Cooking 101; Grilled Pesto Salmon

        OK, this one is very easy. All it takes is some good salmon, some fresh pesto and a grill. This is literally one of those 5 minute meals you are always hearing about. I don't know about you, but every time I see one of the Food Network shows about 5 minute meals I cringe. Sure, maybe if you have a team of chefs behind you doing all the prep and clean-up but for us normal folks it's an hour at least. Not so this one, it's a snap to prepare, have ready, and on the table in no time. First the ingredients;

1) Side of good salmon ( you know how I feel about farm raised but if it's all that is available go ahead).
2) Pesto, homemade is best but if you are lucky like us to have a great farmers market nearby, go ahead and buy some there. I try to avoid the supermarket stuff as it has usually been made months ahead of time and uses alot of preservatives to keep it stable. Here is our excellent farmers market find;

Here is great recipe for homemade;

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

      
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

      Now life could not be more simple. Heat up your grill. If you happen to have a few nice dinner rolls, slice them open add a pat of butter to them, wrap in aluminum foil and throw on the grill to warm up. Spread the side of salmon (obviously not the skin side), with a nice even layer of pesto and put on the grill, pesto side down. DON"T walk away, pesto is made of oil after all and this will catch your grill on fire. You want to leave it just long enough to get some nice grill marks. With a couple of spatulas, do a quick flip of the salmon, and continue to grill until fish starts to flake easily. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, overcook. The thickest part of the fish should still be very red, it will finish cooking off the grill. Remove fish and rolls from the grill and let sit for about 5 minutes. This would be a good time to make a quick salad. Don't forget to throw some fresh herbs in the salad, they will pair well with the basil in the pesto. I suggest a nice Pinot Noir from Oregon (shocking really I know, I suggest this wine with everything). Slice and enjoy, voila;