It takes a darn good recipe to get me excited about a veggie side dish. I am drawn towards an amazing main, then have to work at finding a side dish to accompany the main dish. This Roasted Carrot and Cumin Puree is a side dish worth trying over and over again.
If you follow me on insta or facebook then you probably know we eat salmon every Monday at our house. Every Monday. I've made it every way imaginable and couldn't possibly post a new salmon recipe... or so I thought.
Garlic Caper Cast Iron Salmon
I usually bake salmon on a foil lined sheet pan at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. This time I started the salmon on the stove and then covered with foil to trap in all that delicious moisture and flavor, roasting for a shorter amount of time in the oven. Divine. Simply divine!
Ingredients for Salmon
2 portions of fresh Atlantic Salmon, seasoned with Kosher salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
4 tablespoons butter
Cast iron skillet
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. After a few minutes throw in the butter, garlic and capers. The butter will sizzle and start to brown. The garlic will immediately smell intoxicating. The capers will jump around in the hot skillet and everyone in your house will come to the kitchen to find out what smells so good and sounds like a show.
To ensure uniform pieces of fish that cook at the same rate, buy a whole center-cut fillet and cut it into 4 pieces. If your knife is not sharp enough to easily cut through the skin, try a serrated knife. It is important to keep the skin on during cooking; remove it afterward if you choose not to serve it.
After just a minute, tilt pan to one side to clear the landing for the salmon. Set salmon skin side down on the buttered skillet. Using a spoon, ladle the chunky butter with garlic and capers over the top of the pink salmon. Turn off the heat, cover with foil and place in a 400 degree oven to roast until centers of the thickest part of fillets are still translucent when cut into with a paring knife or instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 125 degrees. This will take 9 to 13 minutes.
Transfer salmon to individual plates or one big serving platter. Top with brown butter from the cast iron skillet along with any of the garlic and caper relish that may have fallen off the fish.
Roasted Carrot and Cumin Puree
Roasting veggies until they are golden brown will bring out their sweetness and when these carrots were roasted it provided a perfect opportunity to pair that caramel goodness with musky cumin and tart lemon. Recipe from December 2012, Food and Wine.
Ingredients for Carrot Puree
1.5 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2 inch coins
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like California Olive Ranch evoo)
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk (I used 1/2 whipping cream and 1/2 2% milk)
1/2 lemon, juiced
Heat the oven to 450°. In a roasting pan, combine the carrots with the oil, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Roast the carrots, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 20 minutes.
In a food processor, puree the carrots with the butter, milk, lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. If necessary, reheat the puree in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring.