salmon with apricot mousse and mandolin apples over sautéed veggies with an avocado citrus pesto

I love salmon on weekends… It’s perfect for any day of the week really but, something about the anticipation of the pretty pink fish with a glass – or three – of sweet rose, that makes the weekend feel like it really started. And, I love to surprise my husband with new ways of making the salmon (we love our tried and true parchment method of course, and an additional recipe for that is here) but, this may be a new favorite.

You Will Need:

Salmon (we get ours from Vital Choice)
Parchment Paper
Mandolin or Sharp Knife
Measuring Spoons (mainly a teaspoon and tablespoon measurement)
Food Processor / Blender
Coconut Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt / Sea Salt
Dried Herbs: Oregano, Ginger, Turmeric and Basil
Fresh Herbs: Basil and Parsley
Macadamia Nuts
Yellow Squash (can sub with zucchini)
Avocado
Apple (one per person)
Apricot (one per person)
Lemon (to keep the apples from turning – just one is fine)
Orange
Baby Potatoes (unless you’d prefer a different type)
Microgreens (optional)

Start by prepping the sauce for the veggies. Take the following measurements and place all in the food processor or blender at once These measurements are for two/three people:

Half an Avocado
One Teaspoon of Ginger
A Handful of Fresh Parsley
Juice of a Whole Orange
Two Small Handfuls of Macadamia Nuts
Three Counts of Olive Oil (you may want / need more)
One Teaspoon of Turmeric
One Half Tablespoon of Oregano
One Tablespoon of Basil
About Four Larger Leaves of Fresh Basil
One Half Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt / Sea Salt (you may want / need more: to taste)

If you want more spicy of a taste, add more turmeric. If you just want more turmeric for the health benefits, balance it out with more ginger and dried basil.

Blend everything together

Set that aside and prep your salmon. Place a sheet of parchment down that is three – four times larger than the filets you are cooking. You’re trying to make a package with the parchment so it has to be able to close around the filets completely. Over the salmon pour some of the olive oil and then place some dried basil, ginger and oregano. Then take some of the coconut oil (about a tablespoon) and place that on top.

Close the parchment and tuck the ends under the salmon. Cook on 350 for 40 minutes if frozen. If not frozen, cook on 350 for 30 mins unless you prefer to cook to your temp and time.

Prep your veggies by cutting the squash down to small bite-sized pieces.

Place them in a pan with some olive oil (or water), some coconut water, basil and salt. I cook my squash on medium high.

Cut the potatoes to the same size and steam them (unless you’d like to cook along with the squash in the same pan).

When the potatoes are done steaming and the squash is done cooking, place them together with the pesto and stir, (you do not need to add all the pesto – add just enough to coat everything. The pesto will save well in the fridge) adding some fresh basil you can cut with kitchen shears or slice. Leave on low. If you cooked everything at the same time together, wait to add the pesto till the veg and potatoes are softened and done.

As the salmon finishes and the veg and potatoes stay on warm, take your apricots (I used two; one per person) and slice them down and place them into the food processor / blender discarding the pit(s).

Blend and then stop and add some olive oil.

Hit pulse or lightly blend until it begins to get a mousse like texture. Very soft.

Place aside and add some basil and salt – to taste.

I used a mandolin to slice my apples (one per person) and then squeezed some lemon juice over the slices to keep them from turning brown.

And then start to line them up on a plate in the pattern you want to place over your fish. I did a simple scale shape.

If you have any microgreens this would be a good time to get them out.

If you’d like to use them, place some with the veg and potatoes and save the rest for the tops of the salmon.

Your salmon should absolutely be done by now. If it finished before you were done with the apricot and apple, leave the salmon on 160 F in the oven for as long as you need. That will keep the salmon warm and prevent bacteria from harvesting.

Take the salmon out and carefully unwrap the parchment.

Place a portion of the apricot mousse over each filet.

Then, take your apple slices and cover the apricot.

Plate some veg and potatoes and place the salmon over it.

At this point, if you want to add any greens / microgreens go ahead and do that now before serving.

The first thing you will taste is the salmon with the apricot – the apple is the last thing and if eating a bite with the veg and potatoes, you’ll get a smoky hit from the turmeric and a creamy note from the avocado and macadamia nuts… There is SO MUCH flavor in this – I already want this again tomorrow.