Pan-seared Salmon With Tomato Dill Sauce

Hello, boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! The following is an excerpt of an actual conversation between my best friend, Parsi Drama Queen, and me when we were much younger. You might remember him from the Shakshuka and the Wadi Aloo recipes.

Ring.. ring..

Me:	Hello?
PDQ:	(glumly) Hello.
Me:	What's up?
PDQ:	I think I'm getting food poisoning.
Me:	What? How?
PDQ:	I ate expired fish.
Me:	What? Why?
PDQ:	I was really hungry, mom wasn't home so I opened a can from the cupboard. It had expired 2 days ago.
Me:	(very confidently) That's it? That's okay man, they put the expiry date a few days before just in case. You'll be fine.
PDQ:	It looked all yellow, but I was so hungry I ate it. What if I get food poisoning and die?
Me:	Relax! Trust me, it's fine. I know this stuff. I'm coming over now, we'll play trump cards.
PDQ:	Yeah okay. Bye.
Me:	Bye.

Click.

Me: Damn. God, please don't let PDQ die.

Lucky for you, this recipe does not call for expired fish, and is quite simple to make even if your mum isn't home to feed you. 

For my Pan-seared Salmon With Tomato Dill Sauce, you will need the following:

Salmon	4 fillets
Onion	1 medium
Tomato	1 medium
Garlic	5-6 cloves
Dill leaves	big handful
Rosemary	1 tsp
Thyme	1 tsp
Oregano	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Pepper	to taste
Olive oil
Feta cheese	for the garnish

Prep:

1. Chop the onion.
2. Chop the tomato.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. Roughly chop the dill leaves.
5. Drizzle some olive oil on the salmon fillets.
6. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste (and maybe a touch of garlic).
7. Rub lovingly on both sides and set aside.

Method:

For the sauce:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Drizzle in some olive oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Slide in the onion.
6. Pop in the garlic.
7. Cook until the onions are translucent.
8. Drop in the tomato.
9. Sprinkle in the herbs.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.
11. Toss in the dill leaves.
12. Mix.
13. Let it all cook together for a couple of minutes.
14. Turn the gas off.

For the fish:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Drizzle in some olive oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Slide the fish in skin side down.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crispy.
7. Flip the fillet over.
8. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
9. Turn the gas off.

Putting it all together:

1. Put some (cooked) spaghetti tossed in olive oil, garlic, and parsley in a plate.
2. Place the fish on the spaghetti bed.
3. Spoon the chunky sauce over the fish.
4. Crumble some feta over the dish.
5. Serve.
6. Stuff face.
7. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: You can top it with freshly grated parmesan if you like. I had feta, so I used feta.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!