Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce

While we like salmon, I have to confess that I usually don't love it.  I love how good it is for you and when we get real, wild-caught salmon (our Costco has it for several months), it really is good - it just makes all the difference in the world.  However, I'm always on the lookout for good seafood recipes (we try to have it once a week) so when I saw this recipe for salmon with a red pepper sauce, I thought it looked like a pretty good combination.

Of course, since I'm blogging about this meal, it was an excellent combination! The sauce is great - it is incredibly flavorful and goes really well with salmon.  I like any dinner that can be grilled (although this could easily be done in the oven instead), which means it cooks very quickly.  I had prepped the sauce ahead of time which means that dinner came together in about 10 minutes.

This recipe also includes grilled zucchini, which is delicious with the sauce.  However, it's not necessary but does give you a nice, well rounded meal! As you can see from the picture, we threw some corn on the grill, too, for a simple but super flavorful dinner.

Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce
Taken from: Handle the Heat
Serves 4

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade)
• 1/4 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• Optional: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I dislike this spice so I omitted)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 4 wild-caught salmon fillets, skinned (1 pound)
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional; I omitted)

1. Preheat the grill to medium.
2. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the almonds, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, vinegar, paprika (if using), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until smooth.
3. (As a tip, we prefer to cook our salmon on aluminum foil - you don't have too but we find it makes for easy cleanup!).  Lightly brush aluminum foil with olive oil.  Place salmon, skin side down, on foil.  Lightly brush the salmon fillets and zucchini with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill about 3-5 minutes per side or until the salmon is just cooked through and the zucchini is soft and browned.
4. Chop the zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with half of the red pepper sauce. Divide the zucchini among 4 plates. Place a salmon fillet on each place and top with the remaining sauce. Garnish with parsley (if using) before serving.