Salmon in Tomato-Olive Sauce

We had this little beauty last night for dinner. We normally try to by our fish fresh from the fish market but these frozen wild caught Sockeye Salmon were just delicious and beautiful on our plates.

I could talk forever about fish and my love for it but the real star here was the sauce. Rustic, tomato-rich, and great flavor from the olives and capers. I normally pass my olives off to The Other Williams but this time I tried it because it was really a main ingredient in the sauce. It was delicious!

The recipe suggested a yellow rice for a side dish but we'd suggest a nutty brown rice instead. We drank Redwood Creek's 2007 Pinot Noir with this but an oaky-aged Chardonnay would go equally well. Enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1. 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4. 2 pounds plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
5. 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
6. 2 bay leaves
7. 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
8. 1/3 cup drained capers
9. 1/3 cup sliced pickled jalapeños
10. Four center-cut salmon fillets with skin (about 7 ounces each)
11. Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are just beginning to break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in the olives, capers and jalapeños and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaves.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over high heat until the skin begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the fish for about 10 minutes, until slightly rare on the inside. Transfer the fish to plates, spoon the sauce all around and serve.

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