Slow Baked Citrus Salmon

hot, tender, flaky salmon baked

with a sweet citrus sauce...

I do miss living in Florida. Hot sunshine, breezy lake beaches, palm trees, trees in general, grass... friends of my heart, and family. And fresh seafood. My childhood was spent in and around water- lots of water. We skiied, wakeboarded, tubed, swam, and played marco polo in the lake, rough housed and flipped in the pool, ran in the rain, slip and slided in the sprinklers, and horse-played our little hearts out. And we fished. My family are anglers, and serious ones. When we weren't in fresh water, we were in salt water, casting lines, scouting bait, and backlashing with the best of them. Oh the fresh fish... (cue sentimental homesick feelings now)

Days like this I console myself with the flavors of home. This recipe is inspired by Florida citrus and seafood. Slow baked salmon simmers in a punchy citrus butter while bright green broccoli steams to crispy soft perfection. Buen provencho.

Sorry, these pictures are uninspiring... best I could do before this was completely inhaled. We had just worked out, it was late, dark... The fish you see in the top left was salmon topped with a raspberry chipotle sauce, his favorite. Another post...

Slow Baked Citrus Salmon

Fresh cut of salmon fillet (4-6 oz per person)

Cooking spray

3 tbsp butter (or alternative), softened

1/2 lemon, zested

1/4 lime, zested

1/4 orange zested

1. Zest lemon, lime, and orange into small bowl. Reserve 2 tsp for later.

2. Add butter. Zap in microwave if needed.

3. Squeeze juice of fruits into butter mixture.

4. Line a small contain with plastic wrap, pour in butter, and refrigerate till firm.

preheat oven to 200

5. *Lightly spray a baking dish or foil pouch with cooking spray. (Salmon makes its own oil, so this is an optional step to ease clean-up)

6. Place salmon in dish or pouch. Cut cooled citrus butter and sprinkle all over top of fish.

7. Sprinkle reserved citrus zest over top.

8. Bake in oven for 30+ minutes, until fish flakes with fork.

9. At the end of 30 minutes, switch oven from bake to broil for 10 minutes to get a crispier and hotter fish.

10. While broiling fish, steam the broccoli, drain, and season to taste.

*Any side of greens will do! Use what you have...

• Just 3 oz of salmon provides almost half a day's protein requirements. Its one of the highest sources of heart defending, brain boosting, blood enriching Omega 3 fatty acids. Plus, its also a terrific source of niacin, B12, and selenium, and a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.