Baked Salmon with Shallots and Corn Salsa

Just because my union is celebrated in the The New York Times, doesn't mean I'm not a Pig Farm Widow. As far as dining en famille goes, we're down to Mondays, at least until the show officially opens on June 27. This being the case, we strive to make it a pleasant, non-complain-y affair, which is why I smiled and said, "why, no, not at all" when Greg asked if we could listen to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album. (in the name of"theatrical research". (He'd already spun the platter once in its entirety, while I was cooking, and rather than appreciate my patience, had remarked, "Boy, Bill Clinton really runined this song.) When I suggested that, as long as we were scrapping our usual French-Afro-Cuban dinnertime fare, perhaps we should give The Pretenders's "Night in My Veins" a twirl, he shot me right down! That's the thanks I get for teaching him the phrase "good old-fashioned sweat-tittied bitches of rock n' roll"!?

Domestic strife not withstanding, the evening's entree felt good, alright, even if it was just the night in my veins.

Baked Salmon with Shallots and Corn Salsa

Lay a couple of salmon fillets on a large rectangle of aluminum foil. If you've seen Supersize me, and are a reformed (or current, and I'd imagine broke) smoker, you'll know exactly how big to make those fillets. (i.e., a quarter pound, but slightly bigger, because hell, you only live once.)

Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Slice a shallot and layer that on too. Gave me a powerful hankering for onion rings, for some reason. Must be the season.
Melt two tablespoons of butter. Spoon that on. Keep hankering for onion rings.
Fold the foil up over the dressed fish to form a nice little packet, that will spend 20 minutes in a prerheated 350º oven, preferably yours.

Remember that you forgot to buy the g*d d*mn jalapano. Dash out to the corner bodega. Run into a neighbor who spontaneously offers to have the children sleep over the night that Pig Farm opens. G*d bless Jalap*no peppers.

Boil a cup of fresh or frozen corn until just done. I use Cascadian Farm brand frozen, even if they didn't come off so hot in that recent New Yorker article. Drain and cool. (Or in my case un-cool. Tasted just fine hot. Better even, not that I have anything to compare it to...)

Quicly now, like, simultaneously even, squeeze half a tablespoon's worth of lemon juice into a small bowl.
Follow that up with
Half a tablespoon of cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes
and 1/2 a jalapeno of freshly purchased jalapeno.
Mix it all up, dump in the corn, and call it salsa.

Spoon the salsa over the shallot-topped salmon. Serve with a lemon wedge, if you're feeling fancy.

∞

What would you say if I grabbed the kids and absconded to Dublin for a goodly portion of the summer?