So Many Dishes

I wrote about an Indian side dish a few weeks ago that I cooked with a quintessentially Indian entree, tandoori chicken. Certain sides just seem appropriate with particular dishes. I think it’s common to stay with the cuisine of the main dish. So if I’m cooking a Cuban dish, it’s going to be accompanied by black beans and rice. If I’m throwing together a Greek salad, you could guess that the entree is Greek, or at least something Mediterranean, and you’d likely be correct.

But mixing cuisines can be a lot of fun, and that’s what we did a few days ago. We had picked up a couple of plantains, but of course we had to wait for them to ripen. That took almost two weeks, and at that point, we didn’t have any Latin meals planned. So I served them alongside a Mediterranean-inspired salmon recipe. Perfect! It sounds like an unconventional combination, but it really worked.

I prepare the plantains as described by Steven Raichlen in his wonderful book, Healthy Latin Cooking. It’s hardly a recipe. I cut off the ends of the very ripe plantains, slice them them on the diagonal into about 1/2-inch thick slices, and arrange them on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Never, ever use nonstick spray directly on your pans if they have a nonstick surface. The sprays include a propellant that damages the coating. But I digress.

Coat the tops of the plantains with nonstick spray, then bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the plantains are golden brown and very tender. I guarantee they will taste just as good as the fried version.

As for the salmon, the recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Mediterranean Dish. I’ve cut it in half for just the two of us, and increased the cooking time. It may be my finicky oven, or that we prefer salmon that isn’t still red in the middle, but it’s never done anywhere near to my satisfaction in 15 minutes.

Foil-Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, and Thyme

• 3/4 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 – 1 lb. salmon fillet, skin removed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with enough foil to hang over the pan on all sides. Top the foil with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, shallot, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper taste. Drizzle with the olive oil, then toss to combine.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in the middle of the pan. Drizzle the lemon juice all over the salmon and spoon the tomato and olive mixture on top. Take another large piece of foil and tent it over the salmon. Go around the edges to fold them shut, making a parcel to enclose the salmon.

Bake the salmon 20 to 25 minutes, until fully cooked. If you like, you can carefully remove the top piece of foil, move the oven rack to top position, return the pan to the oven, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes (I don’t bother with this. It’s fine as it is).

Serves 2, and it’s great accompanied by a salad and crusty bread.

Happy eating!