Moroccan Grilled Salmon

Sharing a grilled salmon recipe is on today’s agenda, but first, we take a break from our normal cooking blog for a special announcement.

Here are some musical groups/bands that if you enjoy music (mainly if you enjoy country) you should really keep your eyes and ears open for. All of the musicians listed below make me want to get in the car and take a long drive just to hear them play at whatever bar or stage they are on for the night. Ah, what it would be like to be able to live that spontaneously…..

Julie Roberts – Julie Roberts sings classic country songs about heartbreak and love with a soulful voice that I really enjoy. Her emotions seem believable in her lyrics and vocals. Shes on Facebook and has a blog that she updates often, and its actually her (most of the time) not just a rep. She seems super nice to her fans.

Aston Shepard – holy crap this girl can sing. She has a great country voice that makes for great cruise music on a hot day. Shes been writing music forever and singing with her family for just as long. I really really hope to hear more music from her in the future.

Miss Willie Brown – Love love love it. This came up as a cheap Amazon download and I have been listening to it on repeat ever since. Its rugged and awesome. Their website is funny and down to earth too. We could use more real music like this in the world.

Carter’s Chord – a 3 part harmony of sisters. These girls make great music – not to mention they too seem down to earth in their video blogs and whatnots. It seems easier to enjoy an artists who is real as opposed to just the musical marketing plans that so many talented people become. * I hope to see these girls on Sat. playing live in Aberdeen MD!!! So f*ing pumped!!!

Joey and Rory – wow. Her voice is so beautiful. Its inspiring – it reminds me of a kind of music they really don’t make anymore. If you read their story its amazing. You believe in them, their music and want more. I hope they can somehow make more music just like their first album and still remain the sweet people they are.

Now, Im not all country and cowboy boots. I grew up listening to rock and my favorite band is Live. I have 99 albums on my music wish list alone on amazon from the great Etta James to Japanese pop sensations. Lord knows I blast Queen and Christina Aguilera every chance I get – but these musicians really stand out to me – vocally, lyrically and just damned talented not in the generic Carrie Underwood / Taylor Swift sort of way. Give them a try if your open to new stuff – at least listen to the free samples on Amazon.

And really what would a Pass the Sushi post be without a recipe? The other night salmon was on sale at the local market so I picked some up – along with too much other end cap trickery items that we really didn’t need.

But it produced this fantastic Moroccan grilled salmon dinner.

Moroccan Grilled Salmon from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges for garnish
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 6-ounce skinless center-cut salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Directions

Stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Pour half of the sauce into a large resealable plastic bag; cover and refrigerate the remaining sauce. Add the salmon to the bag and turn to coat with the marinade. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the bag over once.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the salmon from the marinade and blot off excess yogurt with paper towels. Lightly oil the grill and add the salmon; cook, turning once, until browned on the outside and opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Serve with the reserved yogurt sauce and garnish with the herbs and lemon wedges.

I wanted to serve this grilled salmon with a nice orzo or simple risotto, but as the end cap magic and trickery overwhelmed my senses I had to make a swift exit from the market settling for what ever was in the pantry (boring packet o’ noodles).

This was a simple salmon recipe. Even though it may look like the flavors will be strong, they are subtle on the grilled salmon and don’t overwhelm it at all. Just be weary of the thickness of the salmon and grill times for this one.

Our salmon portion was very thick and we ended up needed to throw it back on the grill for me to enjoy it. This is really a simple nice meal that could be used for company. Not to mention its rather quick and easy.