Joe’s Salmon

You know how much I like Trader Joe’s. I like most of their basic ingredients as well as many of their prepared foods. One favorite is the Mojito Salmon. (Please don’t let this post be the kiss of death!) It’s in the frozen food case. You get two pieces of salmon filet covered with a mojito sauce. I partially defrost it in the microwave so that I can easily separate the two pieces of salmon. Using two gratin dishes, I put a layer of cooked and rinsed black beans in the bottom of the dishes. (I like Goya’s canned black beans. They make a great pantry staple.) I drizzle a couple of tablespoons of V8 juice on top of the beans. Then I place one salmon filet on top of the beans in each dish. I spoon the mojito sauce on top of the fish and then tent and cover tightly with aluminum foil. I bake it in a hot oven - more or less according to package directions. You don’t want to overcook the salmon, but all the moisture trapped by the foil provides a lot of forgiving wiggle room on the timing.

Tonight I served the TJ’s Mojito Salmon with big round couscous (sometimes known as Israeli couscous) which I had cooked up with lots of dried green herbs: mint, basil, oregano and dill. I also steamed some green beans and tossed them with marinated artichoke hearts and lightly toasted pine nuts. Yum saith Chuck and so say I!