30 minute protein packed salmon dish with 5 steps

 Ingredients: 

6 oz of salmon

1-2 oz of feta cheese 

1/4 - 1/2 red onion sliced or chopped 

1 sliced or chopped and seedless cucumber (these are sweeter)

Cherry or grape tomatoes 1 cup

Spring mix salad 2 cups optional

 olive oil xtra virgin 

red wine vinegar

2 lemon

fresh garlic bulb / this will need to be crushed so you can also just buy a jar of crushed garlic

plain greek yogurt optional

brown rice optional

 

spices:

Zaatar seasoning 

it is a middle eastern spice combination

dill

oregano

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and take use a paper towel to pat the salmon dry if its wet. Now take 1 or 2 tsp of olive oil and spread over salmon , you can of course you can use any fish you like, if you're feeling fancy you could get some chilean sea bass or branzino and really have a nice meal but that's a bit fancy for a college student.  2. while the oven is still preheating the fish is now based in a healthy fat medium. now we can add the Zataar seasoning to the salmon and the oil will allow the spice to cling to it.  

2. As you wait for the oven to preheat, begin to prepare the onion, tomatoes, and cucumber as you like. I prefer to half my tomatoes, dice or quarter my cucumbers, slice thin or dice semi thick my onions, and mince garlic.

3. At some point the oven will have reached its temp, and you will have placed the salmon on a piece of tinfoil that was inside some sort of baking dish or tin. Remember to spray or use oil on the tinfoil as well to ensure there is no sticking or burning. Now set a timer for 20 minutes. While the salmon is baking take 1 lemon and press it down with 1 hand clasped over it, and the other wrapped around your wrist, lean into the lemon on the counter and roll it back and fourth. This will separate the skin to a certain degree. You want to apply firm pressure not to light not to strong. Now do this for 10-15 secs and then squeeze them and put that off to the side. You will use this for dressing / sauce. If you want to take it up a notch you can take a greater or sharp knife edge and carefully great the outer edge, this will give you lemon zest! You will need this for your dressing. 

4. Now you have prepped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lemon zest and juice, garlic. Your salmon is almost ready. time to prepare your dressing/sauce  (A,B)

A. You will take a bowl and mix dill, oregano, lemon zest, a splash of lemon juice, and yogurt in a bowl, this will provide you with a healthy and delicious garlic sauce that is tangy and will complement the fatty salmon.

B. Or if you like you can whisk in a bowl lemon juice red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, some more feta, and basil. For a herb-tastic salad. Ps load this up with crushed garlic and black pepper also!

your salmon is almost ready by now, and you have several options the ones you don't choose you will be able to use to make other dishes I will be writing about on my blog so fret not. 

You can find instant Organic brown rice takes 2 minutes to cook, at any grocery store not just wholefoods or Wegmans. I would pair this with the veggies and garlic yogurt sauce. 

Or you could toss the mixed greens with the veggies and the light dressing. 

Now just a few tips about cooking fish, garlic and other general tips.

Salmon is a fatty fish it is high in vitamins and essential fats. The skin is extremely healthy and should be cooked skin up regardless if you are going ot eat it or not. BUT this is if the fish is wild caught. 

NEVER EAT SKIN OF FARMED FISH. In fact if you can just don't eat farmed fish at all, they swim in their own refuse. 

Unless its sushi you should make sure the fish was frozen and then thawed before it was cooked this is for safety trust me. 

you can add fruit, sometimes I like to eat this dish with out the brown rice add the mixed greens but also add some strawberries packed with vitamin C and mandarin oranges also packed with vitamin C, will add avocado too / crazy I know. 

If you have any questions feel free to email me and post your experiences on the blog! 

Email: Smith369909@gmail.com  

ps I take terrible picture's but I'm going to try and do better going forward I will begin posting images of these dishes.