Roasted Salmon With Chile Minted Cucumbers Food

ROASTED SALMON WITH CHILE MINTED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Combine the cucumber, chile, and mint in a mixing bowl. Pour in the vinegar, sprinkle with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together so the cucumbers are well coated in the vinegar, the cucumbers will soften and the flavors deepen as it sits.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season both sides of the salmon with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the top of the salmon with the sesame seeds. Place a cast iron or regular ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium heat. Coat the pan with the oil and when it is nice and hot, lay the salmon in the pan, sesame seed-side down. Sear the salmon for 3 minutes, then stick it in the oven and roast for 10 minutes until it's just cooked through. Serve the salmon on a pile of the chile minted cucumbers.

CHILE-LIME CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Slice 4 Kirby cucumbers into spears and drizzle with lime juice; chill until ready to serve. Grind 5 dried arbol chiles and 4 dried guajillo chiles with 2 teaspoons salt in a spice grinder (or toss 2 teaspoons arbol chili powder and 4 tablespoons guajillo chili powder with the salt). Toss 1 cup roasted peanuts with some of the spiced salt. Sprinkle the cucumbers with more spiced salt and serve with the peanuts.

ROASTED SALMON WITH SPAGHETTI-SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°F In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the squash until al dente, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the 2 tablespoons of oil with the lime and orange juices, garlic, chile and orange and lime zests. Season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully transfer the squash halves to a large bowl and let cool. Using a fork and starting at 1 end of each piece of squash, scrape up and separate the strands. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Spread the salmon slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the salmon for about 3 minutes, or until barely cooked through.
• In a medium bowl, toss the cucumbers, mint and dressing with the squash strands. Mound the salad on plates, top with the salmon and serve.

SPICY SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH CUCUMBERS AND FETA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the salmon, combine olive oil, red-pepper flakes, paprika, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and just simmering, about 5 minutes.
• Pat the salmon dry, then sprinkle with salt and place in the spiced oil flesh side up. Spoon some of the oil over the salmon, then bake, basting occasionally, until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes. (You will know if the salmon is done when the fish flakes when cut into with a knife or fork or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 120 degrees.)
• While the salmon roasts, peel the cucumber and cut into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with salt.
• Break the salmon into large pieces on a serving platter. (Alternatively, you can make the salmon in advance, and eat it at room temperature.) Scatter the cucumbers around the salmon, then top with feta and parsley. Drizzle chile oil over everything to taste. (You will have more than you need - dip bread into any remaining oil.)