Danish Grilled Salmon with Warm Salad and Lemon Butter

One of my favorite dishes is "anything" with salmon!  Mr. T. is a great fisherman and we are fortunate that he has caught some whopper King Salmon!  Fresh caught salmon is heavenly. Catching a large salmon, though, means that there is much more salmon than we can immediately eat.  So, each year we vacuum seal and freeze salmon to enjoy during the winter.

Should you have salmon in your freezer or find some at the market, you would certainly enjoy it barbecued and then served nestled on this tasty spinach and vegetable salad with a delicious lemon butter!

Danish Grilled Salmon 

with Warm Salad and Lemon Butter

Serves 4

Lemon Butter

5 oz. butter

1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ small crushed clove garlic

Warm Salad

1 pound green and yellow squash, sliced 

2 T. grape seed oil

3 oz. sliced almonds

9 oz. fennel bulb, cut into thin strips

¾ tsp. salt

Freshly ground pepper

7 oz. spinach leaves, coarsely shredded

2 lemons, in wedges

Grilled Salmon

1 fresh salmon fillet with skin on, (approx. 2½ pounds)

1 ½ tsp. finely grated lemon peel

¼ tsp. salt

Directions

Stir butter with remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Quarter the squash slices.  Heat oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat.  Fry almonds for approx. 2 min.  Turn heat to high and add squash and fennel.  Fry vegetables for approx. 5 min. and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cool slightly.

Remove any bones from the salmon fillet.  Sprinkle the fish with lemon peel, salt and pepper. Place the salmon fillet, fish side down, on a baking tray or a rack in the roasting pan.  Grill the salmon for approx. 10 min. on both sides. Before the warm salmon is placed on the salad, dot pats of the lemon butter on top.

Note:  The salmon can be grilled on a barbecue, approx. 10 min. on both sides.  

Note:  The fillets can be placed on planks, skin side down.  They are then placed on the barbecue. They are not turned.

To Serve

Arrange spinach leaves on a serving dish and top with warm vegetables and lemon wedges.  Lay the slices of salmon fillet on top of the salad and warm vegetables.  The salad can be served cold, if desired.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

We certainly enjoyed this wonderfully flavorful dish!  A big thank you to my friend, Gay, who shared this recipe with us when she created a menu to reflect the foods they experienced in Copenhagen!  You may remember one of the other dishes we enjoyed.....Smørrebrød (A Danish Open-faced Sandwich) that was the appetizer, or the amazing Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Cream Dressing....both delicious!  It was such a great meal!

I am sharing today with Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's County Cottage and Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Rattlebridge Farm.