Pan Seared Salmon with Light Dijon Cream and Garlic Butter Croutons

Health food this is probably not...but good food it is!  I made this for dinner one lovely evening I had the house to myself and plenty of time to cook in the kitchen.  It was fun to make and delicious to eat.  And then I curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and watched the odd movie Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.  Odd.  Kinda cute.  Sweet ending.  But odd.

I'm not sure how I feel about low-fat evaporated milk.  Actually I do, I'm nervous about it.  But I haven't experimented enough to figure out what what I can use to replace it.  So there you have it...proceed with caution on the evaporated milk, but know that it does make this meal taste fabulous.

Pan Seared Salmon with Light Dijon Cream and Garlic Breadcrumbs

Source:  How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

1 lb salmon filet, skinless

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small shallot, diced

1/2 Tbs dried sage

1/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup low-fat evaporated milk

1 1/2 Tbs dijon mustard

Directions

Prepare breadcrumbs first by heating a small pan on medium-low heat and 1 Tbs of butter.  Add 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in bread crumbs well, tossing for a minute or two until the mix is slightly golden.  Place into a bowl and set aside.

Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  Season the salmon with salt and pepper and then place in the skillet and cook until opaque in the center and golden on each side, about 5-6 minutes for salmon that is 1-inch thick.  Remove salmon and set aside under a foil tent.  Then add remaining 1/2 Tbs of butter, shallot, garlic and sage.  Stir well to coat and then cook for 1-2 minutes until sizzling.  Add in the white wine.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to bubble and slightly reduce, then whisk in milk and mustard.  Continue to whisk and cook while milk bubbles on the sides and thickens, stirring for a minute or two.  Taste and season additionally or whisk in a bit more dijon if desired.

Serve salmon immediately, drizzled with dijon cream and then top with breadcrumbs.  Serve with roasted potatoes and asparagus.