One of the best things about summer, when there’s so much produce, is sitting around with an ingredient in mind and figuring out what I want to do with it and then how to make it happen. It might be that when you’re only likely to get 2-3 cups of peas for the summer, it feels all the more special to figure out how to prepare them.
I had a second almost-cup of shell peas on Saturday, and also wanted to make something special for my husband’s birthday. I took out some salmon to thaw and also just couldn’t get past the idea of pasta and cream sauce. And dill. Lemon-dill maybe. I have a forest of dill. But definitely cream sauce, peas, and salmon.
Putting these three ingredients into the epicurious.com recipe generator wasn’t getting me where I wanted to be. But The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook I bought in the spring had the beginnings: “Sweet Peas and Shells Alfredo.” What I love about Deb Perelman’s recipes is that she makes great stuff but also knows how to keep it simple. There’s no flour in her Alfredo, no stirring until the butter is brown, etc. In fact, she does the whole thing in one pot.
More searching turned up a simple marinade for the salmon, which I could then grill. It’s from Betty Crocker, so that made me kind of nervous, since I’m becoming that kind of snob, but it looked good and had no packaged ingredients. It turned out to be a great marinade that kept the fish moist. In fact, I even came up with a “technique”! I never come up with techniques, but I really wanted to cook the salmon without flipping it over. When I close the grill cover everything in the grill immediately catches on fire and the temp shoots up to 800 degrees and, well, that is usually why I just flip things over. Instead, I tented (love that verb) some foil over the fish on the grill. I had to weigh down the foil with little rocks, but it worked great! (Then I sent out my husband to get the salmon and saw him flipping over one of the filets. “Nobody told you to flip them! Just bring them inside!” I felt like Jackie Chiles watching Kramer use a balm. Seinfeld™.)
Let me just say, dinner was lovely. (I only wish there had been more peas!) For dessert, we had some angel food cake with the first ever raspberries harvested from my garden. I added some thawed strawberries (that I picked a week ago) with sugar and it was good the way it can only be when the berries come from your own backyard.
Grilled Salmon with Creamy Pasta and Peas
Salmon marinade:
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
1 lb salmon fillets, cut into pieces
Marinade the salmon in the fridge for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Grill it over medium heat (with grill cover closed or tented foil) for 10 minutes.
Creamy Pasta with Peas
1/2 pound pasta of your choice: rotini, orecchiette, shells, linguine, etc.
1 cup shelled peas
1 cup half and half
3 Tbs butter
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (more for topping the dish)
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Cook the pasta in a boiling pot of water per package instructions. Add the peas in the last 30 seconds and drain them together. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Clean out pot (or use a different one if you want to do it all simultaneously. But a pot, not a skillet, is best for making the sauce.)
Pour the half/half in the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter and stir until it has melted. Generously season with pepper; add pinch of salt and lemon zest as well. Add the Parmesan and at this point I also added the shallots. Mix until smooth, then add the Gruyere and mix until smooth. Toss in the drained pasta, peas, lemon juice and dill and cook about 2 minutes. Add the pasta water if needed to loosen up the sauce. Serve in pasta bowls topped with salmon filet, parsley and more Parmesan!