel, you could also do some roasted new potatoes. Guess what ? No pans. Just a baking sheet with no clean up. My type of dinner. And that roasted lemon half if you don't use it on the salmon, you would squeeze that on the potatoes with salt and pepper which would be wonderful. ENJOY!