Oven-Roasted Salmon with Cauliflower and Mushrooms

Although I haven't gotten a Curtis Stone cookbook of my own, I managed to borrowed one or two from the library at my area. I managed to get "What's for dinner?". As I was reading through the cookbook, I begin to realise that Curtis' recipes mostly seem to be very doable for families especially those who are dual working couples (I'm just speaking for us). Also, most of the ingredients are usually readily available at most places or at least, at the supermarkets in my area. I'm so glad we chose him for this month's Cook like a Star. 

This time, I bookmarked this healthy recipe so that I can try it and have a healthy, balanced dinner - win-win situation :) Yes, for better health reasons, I'm trying to use healthier options, less oil and even foods with lesser oil or fat. Yeah, after the pork leg beehoon you would say!?, yes it was a one-time thing and I really hope I don't cook it anymore anytime soon. I have been slacking in exercise so it's time to step up on it and also to eat healthier.

Without further rambling, let's move on to this recipe :) Do note that this recipe serves 4. And since we have only 2 of us, we literally halved the recipe. My modifications are in blue.

Ingredients:

Currant-red wine vinaigrette

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup dried currants

3 tbsp finely chopped shallots

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cauliflower and mushrooms

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

1/4 cup olive oil

salt

1 1/4 pounds assorted mushrooms like cremini, oyster, shiitakes, large mushrooms, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup very finely chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tbsp thinly sliced fresh sage leaves

Salmon

4 5-ounce salmon fillets with skin

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. To make the vinaigrette: In a small heavy saucepan, bring the wine, currants, shallots, vinegar and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the currants are plump and the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. To prepare the cauliflower and mushrooms: In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 2 tbsp of olive oil to coat. Season to taste with salt. Spread on a large baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, then add the mushrooms and cook, without stirring for about 4 minutes, or until golden on the bottom. Stir the mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes more, or until tender and well browned.
5. Stir the roasted cauliflower, shallots and garlic into the mushrooms and cook until the shallots soften, about 1 minute. Stir in the sage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the cauliflower mixture to the baking sheet and cover to keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean.
6. To cook the salmon: Using a sharp knife, score the skin side of the salmon. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then place the salmon skin side down in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Turn the salmon over, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the salmon is mostly opaque with a rosey centre when flaked in the thickest part with the tip of a small knife. Meanwhile, if necessary, uncover the cauliflower mixture and rewarm in the oven.
7. Transfer the salmon to a platter. Spoon the cauliflower mixture around the salmon and drizzle with some vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds, if using. Serve the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Notes:

• As time was of the essence, I omitted the vinaigrette but I think I will try it when I next make it :)

This is a superb dish especially for the mid meal where you want to try and eat healthily without any carbohydrates. With the cauliflower, mushrooms and sage, what can taste fresher? The oven-roasted salmon tastes so sweet and creamily smooth. Mr G is quite happy with what was on his plate and so am I :)

So after seeing some Curtis Stone's posts from me, wanna cook or bake like Curtis Stone? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from Curtis Stone's website, his recipe collection at Coles website or at Masterchef Australia or his cookbooks and blog hop with us for the whole month of July 2013. For more details, please see this.

To blog hop with us, simply copy and paste this linky HTML code into your blog post where you want the blog hop list to appear. Make sure you are in HTML view/mode when you paste in the code. get the InLinkz code.

Also, I'm submitting this dish to Cook-Your-Books #2 for June hosted by Joyce of kitchen flavours.