Salmon Burgers with Roasted Asparagus & Crispy Penne photo by Matt Haas
This meal shouldn't take more than 30 minutes from start to finish. If it does, it means your kind of a hack. That's ok. Keep practicing and you'll be whipping up meals like this in no time.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 Trident Brand Salmon Burgers (available at Costco, as well as Smart & Final if you don't have the card!). Any brand will do, but these are the best I've ever tasted, by far.
20 Asparagus Spears
1.5 C Uncooked Penne (whole wheat, if that's your thing. Yes, it's my thing)
Spices from the Pantry: Lemon Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper, Dried Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Seasoning Salt)
Parmesean Cheese, grated
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
1: Boil water for the penne (don't forget to salt it)
2: While the water boils, prep & peel the asparagus (first snap the asparagus 1-2 inches from the non-fancy end. Then peel the bottom 2/3's of each spear, which gives the asparagus a much more tender texture and reduces the cooking time a little. Skip the peeling part if you are lazy)
photo by Matt Haas
3: Arrange the asparagus spears on a roasting pan and brush with a little olive oil and season with Salt & Pepper. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until tender but al dente.
4: Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until done (8-10 minutes)
5: While the pasta and asparagus cooks, lightly season the salmon burgers with lemon pepper or seasoning salt and cook 4 minutes per side in a hot skillet.
6: While the pasta and burgers are cooking (don't forget to use timers, people), heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in another skillet.
photo by Matt Haas
7: When the pasta is done, drain and add to the hot pan with olive oil. While it gets crispy on the bottom, season generously with dried oregano, red pepper flakes, seasoning salt, pepper and parm. Toss then let it continue to crisp while the burgers and asparagus finish cooking.
8: Plate and enjoy!
Notes: If you've never roasted asparagus before, this is by far the best way to cook it. Roasting it caramelizes the natural sugars and the end result is heavenly.
I switched to whole wheat pasta 2 years ago and haven't looked back, especially for this dish. I think you can buy salmon burgers in a variety of places, but the Trident brand is killer. If you don't use this brand and this dish flops, don't blame me.
Finally, as far as the seasoning salt, I use Jamaica Me Crazy brand from Seattle. My mother-in-law brings it to us in bulk and it's the best. I'm sure there are other brands out there that are almost as good.