Mint does its aromatic job on salmon and salad - recipes

Sunset, June, 1990

Adding a cool dimension to sweet-sour seasonings, mint flavors these three dishes. In the first, salmon broiled with a honey-balsamic vinegar glaze is strewn with the fragrant herb. In the second, a sauce of mint, sweet onion, and tart sorrel tops poached salmon. In the last dish, tabbouleb features the natural sweetness of wheat, with refreshing mint and lemon. Balsamic-broiled Salmon with Mint

1/4 cup balsamic or raspborry vinegar
 2 tablespoons honey
 2 teaspoons salad oil
  4 skinned salmon fillets (6 to 7 oz.
       each), about 1 inch thick
 3/4 cup firmly packed fresh mint
       leaves, minced
    Fresh mint sprigs  optional)
    Salt and lemon halves or wedges

In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, honey, and oil. Rinse fish and pat dry; lay fillets slightly apart in a lightly oiled 10by 15-inch baking pan and brush tops with half the vinegar mixture. Broil fish 6 inches from heat until no longer translucent but still moist-looking in thickest part (cut to test), 8 to 10 minutes. Brush several times during broiling with remainder of vinegar mixture. With a wide spatula, carefully transfer salmon to a platter and sprinkle with mint; garnish with mint sprigs. Add salt and lemon to taste. Makes 4 servings. For serving: 297 cal.; 33 g protein; 13 g fat, 9.5 g carbo.; 75 mg sodium; 93 mg chol. Poached Salmon with Sorrel and Mint

1 quart water

1/2 cup dry white wine

10 black peppercorns

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 dry bay leaf

4 salmon steaks (6 to 8 oz. each),

about 1 inch thick

Mint sorrel sauce (recipe follows)

Fresh mint sprigs (optional) In a 5- to 6-quart pan, bring water, wine, peppercorns, lemon juice, and bay leaf to a boil over high beat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Return water to boiling, add salmon, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand until fish is no longer translucent but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 8 minutes. If fish is not cooked, cover and let stand, testing every I minute until done. Lift salmon from liquid; drain briefly and pat dry with paper towels. Place each steak onto a dinner plate. At once, spoon mint sorrel sauce onto fish; garnish with mint sprigs. Serves 4. Per serving: 352 cal.; 34 g protein; 2 g fa t,- 2.2 g carbo.; 193 mg sodium; 124 mg chol. Mint sorrel sauce. In a 7- to 8-inch frying pan, melt 1/4 cup 1/8 lb.) butter or margarine over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup minced onion and stir often until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; keep warm. When fish is cooked, add to onions in pan 1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves and 2 tablespoons minced sorrel; stir, then use at once (heat turns sorrel dark). Cool Mint Tabbouleh

  2 cups bulgur (cracked wheat)
   2 cups cold water
   4 cups firmly packed fresh mint
       leaves
   1/2 cup lemon juice
   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or
       salad oil
     Salt and freshly ground pepper
   6 to 8 large butter lettuce leaves,
       rinsed and crisped
   2 large (about 1 lb. total) firm-ripe
       tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced

In a deep bowl, mix bulgur and water; let stand until grains are tender to bite and water is absorbed, about I hour; stir several times. Mince mint in a food processor or with a knife. Add to bulgur with lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. If made ahead, cover and chill up until next day. Line a platter with lettuce leaves. Arrange tomatoes in an overlapping ring on lettuce near platter edge; mound tabbouleh in center. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Per serving: 172 cal.; 5.4 g protein; 4.3 g fat, 31 g carbo.; 14.8 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.