Salmon & Asparagus with Crème Fraîche

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great last couple of weeks. I am happy to report that life in Monterey is going very well and I am finally settling into a cooking routine in my new kitchen! As you may know from previous posts, I have become a fan of planning out my whole week's worth of meals in advance so that I am guaranteed to have the right ingredients on hand for wholesome meals during the week. After some fits and starts as we continued to unpack and put off grocery shopping until things were getting dire, I am now back in the game and meal planning away.

This past week has been gorgeous and sunny, and while I have been assured that it is not normally so crystal clear and warm, Stuart and I have been taking advantage by lots of strolls along the ocean front and Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. There is a recreation trail that goes all the way around the Bay that's fun to walk, and yesterday we took advantage of the sun and went to spend the afternoon at Asilomar Beach. The smell of saltwater and warm air had me craving fresh fish and I wanted to try my hand at cooking something new. Luckily I had bookmarked the perfect recipe from a recent issue of Sunset magazine and lo and behold Salmon & Asparagus with Crème Fraîche was born. This dish is so quick and simple, but with fresh and interesting flavors as well as the richness imparted from the salmon and crème fraîche. It is bound to become a new staple in my home cooking routine!

I imagine this dish could be re-created to your taste in countless ways - for example by using halibut instead of salmon or by adding different vegetable combinations to roast underneath the fish. Wherever you are, I hope your weekend has involved sun, sand, long days, and delicious food.

Ingredients:

2 bunches asparagus (about 2 lbs. total)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

About 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

About 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided

4 skinned salmon fillets (5 to 6 oz. each)

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1 tablespoon each whole-grain mustard and chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler with oven rack about 4 in. from heat (my broiler was acting up so I preheated the oven to 450.)

2. Snap off bottom of an asparagus spear to see where it breaks easily. Line up remaining spears and slice off bottoms at the same spot. Put trimmed asparagus on a 12- by 17-in. rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with oil and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet.

3. Season salmon with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, then set on top of asparagus in a single layer. If you would like to serve rice with dinner, begin making it now.

4. Broil or bake salmon and asparagus until salmon is no longer translucent but still moist in center and asparagus is browned in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. If asparagus isn't done, lift salmon to a platter and return asparagus to oven for a few more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, whisk together crème fraîche, mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Serve salmon and asparagus with crème fraîche sauce.