Poached Salmon with Olive Tapenade

As we work on cutting back on carbs and eating more omega-3s, I whipped up a quick salmon dinner on this busy weeknight. Lay this on top of a bed of steamed lentils and you have a filling, healthy meal.

Ingredients serves 4

• 1 to 1½ pounds salmon fillets (I prefer local, wild-caught)
• freshly ground black pepper
• juice from 1 organic lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 T olive oil
• water

Tapenade

• 2 C whole olives (I used a combination of Picholine and Niçoise)
• 3 t brined capers
• 1 t brine from the capers
• 3 to 4 anchovies, olive oil-packed
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• zest from 1 organic lemon
• juice from 1 organic lemon
• olive oil

Procedure

Sprinkle the salmon fillets with a little pepper and place them flat in the bottom of a rimmed pan. Pour in enough water to come up halfway on the fish and add the garlic. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Cover and poach for 5 to 10 minutes. Length of cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish.

Tapenade

Remove the pits from the olives with a pitter or a sharp knife. Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process to preferred texture; I left this one chunky and rustic. Let stand for, at least, 10 minutes before serving.

Adjust seasonings as needed. Served immediately.

I served this with a green salad, tomatoes, and sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds.