Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Broiled Salmon with Heirloom Tomatoes & Fresh Basil



I originally found this recipe in Leslie Grover Pendleton’s fabulous book Simply Shrimp, Salmon and Fish Steaks. Leslie calls it sautéed salmon smothered in summer and it is definitely a summer dish to be made when the tomatoes are at their peak and the basil is fresh. It is healthy, easy to prepare and can be served warm or at room temperature. It truly is summer at its finest.

I’ve adapted Leslie’s recipe to our taste by broiling the salmon, which is our favorite method of cooking salmon and one we learned from Pierre Franey in The 60 Minute Gourmet. For the tomatoes I’ve used heirloom ones from our own garden. Cherokee Purples, Mortgage Lifters, Mr. Stripey and Brandywine are my favorites. Serve with asparagus or green beans with lemon and butter, as we have here.

Broiled Salmon with Heirloom Tomatoes & Fresh Basil
Adapted from Simply Shrimp, Salmon, and Fish Steaks by Leslie Grover Pendleton and The 60 Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey

1 large vine-ripe tomato, preferably an heirloom
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 boneless salmon fillet, about 1 ½ lbs
Canola or peanut oil
Coarse kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Dice the tomato, season with salt and pepper and transfer it, along with all of its juices, to a bowl. Add the basil, lemon and 1 tablespoon olive oil and combine well. Let the sauce sit while preparing the salmon.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the pieces of salmon in one layer on an unheated broiler tray or sheet pan, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I usually line the pan with heavy duty foil for easy clean-up). Place the salmon under the broiler about six to seven inches away from the source of heat. Broil about 7 to 8 minutes or just until the pieces are cooked through. It is not necessary to turn the salmon. If it starts to burn, change from broil to bake and bake at 400 degrees until the salmon is done but still a little pink on the inside.

Slide the salmon onto a platter (with the skin side down) and smother, as Leslie calls it, with the tomato and basil mixture. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes to absorb some of the juices before serving. The salmon can stand at room temperature for up to 45 minutes or it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Serves 4.

Kreativ Blog Award


I wish to thank Helene of La Cuisine d’Helene for the Kreativ Blog Award. I am deeply honored. She shares my passion for good food, is an incredible photographer and has some fabulous food on her blog. If you love good French bread which I do, check out Helene’s baguette or her post on Julia Child’s Mousseline au Chocolate.

The rules that accompany the award are:

1- Thank the person who awarded you
2- Copy the logo and paste it on your blog
3- Link to the person who nominated you for the award
4- Name (up to 7) things about yourself that people might find interesting
5- Nominate (up to 7) other Kreativ Bloggers
6- Post links to the blogs you nominate
7- Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they’ve been nominated

I am passing the Kreativ Blog Award to some of my newest friends that I think you will enjoy as much as I do. Be sure to drop by and say hello.

- Laura’s Paris Cooking Notebook. Laura’s home base is Paris and she has incredible posts of her journeys and great food along the way. She grew up in Uruguay with a French grandmother. Don't miss her meal in the Loire Valley of France.

- Beauty Does Matter. Bella believes that surrounding yourself with beauty makes a difference in life, which I totally agree with. Her post of Loving Lavender is a perfect example along with the beautiful pink hydrangeas that greet you at the top of her blog.

- La Bella Cook, enjoying one recipe at a time. She is currently featuring Coquilles Saint-Jacques Provencale, one of my French favorites, but you’ll also enjoy the Spinach and Blood Orange salad with raspberry vinaigrette.

- Mystery Lovers Kitchen where six mystery writers, Avery, Julie, Jenn, Riley, Cleo and Krista share the blog and cook up crime…..and recipes too. They feature a weekly contest where they award $25 gift certificate to Williams Sonoma. If that’s not reason enough to click over, then their post Death by Chocolate -what a way to go, should get your attention.

Following rule number 4 of the award, here are a few things about me: I grew up in a small town in southeast Arkansas and graduated from college with a Bachelor of Business Administration, which during the sixties was considered a man’s degree. I was the only woman in all of my college business classes and, as far as I know, the first to graduate from the Monticello campus of the University of Arkansas with this degree. Obviously skipping a class was out of the question as my absence would have certainly been noticed. My first career was in management for what I call big league retailers, such as Federated Department Stores, Saks Fifth Avenue as well as Estee Lauder, where I had an opportunity to travel. Like many couples, we moved a lot with our careers and lived in many different places over the years.

