Lime and honey glazed salmon with basmati and broccolini

Any hardcore fan of Top Chef knows that broccolini is to be avoided at all costs, especially if you happen to be cooking on an airplane. However, my experience would indicate that it seems relatively safe at sea level. Broccolini looks pretty much like what it sounds like - small broccoli. It has a stalk about the width of asparagus and a small broccoli-shaped floret. The flavor is, not surprisingly, broccoli-like, but maybe a bit more mild, especially when raw. Introduced to the US in 1998 from Japan, broccolini is actually a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, or Chinese broccoli (thanks, Wikipedia!).

This recipe is a great one (or two) pot meal, coherently combining fish, rice and vegetables. The lime sauce pairs well with all three components and even works as a dip for snacking on the raw broccolini while you wait for the rice to cook. On to the recipe . . .

First, trim the ends off the broccolini and saute some shallots in olive oil until starting to brown.

Add the rice and broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. At this point, transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish. Cover and cook until the rice is almost cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper and cut into portions.

Once the rice is almost cooked through, nestle in the salmon and broccolini, topping with a bit of the lime sauce. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked to your liking.

Top everything with more of the lime sauce and enjoy!


Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini
Slightly modified from Bon Appetit
Serves 2

1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp lime peel
2 Tbsp honey
4 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3/4 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 5-6 ounce salmon fillets
1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed

Preheat oven to 450. Whisk lime juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Heat oil in ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. (We use a non-stick skillet for this step, then transfer the ingredients to a Pyrex dish before placing it in the oven.) Add shallots to skillet and saute until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, then broth and bring to a boil. Cover skillet tightly with lid (or the Pyrex with tin foil) and bake about 15 minutes. Rice should be almost cooked through and most of the broth should be absorbed. If not, keep cooking until you reach this stage.

Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper and place on rice. Tuck broccolini in around rice, with stems anchored in rice. Add 1 tablespoon lime mixture over each piece of salmon. Bake about 12 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Drizzle remaining lime mixture over fish and rice.