There was a great sale on healthily raised salmon at my store, so... 3/4 pound works well for two people. I decided that the salmon looked so good, I'd keep it simple:
I sprinkled each piece with my homemade smoked salt, some freshly ground pepper, and, just before placing them in a hot pan... a bit of EVOO. I sautéed them for only about 3 minutes on the first side, and then just 2 minutes on the second. Salmon is so much happier to be undercooked than overcooked!
To serve alongside, I chopped up three small green zebra heirloom tomatoes (it's been a very odd summer weatherwise, so our tomatoes are definitely ripening on their own unpredictable schedules) and some fresh mozzarella, a little purple basil, EVOO, and salt.
The other side dish was another sale event: cauliflower. But that night I really wanted something out of the ordinary, so I thought of one of my old standbys... purée. It's been ages!
I boiled the cauliflower until very tender, put it in the processor... tossed in some caraway, salt, pepper... and then began to process, pouring in some cream and whole milk until the purée was smooth but not soupy.
The play between the mini-caprese, the simple but lightly smoky salmon, and the surprise of the cauliflower and the caraway was absolutely perfect.
Yes, I used cream, but not a lot... and there was no sauce at all on the salmon... and the caprese cut right through the rich flavors.
All in all... Delicious.