Brussels Sprouts, Shallots and Pacific Salmon

I fell down a week ago and badly bruised my right, dominant hand, forearm.  This has limited my cooking and eating.  My knife work is down to about zero, unless what I’m chopping at is already tender.  I’m eating Brit style, fork or spoon in my left hand.  I haven’t seemed to have mastered left-hand-chopsticks, alas.  I’ve gone from being able to just be able to pick up my cell phone to being able to handle about ten pounds (if the object is in certain positions).  Improvements every day, but if that arm jostles just wrong, there’s a spasm of pain that ratchets up and down.

So right now I’m not cooking much.  And if I can eat it left handed, I’ll eat it… bringing the right hand to the mouth is more of an exercise in bringing my mouth down to the plate (something I’d prefer not to do in public), and washing my hair is best done one-armed these days.  My angle of arm attack for typing on my laptop was fine after the first day, however.  Years ago I trained my left arm to mouse.   This is cool.

Yes, I went to the ER.  This has hurt a lot more than any appendage I’ve past broken, but amazingly, I had broken nothing.  I’m pretty much off the naproxen sodium tablets (my potent NSAID of choice, often sold as Aleve, but being cheap when it doesn’t matter, I get the generic form).

So, the below is something I cooked prior to my accident, that I only had taken photos of because 1) it was at my new home and 2) those Brussels sprouts garnered at my local farmers market were stupendously HUGE.  I hadn’t planned on posting the recipe, as it is pretty simple and basic, but it was indeed yummers.

Here we go!  I served this to myself out on my deck, on a beautiful crisp day in the ’70s.  I’m focusing on the veggies as much as the fish.  They paired up splendidly!

I used two of these sprouts. Seriously GINORMOUS!

The fish was Pacific King salmon wild caught from Alaska, but use any salmon, trout, or Arctic char you desire.

I found really tiny shallots at that same farmer’s market (different vendor).  Maybe they made up in size for the Brussels???

Chop chop, and awaiting the fry pan!

At any rate, without further ado:  the recipe.

Prep time:  10 minutes, maybe
Cook time:  15 minutes
Rest time: 3 minutes
Serves:  I ate this all by myself.  I can see adding another veggie in and serving two with this recipe.  But I was working hard that day around the future homestead… Oh, is that an excuse???

• 1/2 pound or so of salmon
• A drizzle of high heat cooking oil, such as avocado oil
• 2 super large Brussels sprouts, or about 5 regular ones, slivered into 1/4 inch slivers.  Diced further if desired.
• 1 or 2 normal sized shallots, adjust depending on shallot size.  Remove skins, and slice as above.
• ground pepper to taste  (if you want salt, use it; I find that seagoing fish such as salmon doesn’t need it, but if you are using land-locked seafood such as trout or Arctic char, a sprinkle won’t be amiss).
• 2 -3 teaspoons dried tarragon.
• One large slice of lemon
• 1 tablespoon sour cream, optional.  Personally, I prefer the full fat (no excipients or sugars version).  Leave off if dining Paleo or Whole 30.  

Get your oil in your skillet, and heat to medium high.  When the temps are there, add in the Brussels and the shallots.

Allow to roast just to the beginning of browning, stirring.  Reduce heat to minimum.

Add the salmon, skin side down, and grill for about 7-8 minutes, depending on seafood thickness.  I covered the pan with foil, since that pan didn’t have a lid.  Use your lid if you have one.

Just before flipping, add pepper and tarragon to the entire concoction.  Flip, and move the veggies around more.

Cook another five minutes, covered.

Re-flip to original side, about 30 seconds, uncovered, moving the veggies around again.

Plate, and squeeze the lemon over the dish.  Add a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Sit outdoors and enjoy the ambiance of life to its fullest! (I mean, assuming weather is permitting…)

Please enjoy!

I am planning on posting a few things that are NOT recipes in the next week or so.  Reviews of cookbooks and the like.  My trip to the Northeastern Organic Farmers Association.  (Which is where I did my arm in…)  I am working on (maybe not this moment) on a vegetarian Indian pakora recipe, but the two attempts to date, while tasty, didn’t hold together they way I wanted.  This is on hold until I can slice properly again…

This recipe is being shared on Fiesta Friday’s link party; give them a look-see!  Lots of real, healthy, excellent food!  Our co-hosts this week are Colleen and Alex!