Pan Roasted Salmon & Bread Salad

When I knew my mom was coming to town, I started planning out dinners with new recipes so she could be my taste tester. Seeing how we both have commented we need to incorporate more seafood into our diets - I settled on a pan roasted salmon and bread salad recipe from Food & Wine magazine. What resulted was the perfect, fast and healthy all-in-one meal that I could serve her after a 7 hour car ride between Ohio and D.C. The combo of salt (capers), spice (red pepper flakes), sour (lemon) and crunch (the ciabatta bread chunks) provided a new and innovative way to enjoy salmon.


The original recipe can be found here: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pan-roasted-salmon-and-bread-salad.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• salmon fillet (2 pounds, skinless and cut into chunks)
• ciabatta bread (8-10 slices, cut into large chunks)
• grape tomatoes (1 or 2 pints, halved)
• garlic cloves (2 large, minced)
• olive oil (several tablespoons)
• capers (2 tablespoons, rinsed and chopped)
• lemon (1, thinly sliced)
• red pepper flakes (1/2 teaspoon)
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450. On a large cookie sheet or a roasting pan, toss the ciabatta chunks with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the tomato halves with the garlic, capers, lemon, crushed red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mixture into the toasted bread an roast for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down.

In the same bowl, toss the salmon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season. Nestle the salmon into the bread and tomatoes.

Roast until the salmon is cooked through - about 10 minutes. (NOTE: This part took longer for me because we wanted to make sure the salmon was fully done - likely roasted for 15-20 minutes.)

Serve right away. The pictures did not turn out as well as I thought but trust me when I say this salad is delicious and packed with flavor.