the dish begins

Welcome, Welcome! Since I went to culinary school, I often get asked for recipes and tips on how to do certain things. Blogging is an excellent avenue for sharing all things food and so here's my attempt to assist all aspiring chefs to become better at cooking. There are lots of excellent food blogs out there (including my favorites: FoodBeam, Bake & Shake and Rookie Cookie) and I don't profess to being on their level, but here's my attempt. So, here's to lots of cooking!

(image from Whole Foods Market)

Let's start with one of my favorite things ever: Salmon. I like to make salmon at least once a week since it's so incredibly good for a person. Plus, I like it so much that I could probably eat it every day. (See: Rancho de Tia Rosa Salmon Tacos in Mesa, Arizona)

I also like to make salmon because there are so many things that pair up deliciously with it. For example, Salmon and a citrus glaze: yum. Salmon and A1 sauce: yum. Salmon and cream cheese: yum. Salmon and mango salsa: yum. The possibilities are endless. However, today we'll start with something very simple: Salmon, lemon and fresh dill.

1 pound salmon fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch of fresh dill weed (or dried), coarsely chopped
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil (probably 1 - 2 Tablespoons) over the fillets. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Place baking sheet in oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice over the fillets. Top each fillet with a good amount of dill weed. Return to the oven for another 8 minutes or so until the inside of salmon is no longer dark pink.

Note: I love to serve this with brown basmati rice and steamed broccolini. I usually just steam the broccolini and drizzle a little of the lemon juice on top with salt and pepper. No need for butter even! Yipee!