Grilled Salmon with Bacon Salsa and Potatoes

About once a week I try to make a really grand meal, the kind that we'd get at a restaurant, and therefore we can skip going to a restaurant that week. (Only works half the time. Often we end up with a grand meal and a restaurant night anyway.)

So this week I made grilled salmon and potatoes. The grill used to be very daunting for me, and I still feel it takes some work to make it do what I want. So once I have it fired up, I'm going all the way, man. Main dish, side dish, even dessert.

Oh, about dessert. You won't see it pictured here, even though we loved it, because Hubby gave me an idea to make it even better, and I can't wait to try it again. I'm going to make some changes and try it again, and if it turns out amazing, I'll post it here.

On to the main event. We'll start with the potatoes:

Grilled Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 large unpeeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 t salt

Combine oil, rosemary, garlic, and salt in a bowl.

Add potato slices and turn until well coated. Grill over medium heat or 300 degrees F for about 8 minutes. Turn and grill 10 more minutes. Remove from grill.

Meanwhile, prepare the salmon.

Ingredients:

4 - 6 salmon fillets

fresh thyme

2 slices thick bacon

1/2 C diced onions

1 T minced garlic

10 oz. can rotel (mild)

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and the thyme. Spray with canola oil. Sear on the grill on both sides. Place the salmon fillets in an aluminum tray. Place in an unheated section of the grill. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 more minutes or until done. (turn halfway through.) The meat should be opaque when cooked.

While the salmon cooks, prepare the bacon salsa. Cut the bacon into 1/4 inch slices and cook in a pan. When the fat has rendered, add the onions. Cook until the onions sweat, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and the tomatoes. Heat gently, simmering until most of the moisture evaporates.

Serve the salsa over the fish with the potatoes on the side. 

Tastefully,

Tamara

Grilled corn on the cob

As previously mentioned, I received a huge box of corn from my fresh produce basket last week. I've been dying to try grilled corn, so I found a recipe and gave it a shot.

I started the coals before I began the corn prep. The coals had a little ash on them and the temperature of the grill started at 300 degrees F, ending at 250 degrees by the time I was done.

To prep the corn, I peeled the husks down to the bottom but didn't take them off. I removed all the corn silk strands.

In a bowl, I melted 1 stick of butter. To it I added 1 tsp dried parsley and 1/2 tsp dried pepper flakes. Then I spread that over the corn.

Finally I pulled the husks back over the corn, doing my best to cover the exposed butter.

I then wrapped two ears of corn in tin foil, sealing all the edges.

Like so.

I took my wrapped corns out to the grill. With the foil on and the lid closed, I grilled them for twenty minutes, turning half way. Then I took the foil off and put the husks directly over the heat. I left them on for another ten minutes, this time with the lid off, and turned them on all sides so they were evenly grilled. A few weren't quite done, so I gave them another five minutes. (The kernels turn a brilliant bright yellow when done.)

Beautiful and great flavor. I served the rest of the butter at the table for anyone who wanted to add more!

Tastefully,

Tamara