Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad

This is for all of you, but especially Robyn, Carol, and Debbie.   It’s my recipe for Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad that I promised you.   Since I had to type it out anyway, instead of putting in an email to you, I decided to post it on my blog.  Isn’t that what bloggers do?

Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad

(serves 4)

• 2  pounds of boneless salmon  fillet
• 2 lemons
• 3  heads of romaine lettuce
• 1/3 jar of  Girard’s Light Caesar Dressing (approximately, use your judgment)
• shaved Parmesan cheese (grated is fine, if you can’t find the shaved.  I just think the shaved is prettier.)
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 large loaf of French bread
• olive oil
• 3 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 1.5  tsp garlic salt

CROUTONS:

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut a third of the bread into croutons

3.  Chop garlic.

4.  In a large bowl, toss the croutons, garlic,with a splash of olive oil.  Place on a cookie sheet.

5.  Brown croutons in the oven, tossing once. Approximately 8 minutes.  Keep an eye on them.

SALAD

1. Chop and wash and dry the lettuce.   Keep in cold in refrigerator until needed.

SALMON

1.  Cut salmon into large fillets, about 3 inches wide.

2.  Heat a large frying pan.  When pan it hot, add olive oil.

3.  Measure and mix the dry spices  into a bowl.

4.  Mix the juice of one lemon into a second bowl with 3 tbsp of olive oil.

5.  One piece at a time, dip the salmon fillets into the lemon oil, and then the spice mixture.

3.  Working 2 or 3 pieces at at a time (so the pan doesn’t cool down),  fry the salmon about 2 minutes per side.

4.  Return all the salmon to the pan, and put the pan into the hot oven for six minutes.

5.   If your fillets have skin, you can remove them when they come out of the oven.

SALAD DRESSING

6.  Toss cold lettuce with the Girard’s and the juice of a lemon (use half a lemon if you want it less lemony).  Sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan.

SERVING

You can put all the food plates on the table (salmon, dressed salad, croutons) and let everyone self serve.  Or for a prettier presentation, make each plate up with the salad, one piece of salmon and the croutons.   Oh .. and don’t forget to put out the  rest of the French bread.

P.S.  Next time I will take a picture.   I meant to take one last night, but I ended up burning my hand on the hot pan that came out of the oven at 400 degrees.  Don’t do this.  It’s not fun and it’s not part of the recipe!