Mediterranean Salmon

Before we get to the Mediterranean Salmon recipe, we first need to talk about "zeppole", a traditional Italian doughy dessert often served at festivals, streets fairs, and on religious holidays - mainly the Feast of St. Joseph, which happened to be yesterday, March 19. That got me thinking about college.

A saint's feast day made me think about...college?  Well, I worked at an Italian restaurant in Blacksburg while attending Virginia Tech named after this little deep-fried ball of heaven, aptly called Zeppoli's.

That's a roundabout way to introduce this salmon recipe, which was inspired by one of my favorite dishes there. Okay, fine, it's not so much "inspired" by it, it's pretty much an exact copy cat. It's just so good and easy that I couldn't resist watching the cooks' every move until I figured out how this divine meal was made. It's a perfect, light meal and great for Fridays during Lent!

What kind of salmon should you use? As someone who's bought their fair share of frozen salmon, I'd definitely recommend splurging and getting fresh, wild-caught salmon for this recipe. Ask the butcher in the fish shop for your filets to be 6 ounces each, with the skin removed.

First things first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil. Place the salmon filets in the dish, about 1-2 inches apart if you can, and add an additional teaspoon to the top part of the salmon. Using your fingers, rub in the olive oil and season with salt, garlic powder, dill, and pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, ½ package of crumbled Feta cheese, 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered, and about a half a red onion.

Spoon this goodness on top of the fish, adding extra cheese around the edges. Top with breadcrumbs if desired and lemon juice to taste.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until desired level of doneness.  This tastes great on bed of quinoa, rice pilaf, orzo, or spinach. At Zeppoli's, this comes on top of spinach and with a side of spaghetti with garlic butter. I like to serve it with quinoa or cous cous and baked asparagus or broccoli.

It's going to be hard to resist ordering this when I'm at Zeppoli's this weekend for my sorority reunion, but I just can't pass up their homemade pasta and unique sauces. I've attempted to recreate some of those recipes, too, and hope to be sharing some with you in the near future! Enjoy, friends! 

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Mediterranean Salmon

• 2 6-8 ounce salmon fillets 
• ½ package crumbled Feta cheese
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 10 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup breadcrumbs (optional)
• Coarse Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
• Dried dill (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat baking dish with olive oil.  Rub salmon pieces in olive oil and season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper before placing in the dish, about 1-2 inches apart.  Pour lemon juice on top of fish.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix together rosemary, Feta, tomatoes, and onion and spoon on top of fish.  You may put any extra cheese around the pieces.  Top with breadcrumbs if desired and additional lemon juice.

3.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until desired level of doneness.  Serve on bed of quinoa, rice pilaf, orzo, or spinach.  Simple spaghetti noodles with garlic parsley butter make a good accompanying dish, too.