Lemon Pepper Salmon

It’s summertime. That means it’s time for delicious dishes that are quick and healthy for when you get home from a long day either at the office, at the beach, fishing, or spending time at the ballpark. Quick dishes for the whole family can be hard to find and healthy ones are even harder. Today I have a really good one for you that is healthy, tasty, and quick. It is the trifecta that every mother looks for trust me.

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon filets 4 to 6 oz apiece
• two teaspoons of lemon pepper seasoning
• salt to taste
• a lemon quartered into four wedges
• bagged frozen broccoli (Optional)

Directions:

1. Make sure you have a large cast-iron pre-seasoned skillet ready for this meal.
2. Thaw the frozen bagged broccoli in a bowl of hot water.
3. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels to remove all excess moisture.
4. Next, melt butter into the cast iron pan so that it coats it generously. Swirl around the edges and make sure there are no dry spots.
5. Place the salmon skin-side down in the cast iron pan and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning over each filet.
6. Fit the now unfrozen bagged broccoli around the salmon filets. You can also drizzle a little bit of butter on top of this frozen broccoli if it suits your taste. Add salt and pepper to taste on the broccoli.
7. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 12 minutes until the salmon is firm and when you take a fork to it, then it should easily flake off. The flesh should be lighter pink than when it was raw and drier than when it was raw.
8. Remove from the oven and squeeze one lemon wedge on top of each salmon filet.

Tips:

• If you need more room than a cast-iron skillet can provide, feel free to use a deep dish for baking or a large cookie sheet.
• This can be used for any type of fish, and with summer fishing season come up coming up it would be fantastic with trout, bluegill, or even largemouth bass.
• Other vegetables that can be used instead of or in conjunction with broccoli, include cauliflower, potatoes, cubed sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and kalettes.
• This recipe can be done in a solar oven. Please refer to the directions for your solar oven to determine how best to do that. Some solar ovens operate just like a conventional oven and some do not.
• This pairs nicely with a dry white wine, crusty bread, and a side salad.
• Other spices and herbs that go well with the lemon pepper or white pepper, are lemon zest, lime zest, lime juice, and garlic salt. It is unnecessary to add anything to the ingredients listed above to have a very nice meal though.
• Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator for three to five days if leftovers are desired. Making double what you eat for dinner means that you have lunch already cooked for the next day if you store it in the refrigerator overnight.