Meyer Lemon & Kale Linguine with Salmon

I have this grad school assignment due today that I just do not want to do.

It’s hanging over my head like a big dark cloud. I know I should buckle down and get it done, but I’m having a serious lack of motivation. Maybe it’s because I’m nearing the end of the program and I’m catching a case of “senior-itis”. It happened to me in high school and again during undergrad, so why not now? Although I realize in grad school there is no “senior” year, so to speak, but I’m going to blame my procrastination on senior-itis anyway.

In my attempts to avoid working on this assignment, I have found every sort of distraction possible- cleaning, browsing Pinterest, and of course cooking. I even went out of my way to reorganize my closet! I guess even that sounds better than writing a research paper.

Though most of my procrastination has led to little more than neatly folded towels and shiny windows, I did manage to accomplish one thing- this tasty recipe! My mom recently gave me a big bag of kale, freshly picked from her organic garden. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, she also gave me lemons from her lemon tree. Not just any lemons, but Meyer lemons! I was practically jumping up and down when she gave them to me!

I’ve already expressed my obsession for all-things Meyer lemon here on this blog, so you can imagine just how thrilled I was to receive some as a surprise. What really knocked my socks off is that it’s October! I was always under the impression that Meyer lemons, like most citrus fruits, ripen during the winter. However, after doing a little quick sleuthing online I found out that when grown in containers, Meyer lemons can produce fruit outside of the traditional citrus season. My mom has her lemon tree in a container and is able to move it inside or outside depending on the temperature. I guess her tree is enjoying our current weather, because it was loaded down with bright and beautiful Meyer lemons.

Back to my procrastination situation… As a part of my attempt to avoid grad school work, I have spent a great deal of time in the kitchen this week. Last night for dinner I tossed together this Meyer Lemon & Kale Linguine with Salmon. When using ingredients as fresh and flavorful as lemons and kale, I think it’s best to keep things simple and let their natural flavors shine. I started by dicing up some garlic and zesting the lemon. Then, I mixed them together with a little olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Next I cut the kale into thin ribbons and cooked some gluten free linguine. Once the pasta was done, I tossed everything together until the sweet Meyer lemon and earthy garlic coated the noodles and kale. One pot, no mess, delicious!

While I was busy prepping the pasta, Shaun (who is an amazing cook), pan seared two salmon fillets. Again, we opted to keep things simple and only lightly season the fish with a little sea salt and black pepper. We were both done in the kitchen and sitting down at the dinner table in less than 20 minutes! Safe to say that’s a new record speed for us!

We also set a new record time eating this dinner, as it was gone in no time at all! We both really enjoyed this simple, yet satisfying meal. I’m sure it’s one that we will be making many more times when Meyer lemons come back in season this winter.

I’m sorry to say that this concludes this post. Why am I sorry? Well, because that means that now I have no excuse not to finish my grad school assignment! Unless anyone out there feels compelled to write a case study research paper on how the media used framing and agenda setting to impact the legalization of gambling in Maryland. Anyone? No one? Really? Can I bribe you with a cupcake? 🙂

Meyer Lemon & Kale Linguine with Salmon

Ingredients

2 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced
2 large cloves of garlic, diced
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup organic kale, cut into thin ribbons
8 oz linguine (we use a gluten free variety)
2 Tbs organic salted butter
2 salmon fillets (roughly 6oz)
Sea salt
Pepper

Instructions

Begin by preparing your linguine, according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt to a small bowl. Set aside for now.
Next, in a saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs of butter. Season the salmon fillets with sea salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Cook until the salmon is no longer raw. Turn occasionally so as to sear each edge. Spoon the melted butter over the salmon through the cooking process (this makes the fish very moist).
Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and return the noodles to the pasta pot. Add the chopped kale .
Next, reserve 1-2 Tbs of the lemon mixture to be used as a garnish for the salmon. Pour the remaining lemon mixture over the pasta and kale. Gently toss until all of the noodles and the kale are lightly coated.
To serve, top each salmon fillet with a spoonful of the lemon mixture and plate over top of the linguine.