Wild Salmon with Couscous, Cucumber, Chickpeas, Feta, and Parsley and Sautéed Rainbow Chard

(photo: wild salmon, couscous, rainbow chard, and yogurt sauce)

There are some terrific fish on our little planet and while we are, indeed, overfishing our seas , I constantly marvel at how delicious certain varieties of aquatic vertebrates are, including mackerel, sardines, cod, swordfish, trout, branzino, striped bass, salmon, etc. (click on the links for a few fish recipes).  Much of the overfishing talk centers on Tuna, which is a large industry in Southern Italy, especially near Sicily (where the world's best tuna is caught and sold to the highest bidders).  The Mattanza (or spiritual fish harvest) take place in May and June and used to be centered on catching bluefin tuna with nets, but the tuna industry has become huge and the traditional manner of catching tuna has given way to massive harvests with modern techniques.   

(photo: organic rainbow chard with garlic)

Salmon, of course, is not native to the waters surrounding Italy and consumption of salmon is low as opposed to other fish species in Italy, especially in relation to whitefish from the Mediterranean (e.g., seabass and seabream) to coldwater fish.  Salmon is consumed in some parts of northern Italy and in the larger cities (including smoked salmon on toast during the holiday months).

(photo: couscous with feta, cucumber, parsley, and lemon juice)

We consumed a 1 pound piece of wild salmon prepared with freshly ground pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, and lemon zest.  I baked the salmon at 350 degree for about 10-15 minutes.  I like to sear salmon to develop a crust and then place the fish in the oven to complete the cooking process, but who wants to spend time cleaning the stove (especially during the summer).

(photo: wild salmon with lemon zest)

I included a bowl of sautéed rainbow chard as well as a dish of couscous with garden cucumber, whole chickpeas, feta, and parsley.  The couscous was seasoned with fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.  We also had some Greek yogurt in the fridge so we made a quick sauce for fish with chopped basil, coriander, cummin, lime zest, sugar, Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Finally, we had some Jersey peaches which had been sitting in lemon juice.