Before I moved to Massachusetts, I just assumed that it would be easy to get fresh fish since we would be living so close to the ocean.  However, once I moved here, I realized that what is carried in most supermarkets is no better than what was available when we lived much further from the coast.

That is why I love Liberty Fish at the Westford Winter Farmers Market at Eric's.  Each week, they bring a selection of fresh fish—and I mean fresh!  Never frozen, absolutely perfect.  Great fish like this doesn’t need much; it can stand on its own.  A squeeze of lemon, a crack of pepper, a sprinkle of dill, and you can be done.  That’s about all that I do with the fish in this recipe.  If you didn’t want to make the hash, you could have the salmon on the table in less than fifteen minutes, start to finish.

However, I was elated to see Dragonfly Farms was back at the market with their farm-fresh eggs and greens.  I decided to use their eggs and greens and serve the roasted salmon over a hash of potatoes, carrots, and spinach.  It was a delicious accompaniment and rounded out the meal nicely.

Ingredients (serves 3):

• Approximately 1 pound of salmon
• ¾ cup coarsely grated carrots (about 2 good sized carrots)
• 1 ¼ cup coarsely grated potatoes (I had one VERY large potato…probably 3 medium potatoes)
• 1 cup chopped spinach leaves
• 2 eggs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Vegetable oil for sautéing
• Lemon zest and additional fresh dill for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Coarsely grate the carrots and potatoes.  Place a handful of the shredded vegetables into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Place the squeezed vegetables in a large bowl, and repeat with all the grated carrots and potatoes.
3. Add the chopped spinach, eggs, and salt to the bowl with the potatoes and carrots.  Mix until well-blended.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.  When the oil is hot, add the potato mixture, spreading it out along the bottom of the pan and pressing down gently.  Let cook for about 7 or 8 minutes.  Flip the hash in sections and cook until the potatoes are golden brown.
5. While the potato hash is cooking, wash the salmon under cold water, removing any bones (there was only one in the fillet I had, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.  I just like to check first!).  You can also scale the fish if you’d like…I must admit I’m not a big fan of fish skin, so I don’t always bother.  Pat the fish dry and place in a baking pan.
6. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a small bowl in the microwave.  Pour the melted butter on both sides of the salmon fillet.  Sprinkle some lemon pepper on the fillet, then place the salmon skin-side up in the baking pan.  Put the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Flip the salmon over, and roast for about 5 minutes more, until the flesh in a lighter pink and flakes easily.
8. In a small saucepan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and chopped dill.  As soon as the salmon comes out of the oven, pour the pan juices into the saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, which should only take a minute or two.
9. Serve the salmon on top of the potato hash.  Drizzle a spoonful or two of the sauce over the top, then add some fresh lemon zest and additional fresh dill for garnish.