Panko & Mustard Crusted Salmon

I bought a beautiful fillet of fresh sockeye salmon from the Loki (the Seattle based fishing boat) folks at the farmers market the other day and decided I wanted to pan fry it with a dijon mustard & honey panko crust. I also sauteed some kale with garlic and some spicy red pepper flakes and then I made an heirloom tomato salad with a lemon vinaigrette. This is a pretty typical meal at my home. Simple and locally fresh. I even managed to not put bacon in this dish which is quite a feat in my book. Although, the kale would definitely make good friends with some pork. Yum.......bacon. Oh yeah, on to the recipe!

Panko & Mustard Crusted Salmon w/ Spicy Sauteed Kale
serves 4

4 (4-6oz) fillets of salmon (doesn't matter what kind as long as it's fresh)
2 Tbsp strong dijon mustard
1 cup honey panko crumbs
kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper
olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp capers

1 large bunch of kale, tough stems removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
olive oil

For the kale: Saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil for a minute over medium heat. Add the washed kale to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the lemon juice.

For the salmon: Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Coat the salmon with a layer of mustard and then carefully roll in the panko crumbs pressing lightly to make sure it adheres. Heat up about 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a saute pan over medium heat and pan fry about 4 minutes each side until the crust is golden and the salmon is just cooked through. Remove the salmon from the pan to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm. Drain excess oil from the pan and then add 1 Tbsp of butter and the lemon juice and capers. Plate the salmon with the kale and drizzle the caper/butter sauce over the fish.