#1 Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

For my first new recipe of 2011, I decided to tackle something I am just acquring a taste for - fish. And in this case, salmon. Almost more difficult than following the recipe itself was the trip to two different grocery stores here in Mexico trying to find the right ingredients and buying my first slab of salmon off the ice.

After talking to the fish man at the store, I decided on a nicely colored piece of fish and as he wrapped it up for me, I couldn't help but notice the scaly gray fish skin still sitting on the underside. Overcoming my sudden disgust, I smiled and said "Muchas gracias" to the man and went on my merry way in search of the fresh cilantro and spinach.

I have Rachel Ray to thank for the success (YES!) of this recipe as I followed it from her "Rachel Ray: 365 No Repeats" cookbook. So get your tastebuds ready people, this one is worth making over and over again.

"Lime-And-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad" #288

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 medium red onion (chopped)

2 large garlic cloves (chopped)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 6-oz slamon fillets (I used one big slab and cut it)

1 red bell pepper

1 10-oz box/bag frozen corn kernals

1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

1 15-oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)

2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves (a handful and chopped)

6 cups baby spinach

Steps:

1. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp of the EVOO (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occassionally, for 3 minutes.

2. While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat with the remaining 2 tbsp or EVOO. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet (careful!! I nearly started a kitchen fire with that step...the pan was hotter than I realized) and cook until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

3. To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers and corn kernals and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. Serve the lime-and-honey glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

Buen Provecho!