Salmon Saturday Afternoon: Salmon with Pesto and Pasta

Salmon Saturday: Because there are so many great ways to prepare salmon and someone has to start writing them down.  Take these ideas and make them your own.

It’s about 6:30am on Saturday morning and I have no Salmon Saturdays ready to launch.  I have ideas of what I could write, but nothing really inspired me to write this month.   Then I saw Kat’s Friday Food round up and the picture of Great Grandma Turano’s Meatballs   and then I knew what I was going to write about and what I was going to have for dinner tonight.

A few months back, I had lunch with wife at Lascari’s grill near my work.  The special that day was a salmon with pesto sauce served with a side of pasta.   Sounds great, right?

This dish should have been advertised as a pasta dish with a side of pesto salmon.  The pasta sauce had a tangy rich flavor that more than made up for the the unremarkable salmon.  I am guessing that the salmon was previously frozen and very little went into preparing it prior to it being grilled.   The pesto sauce added nothing to the flavor and it sat there under a green death shroud.  I suspect this was once an inspired creation developed by a chef and edited by a bean-counter, who in his attempt to cut the total cost concomitantly destroyed the product.

One has to decide if the flavor is going to come from the fish, the pesto sauce or both.  In this case, I would probably lean on the pesto.  If I were to make this at home, I would start with a fresh piece of salmon.   The only reason I would use frozen salmon or farm-raised salmon is if I had a killer pesto sauce that I could trust to pull off the meal.
Now, back to Lascari’s…..

This one dish aside, I will say that the food at Lascari’s is always good.  The portions are filling and there is usually leftovers to take home.

What really stands out in my mind about Lascari’s is their commitment to the community.  Having had a daughter in Pop Warner and High School competitive cheer, Lascari’s has always been there to help the teams in the area with fund-raisers, both in their restaurant and on-site at football games and cheer camps.  I have had my fill of fund-raiser food over the many years.   Lascari’s is the one place that will always provide a high quality tasty meal.

Salmon Saturday Afternoon: Thai Specialty Salmon

Salmon Saturday: Because there are so many great ways to make Salmon and someone has to start writing them down.

Today’s Salmon Saturday Afternoon comes from Thai Specialty in Brea, California.      Salmon sauteed in spicy white wine sauce flavors with lemon, garlic, Bell peppers
and chilies served on a bed of spinach.   This is served with egg-rolls and a bed of rice.    The Salmon doesn’t taste necessarily like fish, but it’s quick, healthy and hits the spot.

I can’t say a negative thing about Thai Specialty.   The menu is broad, the food is always good.   Service is good and the prices are reasonable.    Portions are also reasonable.   It’s a good place to go for lunch or dinner for light conversation.   Tables are groups fairly close together, so I wouldn’t plan on having a top secret meeting there.