Blackened Salmon and garden thinnings salad

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks. My vacation is nearing, there are lots of celebrations of love happening, lots of family visits, the Lynx are playing amazingly, and the sun is coming out occasionally. Hurray! It's like the feeling of spring flowers bursting forth, only it is a little later this year in the month we call June.

One of the things I have been enjoying lately are micro-green salads from thinnings in the garden: baby kale plants, baby brussels sprouts, baby arugula and lettuces, and some baby sheep sorrel. Sheep sorrel is a nice lemony-sour wild plant that is really tasty and seems to be abundant in MN. Thankfully it sprouts up in one of the "wild" beds (that is, one that never gets weeded) at the Northside homestead. It is easy to identify because of the little tabs at the base of the leaf, and also because if you eat a bite you will know right away that it is tasty and tangy and good. Now is the time to seek it out!

Last night's dinner included the micro-greens salad, some roasted asparagus, and a new recipe to me: Blackened Salmon. It all turned out really delicious. I was making a celebratory dinner for some friends, and also wanted to try ceviche oysters. They were not so good - I don't know if its because this is not the best time for oysters, or if ceviche and oysters just aren't a good pair. So, skip the ceviche and go straight for the salmon.

Blackened Salmon
2-4 Wild Caught Salmon Filets (with skin)
Coconut Oil
Cajun Seasoning Mix:
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Black Pepper

1. Mix spices together in a small jar. You will not need all of it, so save for another use.
2. Spread about 2 T of the cajun spice mix on a plate. Press the non-skin sides of the salmon to the spice mix to give them a nice coating.
3. Heat 2 T coconut oil in a large skillet (I used cast iron) until it is hot. Turn heat to medium and place the salmon filets spice/flesh side down and cook for 2 minutes.
4. After two minutes, turn the heat to medium low and flip the salmon over so that they are now skin side down. They will not stick and should flip nicely with a pair of tongs. The spiced side should be crisp and spicy looking!
5. Cover and cook for another 12-16 minutes. The skin should be crispy at this point. If you are unsure how long to cook your fish, it should equal about 8 minutes per 1 inch of thickness in the meat. My pieces were pretty thick, and 14 minutes seems about perfect.
6. Serve!

Bowl of "micro-greens" aka garden thinnings

For the salad:
3-4 cups plant thinnings/micro-greens/lettuce/sorrel
3 thin green onions, sliced
1/4 c. beet, grated
1/4 c. carrot, grated
2-3 T fresh lemon juice
2-3 T olive oil
sea salt
1 tsp. mustard powder
toasted almonds

Toss everything together and serve!