But every once in a while I get my ducks in row and come up with a really tasty and easy home cooked meal. This bruschetta salmon is so good we ate it two weeks in a row. And it's so easy to swap any other kind of meat that you may have on hand or prefer. This dish would be delicious with grilled chicken or grilled steaks too. It's just a few simple ingredients and if you can get your husband on grill duty it goes super fast. I love grilling salmon because it cooks sears it so much better than an oven and also you can keep the smell outside.
This is the time of year when tons of fresh basil starts showing up in stores. As soon as it does I crave bruschetta! I could eat this stuff by the spoonful and I love it on bread too. But it's a much healthier option to pair it with a protein instead. We will pair the salmon with roasted broccoli - it's crispy and a little salty and so, so delicious. My kids LOVE broccoli cooked this way and it's really the only way we prepare it in our home.
To prep the salmon: To start you will want enough salmon (or chicken or steak) to feed your family. We did three large filets of salmon. We like to season the salmon with a little olive oil and salt & pepper before putting them on the grill. We love this grill pan (use the flat side) for salmon and you always want to do skin side down first. Grilling salmon usually takes about 10-15 minutes. If you bake it instead, about 25 minutes at 425 should do the trick.
To prep the broccoli: Preheat the oven to 425. I like to buy the precut and prewashed bags of broccoli. If you are buying in bulk we used about 3-4 cups of broccoli here, or one small bag. I drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Then I spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until the edges start browning. Turn the broccoli once half way through the baking. The browning is the delicious part! It caramelizes so deliciously!
To prep the bruschetta: I used about half a container of cherry tomatoes, or about one cup, sliced evenly. Then I added about 4-5 large basis leaves that are thinly chopped and one clove of garlic minced. To this you will want to add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a small dash of balsamic vinaigrette and some salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and set aside at room temperature while the broccoli and salmon cooks.
To plate the meal simply add the salmon and broccoli to the plate and top the salmon with the bruschetta. This is such an easy summer meal and it's full of healthy fats and fresh produce.
