Hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! We were lucky enough to have fresh salmon on sale here this week for an incredible price, so I took the opportunity to make a nice dinner for my friends on Friday. I fixed:

Salmon Mediterranean
Creamy Almond Zucchini
Baked New Potatoes (no recipe given - baked in a covered glass casserole sprinkled generously with kosher salt, then served with butter in a method from a Patricia Wells cookbook).

Mediterranean Salmon
Serves 4

1-3/4 lb. Salmon filets, cut into 4 servings
salt and pepper
1/3 tsp. coarsely ground fennel seed (optional)
Sprigs of fresh dill and parsley (both is ideal, but use whatever you have)
1 large orange, sliced thinly
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced fine
2 tbsp. capers
8 black olives, pitted and sliced
1 tomato, 1/4-inch dice
1/3 cup finely minced fresh parsely

Season both sides of salmon. Lay out a large piece of foil on a baking dish large enough to hold the fish in one layer(foil needs to be large enough to enclose the whole package on top). Lay some orange slices on the bottom of the dish, then some herbs, then the seasoned salmon. Top with some more herbs and another layer of orange slices. Seal with foil. Bake in a hot oven (425F) for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

In the meantime, warm olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat (you only want to braise the ingredients in the sauce). Add the remaining ingredients and warm over lowish heat until the flavors have blended, about 8-10 minutes. Serve sauce over salmon, after removing the cooked sliced oranges and herbs.

Creamy Almond Zucchini
Serves 4-6

1-1/2 lbs. zucchini (about 3-1/2 cups sliced)
1 onion (about 1 cup sliced)
1 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. oil (canola, olive, etc.)
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. sliced almonds
4 oz. sour cream (yogurt would be a good substitute)
salt to taste

Slice zucchini and onion about 1/4-inch thick. Melt butter and oil in a large frying pan and add spices and almonds, stirring until fragrant (don’t burn almonds!). Add onion and zucchini and sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are cooked to desired degree. Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. Taste for seasoning.