When it Was Spring…For a Second.

Didn’t I just. Spend a hunk of cash on annuals that are freezing their little butts off outside, continuously. Oh potato plants, please survive! I love your bright green limey-ness and I’m sorry I didn’t get to plant you before Ms. Spring, she left us, wagging her finger – dontcha know, we’ve done gone and near ruined this place. Today I said no thank-you to a plastic bag at the fish market. Just like every other time and the, who-I-thought-to-be-very-nice elderly owner rants, ‘it’s already too late…the damage is done!’ Oy. Is he right? Not sure, but I’ll continue to not contribute in every way that I can.  His market is the bomb diggs though, so I’ll keep going back and regale in his curmudgeon as the twinkle in his eye is always there, and I kind of like his gruff sweetness. Well. That subject matter is of a slightly different nature than what this one is really all about. But, sometimes I just have to say things and can be a wee bit random. We’re here for an unfledged dish of light, yet gratifying succulence. Wild rice and salmon. Sounds plain, but not…

Go & Get Ye Some: (for us, it’s organic/local ingredients)

• 2 lbs. Wild Salmon (full filet, not cutting proportions till after cooked)
• 2 lbs. Kale
• 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 cup of cooked wild rice (salt *pinch* and butter *tablespoon* that water you simmer it in!)
• 1/2 cup ea. of strawberries, blueberries, raw sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, 1/4 cup of flax seeds
• 1/4 pound of fresh basil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 lemons
• Salt, pepper, honey to taste

Now then. You could marinate your salmon – but not totally necessary. This is to be a quick prep, throw-together-last-minute-meal. I have a salmon kebob recipe that calls to be marinated, giving the salmon an entirely (delectable), different taste. But here, we are celebrating in the flavour of the salmon by subtly enhancing it. O yea, you’ll need a bbq and bbq wok.

Start the wild rice first, as this has the longest cooking time. (40 min.) When finito, throw in halved strawberries, whole blueberries, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and flax seeds. Gently fold in juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 cup oil, a drizzle of honey, washed and torn basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill in fridge.

Wash your salmon, pucker up, kiss your fish and lay down with a tender pat. Do zees in a dish just shallow/long enough that you can drizzle/squeeze and generally play around in. Drizzle with oil (1/2 amount listed above); juice of one lemon, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. With clean mitts, flip, flop and swaddle Mr. Salmon in this business. Set aside to hand over to your grill king/queen. Wash and chop the healthiest/yummiest green ever (kale). Not to big, not too small – loosey goosey, just so’s you can flash it in the bbq wok and use a knife and fork to cut when eating. Having just been drizzled and tossed with 1/4 cup of your oil, juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt (sea) and pepp (coarse, grind) to taste. Set aside to place in the wok when the time comes. Someone should have gone a heated/cleaned the grill about 10 min. ago, so it’s all ready for action.

With beer in hand, lay Mr. Salmon down to rest on you medium temp. grill for about 4 – 6 min. This will produce a tender succulent filet, any longer will end up in epic, dry, FAIL. Same with the kale, it only need a few minweets flipped around the wok to sear in added flavours, crisp the edges and leave some raw crunch. Sprinkle the kale with those raw sunfllower seeds to garnish, (after placing on serving plate). Don’t attempt this on the bare grill alone. Causes inferno. Ahem. Go get ye a wok. Only $10 at ikea. Surely you’ve (or the grill king/queen if not you), managed a few gulps of frosty goodness. Either way, someone should be having a wee nip.

Surely I don’t need to fill in the rest. Hopefully this feeds 4, and you savour every bite. There’s usually enough of the wild rice salad for the next day to mix with some wild arugula and spinach for a lunch-time salad. With avocado. And goat brie. And lemon water.