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Braised Salmon with Leeks

This recipe is a powerhouse for supplying two difficult to find health-promoting nutrients for your Healthiest Way of Eating — vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. One serving provides 123% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin D and 106% DV for omega-3s. And it only takes 15 minutes to prepare. Enjoy!

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 medium leeks, cut lengthwise 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed 1 TBS + 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1 TBS + 1 TBS fresh lemon juice 1 TBS fresh chopped tarragon 1-1/2 lbs salmon fillet, cut into 8 pieces, skin and bones removed salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut off green tops of leeks and remove outer tough leaves. Cut off root and cut leeks in half lengthwise. Fan out the leeks and rinse well under running water, leaving them intact. Cut leeks into 2-inch lengths. Now, holding the leek sections cut side up, cut lengthwise so that you end up with thin strips, known as chiffonade cut. Make sure slices are cut very thin.
2. Let leeks and garlic sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
3. Heat 1 TBS broth in 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté leeks over medium heat in broth for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add ½ cup broth and lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
4. Rub salmon with 1 TBS fresh lemon juice, salt and white pepper.
5. Stir fresh tarragon, salt, and pepper into leeks, and place salmon on top of leeks. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, covered, or until salmon is pink inside. Time may vary a little depending on thickness of salmon. Serve leeks topped with salmon and drizzle with juice.

   Serves 4

Serving Suggestions: Serve with

• Pureed Sweet Peas

Healthy Cooking Tips:

It is best to choose salmon that is cut from the thickest part of the fish, so filets will remain more moist when cooked. If you want to remove the bones from the salmon rub your fingers over the salmon to find the line of bones. Remove each bone with your fingers, tweezers, or pliers.

Refer to the animation for cutting the leeks: Leeks Cut Lengthwise. When they are cut into thin strips they provide a nice bed for your salmon with more texture than simply slicing them crosswise. It is important to cut the strips thin, as they will not get tender without cooking them for longer. Even thought this recipe is for 4, I cut the salmon into 8 pieces. They cook more evenly when cut small. Otherwise the outside of the salmon gets overdone before the center is cooked. Check the salmon's doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the center. It should flake, yet be still pink in the center for medium. Remove it from the heat slightly before it is done to your liking, as it will continue to cook while you are serving the dish.

Nutritional Profile

Introduction to Recipe Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify recipes that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Recipe Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the recipes that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which Braised Salmon with Leeks is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the recipe doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this recipe's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance back up to see the ingredients used in the recipe and the number of serving sizes provided by the recipe. Our nutrient ratings are based on a single serving. For example, if a recipe makes 4 servings, you would be receiving the nutrient amounts listed in the chart by eating 1/4th of the combined ingredients found in the recipe. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this recipe and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

15 Minute Braised Salmon with Leeks 1.00 serving 269.53 grams 367.39 calories Nutrient Amount %DV Nutrient Density World's Healthiest Foods Rating tryptophan 0.40 g 125.0 6.1 excellent vitamin D 493.29 IU 123.3 6.0 excellent omega 3 fatty acids 2.54 g 105.8 5.2 excellent selenium 63.41 mcg 90.6 4.4 excellent vitamin B12 (cobalamin) 5.09 mcg 84.8 4.2 excellent protein 35.83 g 71.7 3.5 very good vitamin B3 (niacin) 13.72 mg 68.6 3.4 very good phosphorus 528.95 mg 52.9 2.6 very good magnesium 189.02 mg 47.3 2.3 good vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 0.93 mg 46.5 2.3 good vitamin C 20.24 mg 33.7 1.7 good folate 108.66 mcg 27.2 1.3 good manganese 0.50 mg 25.0 1.2 good World's Healthiest Foods Rating Rule excellent DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10% very good DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5% good DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5%

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Braised Salmon with Leeks

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