Salmon with Cucumber, Lemon and Dill

Moving fast is not the same as going somewhere. – Robert Anthony 

Simple, fast and delicious.

Yesterday was a bit of a “day.” As much as the country life in this village is far less stressful, whenever you need to attend a client meeting it sure puts a dent in your hands-on work time.

Unless you teleconference, at least 1 hour of the day is spent on travel alone.

Simple, fresh, tasty.

Yesterday I had a working meeting with a great local client of mine that ran to over twice what I anticipated. I’m not complaining. We accomplished a lot and it will save on the other end of the work.

But by the time I finished running some “town” errands 5 hours had evaporated. 

When I arrived home I then had to do the work that was waiting for me all day... It was pretty difficult to stay inside because yesterday felt like a very late spring day – about 16°C. Gorgeous.

I needed a quick and uncomplicated dinner. But at the same time I wanted to put something nutritious and appealing on the table.

I had a few weapons in my arsenal to accomplish it. I had bought salmon, lemon, a cucumber and some dill. The rest is stuff many already have hanging around.

On a warm day there’s precious little that tastes better than salmon with a cucumber salad. It really hits the spot. It’s also unbelievably light on the sweat equity necessary to make it.

Tips and tricks?

Make the lemon butter first. You can use it warm, but if it has started to re-set it then melts down over the salmon. It will separate if you let it sit, which is perfectly normal. Just whisk it briefly and it will come together and be beautifully creamy.

You can also make the salad ahead. The acids in the dressing acts on the onion if you do. It mellows the taste. No need for a fancy sweet onion. Just a regular yellow one works just fine.

Use an English cucumber. They are firmer through the centre than field cucumbers. That means less moisture will come out into your dressing.

If you can’t find decent salmon at a reasonable price try steelhead trout. It looks and tastes much like Atlantic salmon and is cheaper as well.

Outside? You could do this recipe on an outdoor grill surfaced with foil just as easily. Keep this one in mind as the weather turns warmer, like this weekend... fingers crossed.

This whole dinner for four took about 20 minutes. Not too bad when the outdoors is beckoning!

Salmon with Cucumber, Lemon and Dill

Prep 10 min  |  Bake 6 min  |  Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 whole salmon filet, or salmon portions for 4

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/4 cup butter

salt and pepper to taste

smoked paprika, to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 2 tablespoons dill. Let cool if you wish, while you make the rest of the dinner. Remember you can whisk the butter back together in a matter of seconds if it separates.

To make the salad, slice an English cucumber using a mandolin (or finely slice) and place in a non-metal bowl. Slice the onion and add to the cucumber. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, juice of the last 1/2 lemon and 1/4 cup dill. Pour over the cucumber and onion and let sit while you cook the salmon.

Turn the broiler of the oven on high. Heat the oil in an oven-proof pan. Sear the salmon, skin side down, until it appears opaque half way up the fish, about 2-3 minutes. Season the top with salt and pepper.

Place the pan under the broiler, about 4” away, and finish cooking the fish. This will take another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with smoked paprika.

Serve the salmon with the cucumber salad. Drizzle the top of the fish with the lemon dill butter.

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