Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce

           Looking for a quick satisfying and healthy meal for the week or a meal to impress your family or friends this holiday season? Well, I've got something special for you! My walnut crusted salmon is the perfect winter dish packed with flavor, heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts and salmon and antioxidants from the pomegranate sauce. I have to say this dish is one of my favorite creations so far. It took very little time to prepare and is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
           My inspiration for this recipe was a favorite Persian dish of mine, fesenjan, which traditionally combines sweet and tart pomegranate paste and ground walnuts to make a thick stew. I also had something similar at my favorite restaurant in my hometown called Sorentos (a fusion Italian and Persian restaurant).
          To make this dish I first made a pomegranate reduction sauce (a fancy word for boiled down liquid) which was super easy and only required one ingredient, pomegranate juice. Then for the fish I mixed together honey mustard and honey to use as the glue for the crushed walnuts with which I coated the top of the salmon. Then I baked the salmon in the oven for 10-15 minutes and served it over cooked quinoa and sauteed spinach. Yum, and all done in 30 minutes!
          This dish definitely looks and tastes restaurant worthy, but is easy enough for any home cook to make!

Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pomegranate juice
• 4-4 ounce salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons of honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground

Directions

1. To make sauce. Heat pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, mix together honey and honey mustard.
4. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread salmon filets with honey mustard sauce.
Then flip filets over and press lightly into processed walnuts. Then place filets on greased
baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes.
5. Serve salmon over cooked quinoa and sautéed spinach. Spoon pomegranate sauce over salmon.