Weekend Special: Lemon pepper garlic grilled salmon with asparagus

Weekends tend to be a grey area for me when it comes to meal planning, as I like to leave a couple days a week to the spontaneity of cooking that I love. Yesterday, we made a quick trip to our local Vons to grab a couple staple items we ran out of, and came across a great deal for fresh salmon fillets (4.99 per lb.). We purchased two of these, and made our way to the marinade aisle. Much to our dismay, the only marinades we were interested in had High Fructose Corn Syrup listed as the SECOND ingredient. All was not lost, as I decided to throw together a quick marinade by myself:

Lemon pepper garlic marinade (for 2 salmon fillets)

• 1 whole lemon (halved)
• 2 tbsp. of minced garlic (I bought a jar in the store)
• Ground black pepper
• Ground sea salt

Directions:

To marinate the salmon fillets used a reusable plastic Tupperware tub that's big enough to fit 2 fillets (one on top of the other). Lay the first fillet in the tub (skin side down). Squeeze one half of the lemon over the top of the fillet, lightly season with the salt and pepper. Take 1 tbsp. of the minced garlic and use a spoon to work the garlic into the top of the fillet. Lay the next fillet directly on top and repeat this process. Put the lid on the Tupperware and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30-45 minutes.

Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• Ground black pepper
• Ground sea salt
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a casserole dish out approx. 2 tbsp. of olive oil. To prepare the asparagus, snap of the white part of the bottoms of the asparagus (not the spear side). Place the asparagus in the baking dish, and mix to evenly coat all with olive oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook asparagus for approx. 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness. You should begin cooking the salmon at the same time, see directions below.

Grilling the salmon

Directions:

There are many ways to cook salmon, but for this recipe, I use a George Foreman grill. While pre-heating the oven for the asparagus, begin pre-heating the grill as well. Put the asparagus in the oven, then immediately place the salmon fillets on the grill. Let cook for approx. 8-10 minutes. In the final two minutes, pour the remaining juices from the marinade over the top of the fillets and let grill for the remainder of the time.

Lemon butter sauce

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

While the asparagus and salmon are cooking, prepare the sauce to pour on top of everything. Place 2 tbsp. of butter and one tbsp. of lemon juice in a microwavable dish. Heat for about 45 seconds, or until the butter is fully melted.

Ready to serve:

When all portions are finished cooking, place the asparagus on two large dinner plates (to create a "bed" for the salmon). Then place the salmon fillets directly on top of the asparagus. Use a spoon to "ladle" the lemon butter sauce evenly over the two dinner plates. Enjoy!

This quick and easy recipe is truly delicious and is a great summer dish to prepare. I am not typically a huge fish eater, but something about the taste that comes from the grill, and the mixture of flavors really hits the spot!