Later I joined my husband in his business and we owned an industrial supply company where I was able to put my purchasing and marketing skills to good use. It was quite a change from face creams and lipsticks to pipe wrenches and screwdrivers. We retired early when my husband was fifty-three and followed our dream of living on a tiny tropical island in the Bahamas for ten years. There we had the time of our lives, but sooner or later one has to move back to reality and we now live, as you know, in the beautiful cool mountains of western North Carolina. I love anything French, adore Provence and collect early American antique furniture. I listen to classical music and Jimmy Buffet tunes. I am an avid reader, watch golf and tennis. I became a Nascar fan when we lived in the islands and some of the drivers and car owners brought their yachts and sportfish boats to a marina near us in the summer (little Dale is my man). .

Here’s an old publicity photo taken for the Houston newspapers when I worked for Estee Lauder in the mid seventies.


That’s me on the left with the short blonde curly hair standing next to then Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz, whose father Roy Hofheinz (who also was a Mayor of Houston), built the Astrodome and created the Houston Astros. Standing between my two Lauder colleagues is New York City Mayor Abe Beam. New York City’s Tourism Directors had just chosen “The Big Apple” as their new advertising campaign and Mrs. Lauder created a fall line of apple colors to promote the new city logo and we’re showing it off to the mayors.

48 comments:

  1. First: Love fresh basil and also salmon.

    Second: Congrats on your award, Sam.

    Third: thanks for sharing your picture in the old days, you look so beautiful :) I love Estee Lauder's perfume "Pleasures"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely dish, Sam! It looks so delicious.

    Congrats on your award!
    Loved learning some info about you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the great insight into your life adventures! How nice to know more about the person behind the blog. And the salmon is indeed "smothered in summer." What could be better?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my gosh, look at you! Gorgeous :) And this salmon looks out-of-this-world...I could eat the whole plate right now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tomatoes and basil is such a refreshing topping for the yummy salmon! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous picture and congrats on your award!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great light dinner recipe on a hot summer day! Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The salmon dish looks scrumptious. Congratulations on your award, you have a fantastic blog!

    i really enjoyed reading about your Lauder days. How exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks amazing! I love the fresh, beautiful tomatoes with the salmon! Yummy!

    It was so much fun reading about you! You sure have done some fun things in your life! I've always wished I was more of a Go Getter. Congrats on your award!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you so much for the award! This made my day! Wow, the salmon looks mouthwatering and I love that you used heirloom tomatoes. I just bought a few yesterday at the market so this gives me a fantastic idea.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the whole estee lauder thing - so super cool to know these kinds of things.......

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sam, great post and great blog site. Thanks for coming over to Mystery Lovers Kitchen and giving us a shout out!

    Avery
    Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sam, I am saving this recipe and will use it. It has my favorite ingredients, so I have most of them in the house.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The very best part of this lovely post was getting to know you better. I must also add the salmon sounds wonderful. I can't wait to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  14. this sounds wonderful! I myself love salmon and heirloom tomatoes because they have such wonderful flavor. Great story you have!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog, how neat you lived next to the founder of Jason's Deli!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is definitely the best slice of summer. It was also nice to get to know more about you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Sam!

    Thanks for giving the Mystery Lover's Kitchen a shout out. That's my Death By Chocolate piece, so double thanks for the mention. We must be on the same brain wave, as I'm blogging about
    "What a Catch!" (Cornmeal Fried Catfish) tomorrow. Can't wait to try your salmon recipe. You've gotta love fishy blogs! Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks so much for "tagging" us at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. We're all excited to participate in the Kreativ Blog project. It may take us a few days to get 7 pieces of interesting information culled from the 6 of us ;-) but I think we'll have fun with it. Thanks so much for including us, Sam!

    Wonderful, wonderful site!

    Best,
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats on your award. Love the salmon recipe -- tomatoes and salmon are meant for each other.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sam, thanks so much for selecting the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen! You have a wonderful blog, that's well-deserving of your award.

