I always enjoy salmon, but I can get into kind of a rut with it. I seem to prepare it the same 2 or 3 ways, time after time. Recently I decided to shake it up – just a little bit.

Over the years I have come to realize that some of my most creative cooking ideas have come from just standing in front of the open refrigerator (thank goodness Mom can’t read this) and playing with whatever ingredients I have on-hand. I wish I could say that this dish took time to contemplate, compare and contrast various flavor profiles to come up with the perfect combination, but no. This arose strictly from being too lazy to run to the store and pick up anything else.

And I cannot stress this enough: a well-stocked pantry can save almost any dinner situation. And it helps if you have ample pantry storage, like this kitchen remodel with two pantries. My friends mock me for the variety of items I consider ‘staples’. Most people stop at flour, sugar, and butter. I also keep 3 kinds of rice, quinoa, barley, cornmeal, sundried tomatoes, olives, pumpkin, 6 kinds of vinegars, 3 kinds of mustard, …well, you get the picture. And if you don’t have enough space to store all of these ingredients, then I also happen to know a great kitchen designer who can solve that problem for you. Some simple storage accessories will work wonders for your pantry!

The best part – this dish is incredibly easy and takes about 15 minutes to put together. Seriously, the vegetables took longer to cook than the salmon did. Of course, we like out salmon medium to medium-rare. If you like yours more well-done, you might take 20 minutes instead.

So consider adding to your pantry list, it’s always handy to be prepared.