Mustard Salmon with a Panko Breadcrumb Crust

Mustard and Panko Salmon
1 salmon fillet per person
2 Tbl. mustard per salmon fillet
2 tsp panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

1. Set oven to broil. Set salmon fillet, skin side down, in an oven safe dish. Salt and pepper the fillet, then top liberally with mustard and make sure all sides, especially the top are coated. Top with the panko breadcrumbs.

2. Broil for 6-7 minutes until fish flakes but is still pink and moist in the middle and the top is golden brown.

Figured I'd change it up a bit and suck you in with the picture and recipe first. This recipe may look familiar because I've already done it here, but with chicken. Substituting salmon as the protein worked well, mustard being a traditional compliment to that type of fish. What I liked even better was the sauteed collards and garlic I served the salmon over. With both the collards and salmon on a bed of rice I was worried it would be too dry- as the mustard becomes more of a crust than a sauce, but the salmon was so moist I didn't even miss having a sauce. This recipe is so versatile I wonder how it would work with other proteins, like pork or other fish, even vegan friendly seitan or tempeh. I suppose now's my chance to find out with those latter ones.

If I was just cooking the salmon with no side or rice this would take almost no time to prep, so it's a great meal for a day like Wednesday, when I made it- Day 1 of Pesca Vegan. I had been stuck at work, had one of my angriest lunches in the history of meals (tried out a vegan place nearby I'd been eyeing for the challenge, my first and last time there), barely made mass and still had to go to the store to stock up on foodstuff for the next few days. By the time I got home it was approaching 9pm and instead of the Miso Hake (a take off on Nobu's famous Miso Black Cod) that involved some marinating, I knew I could whip up this salmon dish in no time. A good recipe to keep in the back of my head because the number of nights I'm home at something even close to a decent time is few and far between lately. Which may seem a little sad but something I'll expound upon later in my vegan recap post.