Spicy Blue Cheese Salmon Fillets

Those closest to me can attest to my love for anything and everything falling into the seafood category. I associate different types of food and certain meals with people and places in my life. Seafood always reminds me of my mom, sister and grandma. It brings back the best of memories of vacations spent in Florida at my grandparents condo on the beach. The restaurants would always have delicious seafood and my grandparents would insist that we get whatever we wanted. One of my absolute favorite sea foods is salmon. Not only is it delicious, but it's chock full of omega -3 fatty acids. This past summer, I tried out a new way of preparing salmon that I discovered here. It's absolutely delicious with a spicy seasoning that pairs perfectly with cool blue cheese dressing.

Buying salmon:
I'm no expert, but I do have a couple basic tips. Its always best to buy the salmon the same day that you're going to cook it. The fresher the better with seafood! This cuts down on the "fishy" taste that's created by the breakdown of compounds in the fish over time. Also, its usually better to buy wild salmon vs. farm-raised because crowding in salmon farms can increase the levels of disease. And finally, try to buy salmon when its on sale because like many sea foods, it tends to be more expensive.

Ingredients:

• 4 6 oz. salmon fillets
• 1 Tablespoon of italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of paprika
• 2 Tablespoons of salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil 

Directions:

Note: If you buy salmon with the skin still intact on one side, bread the other side and cook that first. Once the salmon is heated, the skin is easy to simply peel away from the meat.

1) Mix italian seasoning, pepper, paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

2) Season the fillet, coating it with the mixture on all sides (if the fillet has skin, wait to peel the skin off and then season that side).

3) Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat.

4) Once the butter has melted, place the fillets in the pan, keeping the heat on medium low and covering with a lid to ensure that the fish cooks through.

5) Once the salmon has a nice brown coating, flip it over and cook the other side.

6) Make sure to check the middle of the fish to ensure it's cooked through.

7) Plate the salmon on a bed of white rice, top with blue cheese dressing and enjoy!