This dish is a perfect embodiment of the way I like to eat. The colors just say spring, it’s light, and everything tastes really fresh and bright.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　

Lemon Brodetto

2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 shallot, diced

　　2 lemons, one zested and both juiced

　　2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

　　

Pea Purée

2 cups frozen peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)

　　1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

　　1 garlic clove

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　

Salmon

1/4 cup olive oil

　　4 (4- to 6-ounce) salmon fillets

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

To Make the Lemon Brodetto

Step 1

Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice, and the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and keep warm over low heat.

　　

To Make the Pea Purée

Step 2

Combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and purée. With the machine running, add the extra-virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea purée to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

　　

To Make the Salmon

Step 3

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon on one side until a golden crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 2 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fish.

　　

To Assemble the Dish

Step 4

Stir the tablespoon of chopped mint into the lemon brodetto and divide among 4 shallow bowls. Place a large spoonful of pea purée in the center of each bowl. Place a salmon piece atop each mound of pea purée and serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.