Baked Salmon With Wasabi Soy Almonds

Do you believe in life after death?

I do.

Don’t worry. This post isn’t about life after death. At least not literally.

This morning, I read an article about a Harvard trained brain neurosurgeon who experienced life after death. Click here if you’d like to read about it.

What is notable to mention in that article… what struck me the most is this: “The fabric of afterlife was pure love. Love, without a doubt is the basis of everything.” This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes “Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time.”

You see, Mr. V and I came to L.A just shy of a year ago. He was to take an intensive one year Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at USC. At that time, we only knew a handful of people here. We weren’t sure how comfortably settled we would become not knowing anyone.

One year later, Mr. V graduated and we can both safely say that we had one of our most amazing year in our lives. I credit this to L.O.V.E. Love that is present after we die, but more importantly, love that is present here in the world. Around us.

Mr. V experienced camaraderie with his classmates like no other. The ‘lack of competitiveness’, back stabbing and sabotage free, the mutual respect for one another and not to mention the care for each other and the guidance given by the mentors all seemed too good to be true. When I witness them together, it’s so inspiring and heartwarming to see firsthand the bond they have not only with each other but will also extend out to everyone around the circle .

A couple weeks back, Mr. V’s program chair and his wife (Mr. & Mrs. C) opened their home and invited everyone in the program for a wonderful dinner. If you’ve lived somewhere far away from close friends and families, you’ll know that any get together is precious. I see this as love in a form of kindness and generosity by his chair and wife.

One of the delicious dishes served by Mrs. C was baked salmon. I took the liberty to get the recipe from her in order to be able to share it with you. It’s a simple recipe yet surprisingly delicious. This form of simple will shock you as it did me when the meal was done in 10 minutes. Salmon is seared to a beautiful crisp and then bake to finish off with a delicious sauce and topped with chopped wasabi soy almonds.

Of course the deliciousness was attributed to much love. As my mom would always say, “When you cook, cook with love and the love will fill the food”. Of course at age 8, I’d go what love? I don’t see no love in the sambal. Now it all makes sense.

Can’t get enough of fish? I bet you will love these Cajun Fish Tacos. Delicious smoky seared Cajun fish is topped with rich creamy avocado cilantro sauce & spicy tangy pico de gallo and wrapped in warm tortilla.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, check out my last post No knead Garlic Cheese Naan. Amazing flavors of garlic & butter, beautifully charred & crisp outside yet insanely soft, chewy with melting cheese inside. Best part? No Kneading!

Do you think love encompasses everything?

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Baked Salmon  With Wasabi Soy Almonds             Serves 4

Recipe adapted from Mrs. C

what you need:

2 lb salmon (4 slices)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped wasabi and soy sauce flavored almonds (regular ones are fine too)

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Over medium high heat, preheat a wide skillet. Add a thin coat of oil.

3. Dry the salmon with paper towel.

4. When the skillet is almost smoking, place the salmon skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes.

5. While the salmon is searing, mix the soy sauce, Dijon mustard and olive oil together. Stir until well combined.

6. When you see half or a little more than half of the fish cooked, remove skillet from heat, pour the sauce over and top with chopped almonds. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Fish is done when flake easily or the temperature of the thickest part of fish reads 145 F.

7. Let rest for a few minutes. Use a spatula to help nudge the skin of the salmon off the skillet.

Note:
1. The thickest part of the salmon that I used is 1″. If you’re using thinner ones, decrease the cook time accordingly.