    Elizabeth

    Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  20. What an interesting life. I love reading about it and learning more about you. I'm so glad you did pass the award. Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  21. You've lived a life most people just dream about...including me! The salmon looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dropping by from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen via Queens, NYC, to give you a Big Apple shout-out of congrats on your Kreativ Blogger award. Dazzling pic of you with Abe Beam. Love, love, love the super chic hairstyles, and I had no idea Lauder did a Big Apple line as a tribute. What a wonderful piece of NYC history! Must also say thanks for the "Kreativ Blogger" nod to us mystery writing cooks. We are tickled (big apple) pink!

    ~Cleo Coyle,
    author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries
    Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  23. so nice to know you more Sam your great and the salmon its lovley

    ReplyDelete
  24. We're so honored that you tagged Mystery Lovers' Kitchen! All five of us enjoy your blog, and I can't wait to try your salmon recipe. It's the time of year when we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with, and this recipe sounds like a great way to use them.

    Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sam,
    You need some Jersey tomatoes for that meal! Looks great....
    I recognized Mayor Beam right away in the photo!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Congrats!

    I like broiling salmon too, it's really simple and gives the fish a nice crust.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a fabulous life you've led!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Love the old pic! This salmon looks great, especially w. the fresh basil. Congrats on the award!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Sam,

    Love the recipe - and it sounds like you've had quite an interesting and varied career. That photo is great. Thanks so much for your kind words about me and for honoring my blog with this award! It is very sweet and much appreciated. I'm sorry it took me a day to get over here - it's just been one of those weeks. :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Fabulous recipe! Salmon is wonderful and all it needs is a simple yet flavorful topping like this! Perfect! And congrats on the award!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Congratulations and thank you ... I enjoyed reading the salmon recipe: simple and tasty, that's how I like to cook.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I also enjoyed reading the short tale about your life. And loved the Estee Lauder picture.

    ReplyDelete
  33. WOW This looks reight up my alley, sounds DELICIOUS!!
    Thanks for the recipe!
    Great site and pictures! :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hello
    Just found my way to your blog somehow and what a treasure. Great read and such an interesting life.
    Happy Twirls

    ReplyDelete
  35. Yummie salmon...looks so delicious with the tomatoes :-) and congratulations on your award!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Love that Estee Lauder picture! You were (and still are) a Hottie!

    Great recipe, one I will try soon. Made me hungry just seeing the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  37. How can one resist a dish called: salmon-smothered-in-summer. What a great title! And by the looks of it - it lives up to its name. Scrumptious. Congrats on the award and what an adventure-filled life you are having! Love the photo from the past.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks for sharing not only the salmon, but those things about your self. That photo of you is positively chic! GREG

    ReplyDelete
  39. Sam,
    What a yummy recipe. Thanks for sharing it and those things about yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I made a similar dinner like this, last week (haven't posted it yet).

    This looks fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Very interesting learning more about you. I make a very similar salmon dish...we eat salmon lots around here. I would love for you to join me for Crock Pot Wednesday on diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com. Mister Linky will be up by Tuesday for your entry. Thanks so much for posting. Is your newspaper column online? I would love to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Congrats on the award-the salmon looks so yummy-and you look like a movie star in the pic : )

    ReplyDelete
  43. With 44 comments before mine, I hope that you read mine ... You are so very popular! First of all, i adore anything with the healthiest of fish -- salmon! And I'm so glad to see a salmon recipe with tomatoes and basil, making it so very much more Italian in concept. But most of all, after reading your brief bio, I am thrilled to tell you that I, too, was in the high end of luxury retailing in the cosmetics end....I was a cosmetics buyer for Neiman Marcus in the late 70's and simply adored the Lauder line. Plus, it was absolutely so much fun to be 'comp'ed out by our rep every 6 months with Estee Lauder delights! How funny how our lives cross and mingle and here we are in the beautiful Carolinas! Amore and ciao, Roz (aka bella)

    ReplyDelete
  44. I made basil salmon, the other day, and it was delicious but with those tomatoes, it would have been special. Thanks for a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Congratulations on your award and thank you for sharing a bit about yourself (photo included!)

    The broiled salmon is gorgeous and I'm sure it was wonderfully moist under that lovely deep golden color! I'm envious of your heirloom tomatoes; ours fell prey to some unidentified forager that left the Romas completely alone. No worries - there's always the farmer's market. 8-)

    ReplyDelete
  46. A healthy and scrumptious dish! Yummy!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  47. Congratulations on your award!!!! I love salmon, your looks and sounds fantastic. I would love to try that recipe.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.