Pan Roasted Salmon With Mandarin Oranges Salsa And Roasted Red Pepper Couscous

Having a dinner party, and need something to impress your friends? Something that makes it seem like you actually cooked before? This should do it:

Ingredients

2 fresh salmon filets with skin on

1 box couscous

1 shallot (diced)

1 red onion

1 tomato

½ jar of sun fresh Mandarin oranges (in syrup)

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 red peppers

1 tsp lemon juice

1 lemon

1 tsp sugar

1 green pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbls parsley (or cilantro)

1 tbls vegetable oil

Note: save juice from oranges for sauce

Step 1: Salsa

In a mixing bowl, add diced red onion, diced oranges, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, parsley (or cilantro), green and one of the red peppers (diced) and tomatoes. Mix and place in refrigerator to get cold. The salsa will be used later to top salmon when served.

Step 2 - Red Pepper

Roast the remaining red pepper. To do that, place red pepper over open flame until black and charred evenly. Then put the pepper in a zip-lock bag and set aside, it will be used later in the couscous.

Step 3-Couscous

Make couscous by following directions on the box. While cooking, peel the skin off of the roasted pepper, then dice. Then add chopped pepper and chopped spinach to couscous three minutes before it is cooked. After everything is cooked, mix.

Step 4-Salmon

In a large, non-stick, all-metal frying pan, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat the pan on high. Once hot add salmon, skin down. Do not flip until salmon is crispy and releases from the pan (if you try to flip the salmon and it seems to stick, let it cook a few minutes longer. That means it is not ready to be flipped). Once both sides are crispy, put the fish in a pan, along with the juice from the oranges and the shallots. Heat the oven to 350 and cook the fish for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan once it is done and set just the fish aside. Then add heavy cream and lemon juice to the remaining orange syrup and shallots for a sauce for the salmon. Before you serve the sauce, strain out the shallots for a smooth, creamy sauce.

Step 5-Platings

On the bottom of a plate start with a ¼ cup serving of couscous. Then place the salmon on top and cover lightly with sauce. Top with chilled salsa. Serve and enjoy!