Salmon With Pepian Verde

If you’re looking for a delicious Mexican recipe that goes beyond tacos and enchiladas, look no further than my salmon with pepian verde recipe. I have been inspired by my recent trip to Mexico and found that the food goes above and beyond the typical Mexican cuisine you may think of. I had a lot of mole sauces, but this one stood out as unique and bright as opposed to a bit more on the heavy side with mole negro.

This pepian verde sauce is made with pumpkin seeds and typically tomatillos to give it that nice green hue. I haven’t found tomatillos in Dubai, so I am replacing them with avocados in the recipe. The result is a velvety pepian sauce that would be delicious on chicken, but pairs magically with salmon. This would pair well with some peas or sautéed spinach for an elegant yet simple meal for any day of the week.

Serves 4

Tools Needed:

You guessed it; a food processor or a blender will be necessary to get the consistency right on the sauce.

Wine Pairing:

Sauvignon Blanc would be great with this, but you wouldn’t go wrong with a spicy mezcalrita!

Ingredients:

1 pound of salmon

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 green chilis, roughly chopped

1 avocado

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Dry the salmon filet and place it on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and about 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Depending on the thickness of the filet, bake for 12 -15 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, make your pepian verde sauce. Begin by heating olive oil in a frying pan and adding the onion, garlic, chilis, and pumpkin seeds. Gently toast this for 5 – 10 minutes or until the onion is lightly browned.
3. Add the pumpkin seed mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped. Add the avocado, lime juice, sour cream, most of the cilantro, and plenty of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add water to thin the sauce if the blades get stuck and as needed for the desired consistency.
4. Remove the salmon from the oven and remove the skin. Serve over the pepian verde sauce and garnish with cilantro.

If you are looking for other Mexican inspired dishes that go beyond tacos, try my Yucatan chicken.