I loved reading your stories of triumph over terrible work-related situations and every single comment I read made me feel like we all experience similar struggles, but we can overcome them and find happiness. It’s not always easy, but it is possible.
Now, onto dinner!
How to Make Salmon
Preparing fish always intimidated me. When I first began cooking after I graduated from college, I gravitated toward chicken, beef or meat-free meals and always avoided fish even though it is one of my favorite foods.
I’m so glad I put on a brave face and tackled salmon because there’s no lookin’ back! Salmon is honestly easier to prepare than chicken or beef and cooks up in no time at all. Win!
To make simple salmon, I start by setting the oven to broil.
I then place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and spray it with cooking spray before laying a big piece of salmon on top. I then spray the salmon with the cooking spray (I love olive oil cooking spray for this), and season it however I please. Salt and pepper are simple and delicious, though I am a fan of a wide variety of seasonings.
Then, I place the salmon in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes with a fork. Broiling salmon keeps it juicy and can often add nice crisp edges to the fish that I adore!
Once today’s salmon was done cooking, I topped it with the raspberry glaze that Ryan and I both adore.
We enjoyed our fish with a side of roasted zucchini seasoned with garlic salt.
Such a yummy dinner and it was on the table in 15 minutes. Not too shabby!
Ryan and I are off to scan the internet like it’s our job to try to find a place to live. We haven’t heard back about the house we loved, but we’re still hopeful!
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
You simplified the salmon! I bet anyone can make it you make it sound so easy…. My garden is rocking and I will have zucchini running out of my ears!!! 🙂
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
Love! I usually pan-sear it — I set the skillet to medium with a bit of coconut oil in it, and then I salt and pepper the salmon. When it’s hot, I put the salmon in, salted side down, and sear it for about 4 mins on the first side and 3 on the second. Easy peasy!
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says
We have been receiving zucchini in our CSA produce box every week for the past two months – it is filling up our fridge! I like your addition of garlic salt – might have to roast some up and try it.
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
I loved this post bcause I am soo intimitated to cook fish! you have given me confidence to tackle it now! yippe 🙂
fittingbackin says
Yum! I love the idea of broiling rather than baking – much quicker! And i’m definitely going to try your glaze- thank you for sharing!
lindsey says
http://pinterest.com/pin/56770259/
just thought I would share that with you… found it as I was browsing through pinterest 🙂
lindsey says
I love salmon! Had it for lunch today! Thanks for the tips and the raspberry glaze recipe-yum!
Savannah (sweet and savvy) says
I Really wish I liked fish!!:( That looks so good/easy, but for some reason Fish/seafood Just gives me the heebie jeebies! I know It’s so healthy And nutritious, but I can’t get over it.
Good luck on your house hunting!!
April@ Motor City Runner says
I am terrified to even attepmt fish other than tuna out of a can!!
Emily says
Is there a reason why most of your dinners are very low in carbs?
peanutbutterfingers says
Not really. We just eat whatever we are in the mood for, and I try to make sure our dinners have veggies always. We eat pasta pretty frequently, but I won’t usually cook up rice or another carb just to have a carb unless we are craving it.
Ana Maria says
Might be worth it to cook up some carbs! Lots of nutrients and fiber in those whole grains 🙂
julie @ peanut butter fingers says
I promise I eat pleeeenty of whole grains throughout the day.
Amanda Jewell @ Science&Bananas says
I just recently brought (organic, morally copacetic) eggs and fish back into my life (from a vegan) diet and have been trouble getting used to handling fish again. I think this post gave me some motivation. 🙂
Cait's Plate says
I love “how to make salmon” posts by bloggers because I absolutely SUCK at it which means I only get it when I go out 🙁 It would be so nice to have it at home once in a while. Definitely going to try this way out 🙂
Ana Maria says
Another REALLY yummy way to do it is to wrap it up in aluminum foil with small-cut chunks of root vegetables (carrots, turnips, potatoes) olive oil, and spices (salt, pepper and whatever else you like) and just stick it in the oven at about 350 for 40 min. The flavour is unreal.
Cait's Plate says
That DOES sound delicious. Thank you!! 🙂
Ana Maria says
You’re welcome! Enjoy 🙂
Jenny @ Fitness Health and Food says
Best wishes for your house search, I’m sure it will all turn out well! 🙂
Your salmon looks wonderful 🙂
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
I love salmon, it is SO yummy 🙂 Overbaking it is a common problem, so broiling is a great way to fix that. I love it with a nice Teriyaki or lemon glaze. YUMM. Good luck with the house hunt!!
Roz @ My ViSalus Journey says
I’ve always loved fish for this reason…it doesn’t quite give me the heebies to cook like I get when I am handling beef or poultry.
I love how most of your dishes include a BUNCH of veggies over a little veggie and a carb-y side dish. Seems like the way to go!
Do you find that you will need a before bed snack since this dinner isn’t that many calories?
peanutbutterfingers says
I just split a bag of popcorn with Ryan and ate an apple. 🙂
Paige - Everyday Belle says
Aah, I am SO intimidated by cooking any sort of meat (fish, chicken, EVERYTHING). I’m a little squeamish plus tend to worry about proper safety when it comes to handling raw stuff. So embarrassing.
Emily@RunningPerspective says
yum LOVEEEEEEEEE fish! my fav thing to cook! (maybe cause i don’t eat any other meat besides fish and eggs?!) lol
but um i am making that meal ASAP
good luck with the house hunt!
Maggie says
Do you take the creepy skin off the salmon? I always want to but it’s so difficult!
peanutbutterfingers says
I cook it with the skin, but don’t eat the skin! Luckily the salmon usually slides out of the skin w/o problem.
