Salmon Piccata

Here is my interpretation of Salmon Piccata. It differs in that the shallots, red pepper flakes and lemon zest along with the Italian Seasonings add a nice zip to this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Salmon fillets, 1-inch thick (6 to 8 oz)
2 tsp capers, drained
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 large shallot
1 large garlic clove
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasonings
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
cracked black pepper

PREPARATION:

Salmon from the Columbia River is excellent for this recipe. Wash salmon fillets checking for bones, remove any loose scales, pat dry. Peel the garlic and shallot and thinly slice breaking into ringlets. Crush the Italian seasonings in a mortar and pestle. Zest 1/2 the lemon, then squeeze 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Prepare the red pepper by cutting about 4 dried hot peppers in quarters, scrape off the loosened seeds and discard. Finely chop the remaining pepper flakes. Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Lightly pepper both sides of salmon with cracked pepper.

COOKING:

Heat a non stick sauté pan over med-high heat. When the rim is warm to the touch, add 1 tbsp olive oil and continue heating. Put salmon in the pan flesh side down. Sear the fish for 2 min. then flip it over. Continue cooking for about 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets or how you like your salmon prepared. When the internal temperature registers 135-140 degrees F. Remove the fillets to a serving dish and loosely tent with aluminum foil while the sauce finishes up.

Sauce:

At the same time, in a separate skillet, melt the butter and add one Tbsp of olive oil over med heat. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and then the Garlic, cook until shallots are soft and garlic starts to lightly brown. Add white wine, red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and seasoning and simmer another minute.

Ladle sauce over salmon and garnish with lemon slices.