Asian Salmon with Broccoli and Snap Peas

This week at the grocery store I bought my very first frozen fish. It was a 4 pack of salmon steaks for 4.99$ ... much, MUCH better priced than buying fresh at $19.00 for the same amount (eeeeeeep!). I think that the choice was obvious! This is a really tasty, zippy little dish that, if you're a salmon lover, you've got to try. Remember when you're steaming your veggies not to over do em' because you want those guys to keep their crunch factor. I thought that the water chestnuts were a really nice touch. If you're wondering what these are, they're the small, round little white guys in the picture. Water chestnuts are not actually nuts at all, but rather aquatic vegetables that grow in muddy marshes. They're very popular in Chinese dishes and you can buy them in most grocery stores. They come in small cans similar to tuna and cost under a dollar. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

serves 2
a large handful of broccolini or broccoli rabe
1 x 8-oz can of water chestnuts
a large handful of sugar snap peas
2 salmon fillets, skin on, scaled and bones removed

For the sauce:
a thumb-sized piece of ginger root
1 clove of garlic
1/2 a fresh red chile
1 scallion
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon

Directions:
1. Get rice going on the stove. Next, prepare your dressing - peel and grate the ginger and thinly the clove of garlic into a small bowl. Finely slice your chili and scallion and add them to the bowl with the soy sauce and olive oil. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the bowl. Mix together with a spoon and set aside (I blended mine with a hand blender for a really nice, smooth effect).   

2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When oil is ready, add fish to pan. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. The fish will probably only take about 5 minutes to cook. Try not overcook it or it can get dry and fall-aparty. When it's finished cooking, turn the heat down low until ready to serve.

3. While the fish is cooking, steam your veggies. If you have a steamer basket, add water to a saucepan just below the level of the basket. If you don't have a steamer, a metal colander in a pot will work just as well - simply add water about half way up the saucepan and lay the colander over the water (veggies should not be in the water, but rather on top of it). Put water on high heat to boil. Trim the ends off the broccolini, drain water chestnuts and washed sugar snap peas and add to steamer. Cover with aluminum foil and scrunch tightly around the edges to seal the steam in. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Serve your salmon:
4. Cover your plate with rice. Next, add the cooked salmon, then the broccoli and snap peas, followed by the water chestnuts. Give the dressing a quick stir and drizzle it over the top. Serve with the remaining lemon half, cut into wedges, for squeezing over top. Enjoy!

- recipe cred to Jamie Oliver