Super Simple, Dinner on the Run! Brown Sugar-Seared Salmon

I heard a little birdie saying that you were wondering what's happened to me ....
... those of you who are frequent flyers here at The Café know we've been in London for the past 2 weeks visiting our daughter and her family. We can't stay away from our three little sweet granddaughters for very long (mommy and daddy too!).

Normally when we're spending time in London, you'll see lots of posts about fun restaurants or new culinary delights we've discovered. This time however, has been a bit different; our main purpose has been to welcome and help acclimate this little (well maybe not so little) family to a new arrival, a baby boy named Luke! We've been thrilled to be involved such an exciting, memorable event. It's taken many hand to make it all work around here and a few things, like cooking fancy meals (and taking the time to blog about them), have had to take a bit of a back seat.

Nevertheless, we still have to eat and that's when super-simple, super-fabulous recipes like this Brown Sugar-Seared Salmon come in handy. Oh, and did I mention it comes together lickety-split? I love to serve it with a simple green salad but it also makes a fabulous special occasion entree, served with mashed potatoes or polenta and some steamed or roasted veggies.

Pick up some fresh salmon today or thaw a few fillets from your freezer (I love the Kirkland brand frozen salmon from Costco - it's flash-frozen right on the dock). When dinner-time rolls around, you can have a delightful meal on the table on even the busiest days. Once you try this Brown Sugar-Seared Salmon, I have the feeling you'll be pulling out the recipe again and again!

Brown Sugar-Seared Salmon

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
¼ cup brown sugar
teaspoon zest of 1 lemon, finely zested
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
lemon slices , for garnish

Instructions:
1. Combine brown sugar, lemon zest, chile powder, cumin, sesame seeds, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. Divide mixture evenly and pat on both sides of salmon fillets.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add olive oil and sesame oil. Place salmon fillets in hot pan, reduce heat to medium and cook until crusty and caramelized on outside and just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Serve immediately with lemon slices for garnish.

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