Salmon with Fresh Tomato Sauce in a Hurry

Recently, in an attempt to boost my immune system and natural defenses as cold-and-flu-etc. season approaches, I've been trying to pay closer attention to the variety of foods in my diet.  I noticed I hadn't been eating a lot of healthy fats (aside from extra virgin olive oil on salads and a bit of almond butter at breakfast), so I decided it was time to prepare a simple salmon dish for a hefty dose of omega-3s.  I've also been reading a lot by one of my favorite health gurus, Dr. Weil, and trying to implement more of his anti-inflammatory food principles--an approach to healthful eating that's easy to follow and full of delicious good-for-you foods like salmon, for instance, plenty of fruits and veggies, soy, and chocolate and wine.

So, I'm going to make some salmon, but with what?

From reading my favorite of Weil's books, (which is a thorough and accessible healthy food reference), I discovered something interesting about lycopene, an important carotenoid (an antioxidant pigment) that is frequently associated with tomatoes.  Lycopene can only be absorbed by the body from tomatoes that are cooked, not raw, and some fat must also be present in the digestive tract to facilitate that absorption.  So to put it simply, a simple cooked fresh tomato sauce made with olive oil is a delicious way to obtain some important, protective phytochemicals.  Amazingly, beautiful fresh tomatoes were still plentiful at our local farmer's market when I made this about a week ago.  And so it came together quite nicely: simple salmon with a quick cooked fresh tomato sauce.  Definitely under 30 minutes.

In anti-inflammatory health,
K

2 cups cherry, grape, or plum tomatoes (whatever looks good at the market
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)
a few teaspoons fresh herbs (optional, whatever you might have)
2-3 salmon fillets, patted dry with paper towels

If you first prepare the tomato sauce, then set it aside in your plates while you cook the salmon, you can use just one pan and make clean up time as efficient as the dish itself.
 
If using plum tomatoes, cut them up into small pieces; for grape or cherry tomatoes, halve everything.  Sauté onions in a few tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat about 5 minutes until almost translucent.  Stir in garlic and cook another 2 minutes.  Add in tomatoes, and sort of smush down some of the pieces to help release the juices.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture is pleasantly softened.  Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper to taste.  Add herbs and lemon juice, if desired, and stir it in well.  Set tomato sauce aside on your serving platter, if you're using one, or just divide it onto the plates you intend to use for dinner.

Remove the salmon fillets from the fridge and pat well with paper towels.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Clean out the skillet and heat a few tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add salmon and cook about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fillets, until the fish is just barely cooked through.  Remove fillets from heat and plate onto tomato sauce.  Let sit 2-3 minutes and serve.  Healthy, yes, and delicious.