Seared Salmon

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Using a peeler, remove the lemon rind, avoiding the pith; mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. In a bowl, combine half the saffron and the juice of 1 lemon wedge. Medium dice the potato. Peel the carrots; thinly slice on an angle. Peel and mince the garlic. Halve the orange; squeeze the juice into a bowl, straining out the seeds. Pick half the cilantro leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Roughly chop the remaining cilantro leaves and stems.

In a small pot, combine the potato, remaining saffron, a big pinch of salt and 3 cups of water (or enough to completely cover the potato). Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat. Drain throughly and return to the pot.

While the potato cooks, to the bowl with the saffron-lemon juice mixture, add the yogurt, lemon zest and (reserving the rest) up to half the aleppo pepper, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the carrots and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the cumin and honey. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the orange juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until the carrots have softened; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to the pot of cooked potato set aside in a warm place.

Rinse and wipe out the pan used to glaze the carrots. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned salmon, skin sides down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, or until the skin is crispy. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.

To the pot of cooked potato and glazed carrots, stir in the chopped cilantro, the juice of the remaining lemon wedges and as much of remaining aleppo pepper as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between 2 dishes. Top with the cooked salmon and a spoonful of the saffron-yogurt sauce (you may have extra). Garnish with the whole cilantro leaves. Enjoy!