Seasoned to Taste: Salmon healthy way to start year

New year, new starts â€" or at least fresh ones. There’s a reason new year’s resolutions are a thing, a trope, the subject of a million memes. We all need to periodically reflect and reset, and what better time than when the larger culture is likewise engaged?

Look elsewhere for advice and counsel about successful “re-solving,” but we note with a pang that many of the issues we were going to “solve” last year we’re “re-solving” to fix this one.

Neuroscience and some management gurus suggest that our brains can’t focus on much longer than 90-day periods, so maybe this year we’ll break the change we want to be down into chunks. Or maybe we’ll peel it down into another adage that has worked wonders for some of our friends: one day at a time.

Or one dish at a time. Every healthy food and meal we eat helps set the new patterns and start fresh.

So we’ll relish this super-food salmon with bright lemon flavor and crunchy strong greens on the side that’s highly adaptable. Lowering your salt intake? The lemon, black pepper and herbs are all you need. Don’t want to buy a whole container of buttermilk for one dish? It’s now available in small cartons, too. Or substitute yogurt or crème fraiche for a thicker drizzle. Prefer your salmon grilled? Fire up, using the marinade and finishing the dish with greens and drizzle.

Wishing you a new year filled with new flavors and fresh starts!

Salmon with Lemon Pepper Sauce and Watercress-Herb Salad

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, divided

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried dill weed

1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) watercress leaves, arugula, or your favorite fresh greens

fresh dill sprigs â€" or fennel fronds

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Variation ingredients or garnish â€" thinly sliced fennel bulb to add to salad, pomegranate seeds

Whisk honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning salmon fillets occasionally.

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil. Transfer salmon fillets, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.

Whisk buttermilk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in small bowl. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper and dried drill weed.

Toss greens and herbs, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 1 salmon fillet on each of 6 plates. Top with watercress salad. Drizzle with lemon-pepper sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve, passing additional sauce alongside.

Lynne Ireland lives to eat and welcomes comments and questions from others who do (or don’t). Contact her at citydesk@journalstar.com.