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Grilled Salmon with Watercress and Cherry Tomatoes

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

With nearly 3,000 miles of coastline, you can imagine how wonderful Chile’s seafood is. We prefer to grill salmon with the skin on, as it protects the fish from the high heat of the grill.

Ingredients

  • 4 skin-on salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each, preferably wild-caught
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons merquén, chili powder, or smoked paprika
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups watercress, rinsed, drained, and dried
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, preferably a colorful heirloom mix, halved
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

Directions

Step 1

Rinse the salmon fillets under cold running water and dry on paper towels. Run your fingers over the flesh side and remove any pin bones with kitchen tweezers or pliers. Using a pastry brush, brush 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on both sides of the salmon fillets. Season evenly with the merquén as well as salt and pepper. 

Step 2

Make the vinaigrette: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Step 3

Combine the watercress and tomatoes in a mixing bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

Step 4

Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high. Arrange the salmon, skin side down, directly on the grill grate. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily when pressed with a fork. Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the salmon fillets to a plate or platter.

Step 5

Shake the jar with the vinaigrette ingredients vigorously until the dressing is emulsified. Immediately pour over the watercress and tomatoes, and toss gently. Divide among four dinner plates and top with the salmon fillets.

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Broccoli Rabe with Chile and Garlic

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Blanching in salted water before sautéing takes some of the bitterness out of broccoli rabe.

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Working in 2 batches, cook the broccoli rabe just until bright green, about 10 seconds. Drain and let cool slightly. Squeeze excess liquid from the broccoli rabe and coarsely chop.

Step 2

Cook the garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, swirling the skillet occasionally, until the garlic is just beginning to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and red pepper flakes and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes; season with salt. Serve broccoli rabe drizzled with more olive oil.

Serves 4 — Recipe from bonappetit.com

Scrambled Eggs with Sumac and Pine Nuts

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Sumac was long used in the Mediterranean to add tartness to dishes before the Romans introduced lemons. It gives an exotic “spice market” flavor to scrambled eggs. 

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
  • 1 teaspoon ground sumac
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Warm flatbread such as pita or lavash 

Directions

Gently beat eggs with a big pinch of salt and some pepper in a medium bowl with a fork. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the eggs and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until they are barely set and still slightly runny (they will continue to cook after removal from the pan), about 1 minute. Immediately transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with pine nuts, sumac, and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately with flatbread. 

Serves 3 to 4 — Recipe from seriouseats.com 

Escalivada

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This is Spain’s answer to ratatouille, a platter of smoky, jewel-like vegetables in a simple olive oil and sherry vinaigrette. Serve on bread, with cheese, or with meat or fish. 

Ingredients

  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 yellow or orange bell peppers
  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 1/4 cup
  • 2 teaspoons Spanish sherry vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Finely chopped chives, for garnish 

Directions

Step 1

Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss the onion slices and whole peppers and eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the vegetables on the grill, and cook, turning as needed, until charred and soft, 15 minutes for the onions, 20 minutes for the peppers, and 30 minutes for the eggplant. (Alternatively, roast the vegetables in the oven.) 

Step 2

Place the peppers and eggplant in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the vegetables stand for 15 minutes, and then uncover and peel; discard their skins, stems, and the seeds from the peppers. 

Step 3

Still in the bowl, use your hands to tear the peppers and eggplant into long strips, and then arrange them, alternating, on a platter with the onions. Mix the juices left behind in the bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and then drizzle the dressing over the vegetables. Sprinkle with chives before serving. 

Serves 4 — Recipe from Saveur, June 27, 2015