Grilled Salmon with Lavender - Weekend Recipe

A friend asked me today if you can cook with lavender.  I said absolutely, as lavender is an ingredient in the seasoning Herbs de Provence. She wanted something to try it out with and I suggested this salmon recipe you can make on the grill.  The best way to make it is to smoke the salmon with lavender as you grill it.  To do that you just cut a bunch of flowering lavender and put the stalks in a glass of water for 45 minutes to 2

hours. The soaked herbs can be strewn on the coals of the grill as the salmon cooks and the resulting

smoke lends a faint camphor and pine flavor to the cooking salmon.

Grilled Lavender and Salmon

Serves 4

• 2 to 4 large cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons fresh lavender buds

• 1/4 cup lite soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

• 4 fresh salmon fillets

In a large bowl, mash the garlic and lavender buds together. Stir in the soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, and oils, whisking to blend together. Add the salmon fillets to the bowl, cover, and marinate for 30 minutes or longer.  At serving time, fire a barbecue grill and place salmon fillets-skin side down-on the grill. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, basting frequently with the marinade, then turn fillets once and cook another minute or more until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.  Serve with a fresh vegetable salad or coleslaw.