I am always looking for delicious, healthy and easy meals for dinner for our family. This is one of our favorites, especially this time of year. Asparagus is abundant and usually on sale so this makes for a great side dish. This healthy dish is well-rounded and easy to make. As I started to plan this meal for dinner, it started to rain so we resorted to using a grill pan for the salmon but you could do this on a charcoal or gas grill as well.
My family loves salmon prepared many ways, but grilled is the best. Salmon is a great choice for dinner because it is one of the top ten super foods because it provides essential Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also low in fat and high in protein. If you have never made (or tried) salmon, I recommend giving it a try.
I usually purchase the salmon at Costco in a large piece and divide it into portions and use part and then freeze the rest for a future meal. This helps cut down on the cost and it is nice to have on hand for a future meal.
To prepare the salmon:
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the fish and season. Tonight I used “Jack Stack All Purpose Seasoning”. If the salmon still contains the skin, you may remove before grilling or as I did tonight you may grill that side first and then remove when you flip it.
Preheat the grill pan on medium heat. Place the salmon on the grill pan, skin side down and cook for about 6-8 per side. The color of the salmon will change to a light pink as it cooks. When you flip the salmon peel off the skin, it should peel off pretty easily. If you prefer both sides to have a nice crispy crust, you may flip one additional time and brown for a minute or so.
Place the asparagus on the grill pan around the salmon. It will grill up nicely in about the same amount of time. Look for tender pieces with delicious grill marks. I seasoned the asparagus with a little bit of olive oil and the same seasoning I used for the fish. This makes it super easy. Rotate the Asparagus every couple of minutes so they cook evenly.
Meanwhile, I prepared the Minute Brown Rice. This is an easy starch choice and healthy too! I added a small amount of butter to the pan to moisten the rice. Then I sprinkled on a little bit of parmesan cheese once it was served.
This meal can be prepared in about 30 minutes. My whole family loves this meal, even my one-year old. Enjoy!
