Fennel-Spiced Salmon

From, of all places, "Weber's Charcoal Grilling: the Art of Cooking with Live Fire", comes a rub for salmon that is amazing. Thinking that super fresh salmon doesn't usually merit any seasoning on the grill, except for a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper? This is a mind-changer.

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed (use whole seeds, and grind with the other ingredients below, using a mortar and pestle)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (French sea salt is perfect)
1 teaspoon pure chile powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 skinless salmon filets, 8 oz. each (or, 1 or 2 nice salmon steaks, with skin on is fine)
extra virgin olive oil

Brush the cooking grate of a hot gas grill until it is fairly clean. Brush each of the salmon filets (or steaks) evenly with olive oil. Season both sides generously with the rub. Cover and refrigerate for up to an hour (or, as we did, leave at room temperature for 30 minutes). Grill the filets over direct high heat with the lid closed until desired doneness. (The length of time depends tremendously on the thickness of the salmon and the degree of heat. Best to cook to medium rare, such that the outside is crisped with the rub, but the inside is nearly rare and still quite moist).

Serve with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Absolutely wonderful.

BLT & Iced Tea (for breakfast!)

The epitomy of every summer is somewhere in the middle of a perfect BLT. It may or may not be the first bite, and it could be all of them. Ingredients include: a fresh white bread with a somewhat chewy but soft crumb (don't toast it!), the highest quality bacon you can buy (oh my, our butcher sells a flavorful and minimally-preserved smoked bacon that cooks to a soft crisp, just short of chewy), iceberg lettuce (washed, excess water towel-sponged off, torn in large pieces), mayonnaise (we are addicted to Best Foods light), a little salt and freshly ground pepper and, the star of the show: one vine-ripe, warm, red tomato (sliced 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick). Assemble, and, for fun, compress the sandwich with your hand, against the plate, just a little. Feel the tomato juice start to ooze into the bread, down the crust and onto the dish. This is going to be your breakfast. In the middle of summer, it does not get any better than this. My roots are in the South, and avocados do not belong on this perfect sandwich, period. But what does go with this very special treat is Iced Tea. For breakfast, this is summer.