Baked Salmon with Veggie Couscous
INGREDIENTS
2 salmon filets
Olive oil*
Salt*
Freshly ground black pepper*
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs*
3 Lemons*, zest and juice (tip – zest the lemons before juicing)
Lemon pepper*
Garlic powder*
Couscous* (use plain couscous, I like Whole Wheat Couscous from Trader Joes, or your favorite boxed couscous with seasoning packet, garlic and herb is a great choice for this meal)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter*
1 large zucchini, cut into small chunks
1 oz. shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into small chunks
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil. Place salmon filets in the dish. Rub filets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small dish, combine the panko breadcrumbs with a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice and zest of 1 lemon and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Top each filet with half the mixture. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until cooked through. Serve two lemon slices alongside each filet of salmon. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. of unsalted butter in a sauté pan. Add veggies, season with salt and pepper and cook until veggies are tender. Toss veggies in with the warm couscous. Enjoy!
Wine Pairing
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Kid Version
My kids are crazy about the salmon (they especially love the panko topping). I reserve a bit of the couscous, before I add the veggies, and I serve the raw veggies on the side. Both kids are not fans of mushrooms, so those are out, and my older daughter does not care of zucchini. I serve my younger daughter, raw zucchini and red bell pepper, and cucumber chunks and red bell pepper for my older daughter.
