Sea Salted Salmon on a bed of Zucchini "Noodles"

Simple food, simply prepared with minimal processing means healthier eating.  Most of the time.  At least that's what I tell myself.  At least the lack of migraines when I eat this way tells me I'm on the right track to living in a healthier way.

I broke down and got a mandolin with my stash of birthday cash.  Its a super sharp tool that slices uniformly any veggie that you want and adjusts to any depth you would want.  Add in the nifty julienne option and you can do perfectly uniforms trips in narrow or wide sizes.  Think noodle sized or french fry size with minimal effort.

I have to confess the zucchini as a noodle isn't an original idea.  I copped it from some TV show on where it was done as a the base for an appetizer.  I thought to myself then....hmmmm great way to use the old zucker in a new way and have fun with it.  Enter the mandolin that can slip slice and julienne perfectly long spaghetti like strands.  Being neutral in flavor you can zip it up as much as you'd like.  Added boner is swapping out fiber for carbs.  Total. Win.

The salmon is simply prepared.  Pepper and smoked sea salt then roasted.  Tastes lightly smoked as if done on a grill with out the fuss of charcoal.

Sea Salted Salmon on a bed of Zucchini "Noodles"

• 2, 8 oz salmon fillets
• fresh cracked black pepper
• Smoked Sea Salt
• 2 long medium sized zucchini
• 1 tomato
• 1 t garlic powder
• fresh cracked black pepper
• sea salt or kosher salt
• olive oil

Pat salmon fillet dry.  Prepare  baking sheet with a light spritz of cooking spray. Season with pepper and smoked sea salt.  Place on prepared baking sheet and oven roast at 350F for 20 minutes.

While salmon is roasting wash your zucchini and dry them.  Prepare mandolin to slice thin julienne strips of the veggie.  Run zucchini across the cutting blades in long straight strokes stopping when you get to the seed core.  Rotate to each side cutting to seed core.  Discard seed cores.  Dice tomato, add zucchini and toss with garlic powder.

Heat a pan coated with a couple of tablespoons olive oil until starting to shimmer. Add zucchini mixture.  Toss to coat with oil.  Stir fry turning with tongs gently several times until they are soft and spaghetti like, about 8-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To plate divide "noodles" between two plates.  Top with salmon fillet.  Enjoy with a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc.

"Noodles" of julienned zucchini with tomato and garlic powder resting

"Noodles" stir frying and softening

Dusting off my password...Lemon Herbed Salmon Steaks

Since I last posted here life has been upside down here at Casa Frazgo.  My Daughter married to the Marine and grandson moved back in as the SIL is away for a while, my Dad was ill and eventually left us.  Man has it been busy here.  A lot of windshield time between L.A. and the Twentynine Palms Marine base and Las Vegas for all of that.

I didn't stop cooking, just the blogging took a hiatus.  Did look seriously at fast and easy preps. That's especially important now that I have a 1 year old under foot again.  This recipe is stupid easy and even easier when you use the skinned salmon so you don't have to do it yourself.  Leave it on if you like crispy skin, its just one of those tastes I never acquired.

I used the smoked grey sea salt for that subtle smoke flavor.  You can use regular kosher salt if you don't have the smoked stuff.  But really, for what it costs and how far it goes its worth tracking down.

Lemon Herbed Salmon Steaks

• 3 6-8 oz salmon steaks
• smoked grey sea salt
• pepper
• 6 t butter
• dill weed
• 1 lemon thinly sliced.

Salt and pepper the sslmon to taste.  Sprinkle liberally the dill weed on all sides.  Line your baking pan with aluminium foil for easy clean up. Spritz the foil lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Place salmon steaks on the foil.  Spread 2 teaspoons of butter on each piece of salmon.  Add lemon slices onto the salmon.

Place salmon in 350F oven on convect cycle for 20 minutes.  (If you don't have convect use 375F conventional temp for same time).  Serve with herbed or my ever popular Spanish Rice and Noodles.