You’ll need two 6 oz fillets of salmon,  a head of cauliflower, 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, an ounce or so of grated parmesan, two cloves of garlic, 3 persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber, 2 green onions, a cup of cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and Phickles Chickle Sauce  for this meal.  Now…. Face the counter and pour yourself a teacup of wine and let’s cook!

Slice the tomatoes and banana peppers and set aside.  Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces.  Mince the garlic. Slice the cucumbers 1/4 inch thick and the green onions into small pieces and place them in a bowl together.  Pat the salmon dry and season the flesh side and the skin side with salt and pepper. Make a vinaigrette for the cucumber salad with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of Chickle Sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the bowl with the cucumbers and green onions and mix to coat and set aside.

Add the cauliflower, 2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-high and stir until water is evaporated completely.  This should take 15-18 minutes.  Once no water is left in the pot, remove the pot from the burner.  Add the sour cream and butter to the cooked cauliflower and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth ….like mashed potatoes.  Cover the pot and set aside.

*While the cauliflower is cooking, start the salmon.  Place a medium sized non-stick pan to medium-high heat with 2 tsp olive oil.  Add the salmon filets flesh side down to the hot pan.  Cook 4-6 minutes per side.  Transfer the cooked salmon to a plate.

Return the pan the salmon was cooked in to medium-high heat.  Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 15 seconds.  Then add the tomatoes, banana peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan.  Stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through.  Stir in red pepper flakes to taste.  To serve…. place each salmon filet on a plate with a heap of the cauliflower mash.  Top the cauliflower mash with the warm tomatoes and banana peppers and add the cucumber salad.

*  I celebrated my birthday at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama and while I was there I did a little sales in the area and scored a new account at Blalock Seafood Market and Gourmet! So…naturally – I brought back some fresh shrimp so I steamed them and added them to the plate! (And yes, if you look close there are a few baby limas on the plate too….’cause I had some leftover in my fridge and what do they not go with???  Nothing!  I love them!

The location of the resort was fabulous ….right next to where Old River comes into the gulf waters! It was nice sitting on the balcony watching boats of all sizes come into the ocean from the marinas on the river and watching the fishing boats come back in from a day of catching fish on the gulf.  If you get a chance to stay at this resort – be sure to bring your binoculars!  With the jetties right next to the resort – the snorkeling tour boats are right out there – close in looking at marine life around the rocks of the jetties.  So, next time – I’ll be sure to also pack a snorkel – cause it’s pretty shallow right on out from the beach to where the people were bobbing around on top of the water with their snorkels sticking out.  So what I’m saying is…. you can snorkel right from the beach.  A win win!

Eat PHUN food, y’all! And if you wanna score some of my Chickle Sauce – I’ll be picking peppers from my garden from now ’til October and making it in small batches.  Chickle Sauce is a pepper vinegar I make with fresh, assorted hot peppers, fresh garlic and my signature pickle brine. I love it sprinkled on salads, in soups – it can pretty much perk up any meal and it’s excellent with a little oil as a vinaigrette.   Keep an eye out for the sauce on my website at https://www.phickles.com!