Sesame Crusted Salmon with Warm Tahini Egpplant & Feta Salad

We tackled two new items today: Sesame Crusted Salmon and the concept of a “warm salad”. Fresh from the garden in our backyard, our salad’s base is roasted eggplant. Supplemented by roasted potatoes, fresh cucumber and tomatoes from the garden, and rich feta - all dressed with a maple/soy/tahini dressing. We are going to be making some more warm salads in the future because this came out SO GOOD.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Recipe

Sesame Crusted Salmon with Warm Tahini Eggplant & Feta Salad

total time: 40 minutes
servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 six ounce Villa Salmon portions, thawed

• 2/3 cup tahini

• 1/3 cup tamari

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 3/4 cup gold potatoes, cubed

• 1 cup eggplant, cubed

• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled & cubed

• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 cup feta, cubed or crumbled

• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

• 1 tsp olive oil

Salmon marinade:

• 1/3 cup tamari

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1/3 cup sesame seeds

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• pinch salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together, tahini, tamari, maple syrup, sesame oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper in a jar or small bowl.

Add diced potatoes to a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of the tahini dressing. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake on 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

In the bowl that you just used for the potatoes, toss the cubed eggplant in 2 tbsp of tahini dressing as well. After 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from oven and add the eggplant to the baking sheet. Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Combine the cucumber, tomato, feta and dill in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk together all of the salmon marinade ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Pat dry your salmon portions and brush or pour the marinade mixture over each side of the salmon.

Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat with the teaspoon of olive oil.

Once the salmon is covered in the marinade, sprinkle the sesame seeds all over the top side of the portion. Lay the portions sesame-side down on the pan. Now that the bare side is facing up, cover the top of the portions with the sesame seeds as well. Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes then add pan to the oven for two minutes.

Take eggplant and potatoes out of the oven once golden brown and let cool for a few minutes then add to large bowl with cucumber & tomatoes. Pour all of the dressing except for 1/2 cup on the salad and toss to combine.

Plate the warm salad first, then the salmon portion on top drizzling the remaining dressing over the top of the salmon portion. Garnish with fresh dill and enjoy!