Mojito Salmon

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you already know of my love for mojitos.  What you may not know is that the basic set of mojito flavor -- lime, mint, sugar -- work well in a lot of culinary applications.

One of my favorite recipes is Mojito Salmon.  You will need:

1 package wild caught salmon (2 pieces at Trader Joe's were $6.22)
1 handful mojito mint* (I grow this in the garden)
Juice of 3-4 limes, or a comparable amount of bottled
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground pepper
Olive Oil
(You can add a bit of cane sugar if you prefer a sweeter marinade.)

Chop and crush the mint, and place on top of the thawed salmon.  Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (and sugar if you wish).  Put in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors blend. 

Cook in a 350 oven until salmon is done, about 20-30 minutes according to the thickness of your pieces and how many you have in the pan. 

Meanwhile, cook rice.  I used Goya yellow rice ($1.79).  Top the rice with shredded garden greens and fresh garden peas.  Place the cooked salmon on top.  The heat from the salmon and rice will wilt the greens and warm the peas without really cooking them, so they maintain a crunch.

*I grow genuine mojito mint from Richter's.  You can make any mojito drink or dish with any available mint, but this mint has a deeper flavor and a bit less sweetness to it.  If you grow traditional spearmint, start all of your mojito projects with less cane sugar and adjust to your own taste.  I also freeze mojito mint the same way I do cilantro, and then I just thaw the mint and oil at the same time I do the salmon, then combine the whole mess along with the other ingredients to marinate.

The Analysis

Fast:  I can bang out this dinner in about 45 minutes, with much of that being baking time.  I am not counting the marinating time, because I'm really doing nothing at that point.

Cheap:  Other than garden inputs and spices on hand, I spent $8.01 for the rice and salmon.  Depending on how much of the other you need to buy, this dish probably comes in at $10.00, which is usually my upper limit for "nice dinner at home."  What you see above gave us two dinners and two small lunches.

Good:  Healthy, summery, and just a little bit Cuban in influence.  Mix up some actual mojitos to go alongside, and you are all set.   (I should share my mojito drink recipe, shouldn't I?)