Broiled Salmon with a Mustard Glaze: A Recipe to Impress, hold the stress

My stress level seemed to hit an all-time high this past week and unfortunately with it came a string of episodes in which I bore a strong resemblance to Britney back in her head-shaving, umbrella-hurling days. I wanted to do something to thank my parents who are always unbelievably patient with me during these less than pleasant moments, but this little diva does not have the funds to treat my rents to dinner at the Ritz anytime soon. Instead, I decided to prepare an impressive meal for them at home! My challenge? Most of my cooking endeavors result in me fanning the smoke alarm with one hand and dialing my local take-out joint with the other.

I borrowed this fabulous meal idea from a friend of mine- we’ll call her the Domestic Diva. She is the kind of woman who shows up to a party with a homemade tart while you are frantically trying to scrape the tag off your store-bought cookies before anyone notices. However, I’ve been lucky enough to learn that she also has a ton of easy culinary tricks up her sleeve. I took her great recipe idea and made it even easier, so please read below. Enjoy!

Broiled Salmon with a Mustard Glaze, Roasted Asparagus and Couscous

What you’ll need (recipe for 4 people):

• 4 (6 to 8 oz) salmon fillets
• About 1 tablespoon Herb Paste (found in the produce section along with fresh herb, this is my addition- this is a really easy substitute for buying and preparing multiple herbs)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• Splash of white wine from the bottle you purchased for dinner :) **
• 2 bunches of asparagus (recipe called for 2 lbs, just eyeball it)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Salt/black pepper
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 4 lemon wedges (to be served with the salmon and asparagus)
• Box of store-bought couscous (I used Near East Wild Mushroom & Herb)

Directions:

1. Mix herb paste, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and splash of wine together in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (in my kitchen, the broiler is under the oven so I set my temperature to 450 degrees so that I could cook both the salmon and asparagus at the same time).
3. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread asparagus on top. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven.
4. Line another heavy-rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under broiler for 5 minutes.
5. Now start working on the couscous. Follow the directions depending on whichever brand you choose; for Near East, now is a good time to add water to a saucepan, mix in the spice pack, and bring to a boil.
6. After the 5 minutes has passed since you placed the salmon in the oven, you are going to multi-task with these 3 steps: first, spoon the mustard sauce over the fillets; second, sprinkle the slivered almonds on top of the asparagus; lastly, stir the couscous into the boiling water mixture, then cover and remove from heat.
7. Continue cooking each about 5 minutes longer and you are done- this is one of those perfect recipes which all items finish at the same time!
   Do watch the salmon though- the fillets should cook until golden brown and just cooked through, but many ovens cook differently and cooking times may vary.

Give this recipe a try and spoil someone special in your life, or go ahead and spoil yourself- you deserve it!

Yours,
The Diligent Diva

** Don’t forget the wine- Pinot Grigio is an excellent pairing with salmon. If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, head over to their amazing wine department and look around; you can find some fabulous wines for under $10. If not, I tried a bottle from Publix by Frei Brothers. It was on sale and delicious :)