Grilled Salmon in a Lemon Garlic Sauce… & Bluestar Cookware!

Salmon is my absolute favorite entrée to eat when dining out, but I hardly cook it at home simply because I never owned a stainless steel frying pan, until now.

Recently Bluestar contacted me for an opportunity to review their “high quality” stainless steel products.  It was a pleasant surprise that I was one of the few lucky ones chosen, and naturally I agreed to do a review provided that I would share my own opinion regardless of what I thought of the product.
As it turns out, I loved Bluestar Cookware and here are a few reasons why…
     – the stainless steel handle stays cool while cooking
     – the surface of the pan heats up quickly & evenly
     – the pans are NOT super lightweight, however they are NOT as heavy as a cast-iron pan either
     – it’s made in the USA, hello, big one!
     – it’s so pretty (I can be fickle)

Once I opened my cookware set and saw the stainless steel pan, I instantly knew I wanted to cook some meat… something easy… something crusty… how about some salmon?
Additionally, I made some brown rice, sautéed spinach, and a lemon garlic butter sauce to top off the grilled salmon. 
It was perfection to say the least.  My husband agreed as he said with his mouth full, “man, this is a 5 out of a 5.  It’s amazing!”  He rated it before I could even ask, thank you, Bluestar. 
Quite honestly, I don’t have the expertise to tell you whether cooking with Bluestar Cookware would be any different than cooking with any other commercial cookware brand.  However, what I can tell you is this… my salmon was crusty on the outside, tender on the inside, and I thoroughly enjoyed cooking with Bluestar Cookware because the pan heated up quickly and evenly. 
Lastly, BlueStar also makes professional quality cooking ranges for the home:
a.  “best range top” – http://www.bluestarcooking.com/best-range-top
b.  “best stove top” – http://www.bluestarcooking.com/best-stove-top
c.  “best range” – http://www.bluestarcooking.com/best-range

Well, that sums it up.  Hope I “kept it real” enough, and hope you’ll give this salmon dish a go!



NUTRITION: Salmon is a good fat and an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids which help lower bad cholesterol and help raise good cholesterol.  In addition, the Omega-3s found in salmon are great for your skin which help prevent aging by building collagen and help keep skin soft and supple.  The Omega-3s also encourage healthy hair growth.  Furthermore, salmon is an excellent source of Protein, Iron, and Vitamins B12 and D.  Spinach is also loaded with tons of nutrients.  It is rich in Vitamins A, C, and K, and is an excellent source of Iron and Folic Acid.  Spinach is also a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids.  Lemon is an excellent source of Vitamin C.



INGREDIENTS (makes 3 servings):
for the rice:

• Basmati Brown Rice – 1 cup 
• Water – 2 1/4 cup

for the spinach:

• Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Garlic Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – 1/2 tsp
• Fresh Spinach – 1 (10 ounce) bag
• Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste

for the salmon:

• Fresh Salmon – 1 pound (cut into pieces)
• Organic Canola Oil – 1 tbsp
• Black Pepper – sprinkle on both sides of salmon
• Salt – sprinkle on both sides of salmon

for the lemon garlic sauce:

• Unsalted Butter – 1 tbsp
• Garlic – 2 cloves (chopped)
• Lemon – 1 (juice of 1 lemon)
• Black Pepper – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste

DIRECTIONS:
RICE
1. Start by preparing the rice… while it cooks, go to step 2.
SPINACH
2. Heat a pan heat on medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil, once hot, add pepper flakes.
3. Once it sizzles, add the spinach. 
4. Saute for about 10 minutes or less, until the spinach wilts.  Turn off the stove.  Set aside.
SALMON 
5. Here’s my salmon size.
6. Cut into filets.  Sprinkle salt and black pepper on one side. 
7. Heat a pan with oil on medium heat. 
8. Once hot, add the salmon filet pieces, make sure the seasoned side is face down.  Allow the salmon to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until it is golden brown.  Now season the side facing up with salt and black pepper.
9. Using tongs, turn over the filets.  Love those grill marks.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.  
10. Since I prefer my meats well-done, I cooked the sides of the salmon as well.
11. Once done, turn off the stove, and set aside.
Looks like salmon releases a LOT of oil because I didn’t use this much… oooh, all the fatty acids. 
LEMON GARLIC SAUCE 12. Juice a lemon and chop 2 cloves of garlic. 
13. Heat a pan on low-heat, add a tablespoon of butter, LIVE A LITTLE!   
14. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. 
15. Once the garlic sizzles, add the lemon juice.
16. Season with black pepper and salt.  Stir.  Turn off the stove.
17. Rice should be done.
PLATE AS FOLLOWS: 
18. Scoop of rice.
19. Top with spinach.
20. Top with salmon.
21. Top with lemon garlic sauce.  Really weird chemical reaction here, my garlic turned BLUE, I’ve never seen this happen before.  Possibly, the acid from the lemon may have contributed to this chemical reaction.  Tasted perfectly fine though.

TELL ME: Do you eat/cook salmon?  How do you like your salmon?