Jessica @ Sushi and Sit-Ups says
I love fish too, but I also get afraid to cook it. I have a tiny house and I’m afraid that cooking the fish will stink the whole place up for hours.
Jordan P @ food, sweat, and beers says
Ah, the switch to cooking fish was definitely intimidating for me as well, but now that I know how simple it is, I can’t even imagine what I thought would go into it before. As if it would take 53 steps and require poaching, fileting, and flambe-ing.
I’m no Julia Childs, but I can broil with the best of them.
Cait @ Beyond Bananas says
I used to be SO afraid of cooking fishtoo! I usually just bake mine at 375 for 12-18 minutes. But I think I will give your method a go next time!
Elle says
I love salmon, but I’ve yet to perfect my cooking method for it. It always turns out too dry! I will have to try this one.
Lee @ in the pink of condition says
I love salmon! I could live the rest of my life only eating seafood, and I would be ok with it.
P.S. I was on Lauren Conrad’s website and saw a tutorial for the best twisted updo. I think it would look great on you, and it looks like you could also very easily do it on yourself first to try it out! Here’s the link: http://www.laurenconrad.com/post/hair-how-to-twisted-updo
julie @ peanut butter fingers says
Oh pretty! Thanks!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Salmon is so good with a fruit glaze. I usually put some Blueberry BBQ sauce on ours after broiling for a few minutes. yum 🙂
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
Good luck with the housing search!
It is kind of sad that so many people have had horrible jobs or are in horrible jobs!
Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat) says
I rarely make fish too but I love it. The rest of my family doesn’t so I don’t cook it often. But that’s exactly how I do my salmon…the broil method. So easy!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I’m not a big salmon fan, but yours looks really delicious! I just started making tilapia for the first time at home, and it’s not nearly as “scary” as I thought it would be!
Laura (Cookies vs. Carrots) says
I agree! Fish is definitely easier to cook than chicken or fish. You can generally season or glaze it with anything, and just cook until it flakes with a fork. So delicious!
Bee Goes Bananas says
I love salmon, but I always make it plain and it’s so boring! Sometimes I put a squirt of lemon on top with some pepper, but that’s not my favourite. I really need to try this raspberry glaze! It looks like just the thing I need!
Kathy E. says
Hi,
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and I had a quick question which might be really dumb but- do you cook frozen or fresh fish? Like the salmon you had for dinner? Was that frozen or fresh? Cooking fish makes me nervous too and when I am at the store I never know what to pick. Just wondering!
Thanks,
Kathy
julie @ peanut butter fingers says
It was fresh!
Corrie Anne says
I love looking at houses online! I hope you find your dream house!! 🙂
Jayme @ Runner-n-Spice says
Julie – the post earlier was awesome. Wow, you can really put things into words well.
Good luck finding a new home!
peanutbutterfingers says
Thanks Jayme!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
I used to be so intimidated to cook salmon, but it really is simple!
Callie @ Callieflower Kitchen says
I so need to try that raspberry glaze!
Lindsey says
For some reason I would have never thought to cook salmon like that, but it is so easy, next time I am going to try it, thanks for sharing!
Lauren @ Fun, Fit and Fabulou! says
I absolutely love salmon but it definitely does have an intimidation factor!! Your raspberry glaze looks delicious!!
Shelby says
Thanks for the salmon cooking tips! I’ve always been intimidated to cook fish but I will have to try your method! I think you mentioned it awhile back, but I would also love to see a post on how you roast veggies if you have the time!
Khushboo says
Salmon is the easiest thing to make. Tip: never pan fry it unless you are ok about having that ick salmony smell at hone. Question: is salmon skin equivalent to chicken skin in terms of fattiness/unhealthiness?
julie @ peanut butter fingers says
I’m not sure! I never eat the skin!
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
I love salmon – it really is easier to prepare than meat. It’s pretty expensive though so it’s a treat for me.
I love roasted zucchini, I’ve been having it a lot recently. We call it courgette in Ireland!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I’m still curious what your news is that you were talking about the other day!! 😉
Angela says
Zucchini is the jam! It’s a weird word to spell though 🙂
Gen says
Yuum! Great tips!!! We love fish cooked with a little blackened seasoning!!!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I’m still curious what your “news” is that you were planning on announcing later this week! 😉
angie says
Julie, you should try Emeril’s fish rub. It’s my favorite way to cook salmon. I just drizzle a little olive oil on it and then sprinkle on the rub and grill it up. It’s amaaaaazing.
Hillary says
I love, love, love cooking fish—I just HATE the way it makes my apartment smell! Sometimes when I cook tilapia, I feel like I’m smelling it for DAYS!
Hope says
That fish looks great! I’m not a fan of salmon but it looks good with the raspberry glaze!
Good luck with hearing back from the house! It’s definitely a process to find a new place. Don’t get discouraged. You will find a place to live 🙂
Keri says
mmm I love salmon…
Good luck finding a place to live!!!!
Lindsay@ In Sweetness and In Health says
Oh this is perfect for me, since I have no idea what I’m doing in the kitchen! Thanks 🙂
Ali @ Ali Runs says
Cooking fish is still intimidating to me! Maybe soon, I’ll try this recipe and put that intimidation behind me. 😉
Yolie @ Practising Wellness says
Mmm..that salmon looks amazing! Isn’t it cool how easy fish is to prepare? I find it so much easier than poultry, and so much more flavourful too 🙂 Just wanted to say that I absoultely LOVED your post on work and stress…it was amazing <3 Happy house-hunting! xyx