Pan-Seared Salmon

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut the baguette into ½-inch cubes. Peel and mince the garlic. Using a knife or vegetable peeler, peel off 6 long strips of orange peel, avoiding the white pith; reserve the remaining orange. Peel and small dice the parsnip and onion. Small dice the celery. Pick the parsley, sage and thyme leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Roughly chop the sage, thyme and all but a few parsley leaves (reserve the whole parsley for garnish). Roughly chop the walnuts.

Cut away and discard the remaining white pith of the orange. Cut out the segments (or supremes) from between the membranes; place them in a small bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into a separate bowl; discard the membranes. To the bowl of supremes, add half the thyme and 1 teaspoon olive oil; toss gently to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned and crunchy. Transfer the toasted bread to a large bowl and wipe off the baking sheet. Place the sugar on a plate. Completely coat the orange peel strips in the sugar. Transfer the coated strips to the baking sheet. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly browned. (Watch these closely as they can burn easily.) Remove from the oven; immediately flip the orange peels over to prevent sticking. Let cool.

While the bread cubes toast, in a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, parsnip, celery and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the sage, thyme and chopped parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined and heated through.

Stir the toasted bread cubes, cranberries, walnuts, reserved orange juice and 1 cup of water into the pan of vegetables; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 9 to 11 minutes, then uncover and bake 9 to 11 minutes longer, or until browned and crisped on the top.

While the stuffing bakes, season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the seasoned salmon, skinless side down first. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Divide the stuffing and salmon between the plates. Top each salmon fillet with the orange supremes and strips of candied orange peel. Garnish with the whole parsley leaves. Enjoy!