Simple, clean and fresh as a winter afternoon with sun | Sweet Basil and the Bee

Sunday afternoon I had to go full lizard — sunning myself on a rock in the backyard, watching fat little green and gold warblers stretching their wings and preening their feathers while I was pondering something clean and fresh and spring-like for dinner. Blossoms that I thought the rain had destroyed opened in their full beauty, unsullied by bruising winds and proudly sitting on rough gray branches – flaunting their pinkness with leaves yet to come.

I’ve always cooked salmon on a sheet pan in the oven with vegetables and so was intrigued by this idea of pan-searing. The recipe couldn’t be simpler, and the result is a tasty crispy exterior surrounding the tender, flaky salmon. Recipe by Elizabeth Nelson for Southern Living.

Pan-seared salmon

Salmon ingredients:

• 4 (6 ounce) skin-on salmon fillets

• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Lemon-herb butter ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces.

• 3 tablespoons chopped tender herbs (such as parsley, tarragon, chives, or thyme)

Prepare salmon: Take the salmon out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature. Check fish for any pin bones and remove them. Pat fillets dry with paper towels. Season the flesh side of the salmon with salt and pepper.

Sear salmon: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. The oil should cover the entire bottom of the pan; add another teaspoon or two if needed. Place the salmon in the pan, skin side up and cook 5 minutes.

Flip fish and finish cooking: Carefully flip the fish using a fish spatula, or other thin, flexible metal spatula. The fish should be golden brown and release easily from the pan. If it doesn’t release easily, cook 1 minute longer before flipping. Cook skin side down 4 minutes until skin is golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork or reaches 135 degrees to 145 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a meat thermometer.

Prepare lemon-herb butter: Remove the fish from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour the lemon juice into the hot pan and turn the heat to low. Whisk in the butter until melted, then stir in the herbs. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Finish and serve: Drizzle butter over salmon fillets and serve immediately.

The exact time needed to cook pan-seared salmon can vary a bit depending on how thick the fish fillet is, but you will usually cook about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Salmon is generally done when it flakes easily with a fork. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fish and shellfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. If you prefer a more medium or medium-rare fish, look for a temperature of 125 to 135 degrees when inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet.

Tips for cooking

This salmon recipe is nearly so easy you don’t need much more guidance, but here are a few tips to help:

1. Take the fish out of the refrigerator, let it come up to room temperature and pat dry before cooking. Letting the salmon come up to room temperature helps it cook more evenly.

2. Patting the fish dry helps it develop a nice golden brown sear in the pan.

3. Cook the fish in a heavy-bottomed pan, like a good quality stainless steel pan.

4. Use a fish spatula. If you cook fish regularly, a fish spatula is your best friend. The thin, flexible metal is easier to slide under the fish when flipping, making it easier to turn the fillets over without breaking them.

5. Don’t peek! It can be tempting to try and look to see how it’s browning, but trying to turn the fish over too soon can cause it to stick to the pan.

6. Leave the skin on while cooking. While you can pan sear skinless fillets, it’s much easier to flip the fish with the skin on.

Smashed potatoes

In pursuit of simple and crispy, smashed potatoes seemed like an appropriate companion to the salmon. Recipe from Love and Lemons cookbook serves four.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds small yellow potatoes

• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for the pans

• 1½ teaspoons garlic powder

• ¾ teaspoon onion powder

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, (parsley, chives and or dill)

• Flaky sea salt, optional

• Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and liberally coat two baking sheets with olive oil. Place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft and fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and let them cool slightly. Place each potato onto the oiled baking sheet and use the back of a measuring cup or your palm to smash them down until they’re about ¼-inch thick. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder, onion powder, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast 25 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp around the edges, rotating the pans halfway.

Season to taste with more sea salt, or flaky sea salt, fresh herbs and sprinkles of Parmesan, if desired.

Sautéed asparagus

This simple recipe is a delicious spring side dish or addition to frittatas, pastas and more. I sauteed beautiful thin spears without chopping them into 1-inch pieces. Recipe by Love and Lemons cookbook serves four.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1-pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed, chopped into 1-inch pieces

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus, salt and several grinds of pepper and sauté, stirring often, for 3 to 6 minutes, or until tender. The timing will depend on the thickness of your spears.

Remove from the heat and toss with the lemon juice. Season to taste and serve.

Simple, fresh and crisp — a menu to match the beauty of a sunny winter afternoon.

Best damn lemon cake

Simple meals call for a dessert with big flavor and this loaf-pan cake by Maida Heatter doesn’t disappoint.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter, plus 8 tablespoons, melted

• 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

• 1⁄2 cup whole blanched almonds

• 1 1⁄2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 3⁄4 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 1⁄3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1⁄2 cup milk, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons lemon extract

• Zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan measuring 8.5-by-4.5-2.75 inches with 1 tablespoon of the butter and dust it with the bread crumbs. Invert and tap out excess crumbs; set aside. In a food processor, grind the almonds until very fine, about 1 minute; set aside. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Put the remaining melted butter into a large bowl and add 1 cup of the sugar. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just long enough to incorporate, about 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until mixed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, about 3 minutes total. Mix in the lemon extract. Remove bowl from mixer. With the spatula, fold in the lemon zest and ground almonds. (The mixture will be thin.) Turn batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry, about 65 minutes.

During baking, the cake will form a large crack or two on the top which will remain light in color.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Prepare the glaze: Combine remaining sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (Do not boil.) Let the cake stand 2-3 minutes then brush the hot glaze very gradually over the hot cake, allowing it to sink in — it should take about 5 minutes to apply it all. (The excess liquid may pool along the sides of the pan; it will absorb completely as it sits.) Let the cake stand until tepid then gently run a knife along the sides and invert it onto a rack. Allow cake to cool upright — when the cake is completely cool, wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and let it stand for 12-24 hours before serving.

Tip: For the best results, use a light-colored metal loaf pan. A dark-colored loaf pan will cause the cake to over-brown, while glass or Pyrex loaf pans do not conduct heat as well as metal.

Spring preview! It was splendid, as was dinner. Three more days of showers then maybe the real spring? Tip: Don’t be seduced by those tomato seedlings — it’s too soon.