[Recipe] Salmon with CherryTomato Reduction and Cauliflower Coulis

So I was perusing the array of vegetables at my local grocery store and I saw a familiar but often overlooked vegetable…cauliflower! Now I know what you are thinking (boring!), but it’s actually a very diverse vegetable which has the ability to morph into whatever you desire. You can steam it, sauté it, fry it, throw it in a casserole, the possibilities are endless…with that said, I made it into a coulis! “What’s a coulis?” you say:

Cou · lis [koo-lee]

Noun

a thin purée of vegetables, fruit, etc, usually served as a sauce surrounding a dish.

A coulis is essentially a mishmash of either a vegetable or fruit. In this case, I chose to make the cauliflower into a coulis as a “healthier” substitute for mashed potatoes. I use the quotations because I did add basically the same ingredients as you would to potatoes (butter, cheese, etc) BUT, cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and a host of other beneficial antioxidants. I coupled it with an easy broiled salmon and some yummy reduced cherry tomatoes!

You’ll need to muster up these ingredients:

Tomatoes

· 2 tsp EVOO

· 1 tsp chopped garlic

· ½ lb cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

· ½ tsp dried thyme

· 2-3 leaves of fresh basily, roughly chopped

· 3 tsp red wine vinegar

· ½ tsp salt

Cauliflower

· 1 head of cauliflower, leaves and stem trimmed, florets roughly chopped

· 1 ½ cup of chicken or vegetable stock

· 2-3 tsp of cream cheese

· 2 tbsp butter

· 1 tsp garlic powder

· Salt, to taste

Salmon

· 1lb salmon, whole or separated into ~4 oz pieces

· 1 tsp of Creole seasoning

· ½ tsp of dried thyme

· ½ tsp of salt

· Non-stick cooking spray

And now you can get in the game:

Turn the oven to ‘Broil’, 500°F, and set the rack about 5” to 6” from the boiler.

Heat a small sauce pan on medium. Add the EVOO, garlic and cherry tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, basil and vinegar, stir the mixture and let it reduce. Stir it every 5 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.While the tomatoes are reducing, bring the chicken broth to a boil in quart-sized pot. Add the cauliflower and let simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

After about 3 minutes of the cauliflower cooking, prep the salmon. Spray an oven-safe skillet (large enough to hold the salmon) with a non-stick cooking spray. Season the salmon evenly with the spices and place, skin side down, into the pan. Place in the oven. Transfer the cooked cauliflower with a slotted spoon to a blender or food processor. Add a little of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients to the cauliflower and blend another 10 seconds. Turn off the tomatoes and place a cover on top.

Remove the salmon after 7-10 minutes (medium), let it rest for a couple of minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, and remove the skin if you like (separate with a spatula placed between the skin and salmon). Place a scoop of cauliflower coulis in the middle of a plate, place the salmon on top and top with the tomato reduction. Garnish with extra basil. Now that’s how we get our vegetables in!

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