Baked Salmon and Fried Polenta Cakes

We received some amazing salmon filets from our new friends Jen and Jerry, and wanted to incorporate them into a dish. I had also wanted to try some polenta cakes, because I saw them on television, and had never made them at home.

I have to admit, I purchased the polenta! I know, but I am not Italian! So, next time, you will see the recipe for homemade polenta, and the rest of the story. I did repeat part of a previous recipe and oven roasted some cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, to use them up. It is a really simple thing to do, and they are so amazing !

Baked Salmon and Fried Polenta Cakes

Preheat oven to 400:

Toss together:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place these on a shallow baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase heat to 450.

For salmon:

1 pound of salmon, cut in 4 ounce filets
Salt and pepper
Lemons, cut in quarters
1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Layer onions in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Lay salmon on top, skin side down. Season wth salt and pepper and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

I used a roll of purchased organic polenta from Trader Joe's, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and add approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, place polenta cakes in pan, and sear 3 minutes on each side.

To plate, place 2 slices of fried polenta on the plate, and spoon balsamic glazed tomatoes over the top. Place salmon along side.

As I read this, it seems like a lot of work, but it really wasn't. The oven did most of the work, I just heated things up. And as you can see by the picture, it was really good !