24 Apr Tomato Basil Pasta with Seared Salmon

Cooking at home has always been a way for me to connect to my own Chinese and Taiwanese heritage as well as experience other cultures. Food can be a universal language of sorts and has become especially important right now. Sharing recipes and encouraging others to experience healthy deliciousness at home has definitely increased my passion for cooking and creating recipes that I can share with my family.

I wanted to create a recipe that incorporated healthy vegetables as well as a healthier protein option into a comforting dish.  I also wanted this recipe to be highly adjustable according to people’s tastes and preferences. This recipe could easily be made plant-based by substituting the fish for eggplant or mushrooms, and the heavy cream for cashew cream or another alternative (soak the cashews overnight and blend with a 1:1 ratio of water to cashews). I made the sauce using homemade roasted garlic, tomatoes, onion, and cream. I also used salt, pepper, and basil to season the sauce and the fish. The main flavor of this dish comes from the roasted garlic which also has immune benefits.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of pasta (I used Farfalle but any pasta will work)
• 1 pound of salmon (cut ¼ pound per serving, can be replaced with mushrooms or eggplant)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 large tomato
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 cloves of roasted garlic (you can substitute an additional clove of regular garlic)
• 1 cup heavy cream (can be substituted for cashew cream/other plant-based options)
• ½ pound of crushed tomatoes  (this can be adjusted to taste)
• 2 tablespoons either dried or fresh basil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Olive oil
• Lemon and parsley for garnish

Instructions: 

• Sautee the diced onions and garlic (roasted and regular) in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil at medium heat until the onions are tender. As the ingredients are sauteing, cook the pasta according to package instructions. 
• Add the diced tomatoes and cover for about 8 minutes, until soft. Add crushed tomatoes and cream and allow to simmer at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Add seasoning to taste. Add pasta to the sauce.
• Season the salmon liberally with salt and pepper on both sides searing in a pan at high heat for 2-5 minutes on each side. 
• Garnish with lemon and parsley.