BALSAMIC SALMON, BEET, AND BLOOD ORANGE CAPRESE

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Seafood|Brunch|Salad

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Ingredients

The Marinade/Dressing:

½ cup balsamic vinegar

⅔ cup olive oil

⅓ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice (or regular orange juice)

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

The Salmon:

2-pounds salmon filet, skinned and cut into portion sizes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

The Caprese:

3 large beets

8-10 blood oranges

2, 16-ounce packages Crave Brothers Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cut into ½” thick slices

3 large tomatoes, cut into ½” thick slices

2 avocados, pitted and flesh cut into ½” thick slices

½ cup small mint leaves (or larger leaves chiffonade)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Combine all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jar and shake vigorously until the dressing is cohesive and emulsified.

Season the salmon on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place it in a shallow baking dish with ½ cup of the balsamic marinade and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30-40 minutes while you prepare the salad ingredients.

Cut the leaves off the beets, leaving about 1-2” of the stems on the beet root. Place them in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let them cook until they are tender when pierced with a steak knife, about 30-40 minutes. Timing will vary depending on the size of your beets. Drain the beets and cover them in cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off the beets with your hands under cold running water. Cut the beets cross-wise into ½” thick slices. Set aside.

While the beets cook, prepare the blood oranges. Cut the ends off the oranges and then, following the curve of the orange cut off the peel and pith, so all you are left with is the orange flesh. Cut crosswise into rings and set aside. Note – if you can’t find blood oranges, regular oranges will be fine as well for this dish.

Layer the sliced beets, mozzarella, tomatoes, orange slices, and avocado in an overlapping circular formation on serving plates (or a large platter). Season with the salt and pepper and tuck the mint leaves in between the layers.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the marinated salmon filets, top-side-down, in the pan. Note, take care to stand back a bit as the marinade will spatter a bit when it hits the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side until golden brown and then flip and pour any remaining marinade from the salmon into the pan and over the tops of the filets. Cover and cook 1-2 minutes more until the fish is flakes in the center and is slightly translucent. Baste the tops of the fish with the marinade in the pan. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.

Place the fish on top of the salad in the center of the plate. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the balsamic dressing (from the jar) over the salad. DEVOUR!!

Serves 6-8