Anything that can go wrong...

...will.

It was the first night of Tommy and I trying out the Paleo diet. I had spent an inordinate sum of money at the Mercado (read: 20 Euros?) and bought a gorgeous hunk of bright pink salmon that I intended to slather with a sweet and spicy curry sauce and then serve with pan-fried eggplant.

It was not to be.

First of all, we had no curry powder. Tommy went out to get some after his workout at the Alicante rowing club and came back with paprika. This makes 3 jars of paprika we own between us now. I'd say that's a bit much.

Then I realized I had no idea how to pan-fry eggplant.

Oh and did I mention the nice ladies who sold me the salmon also gave me two free calamari squids? And when I tried to cook them they turned out rubbery and tasteless? Very little boded well for this meal.

Fortunately, the kitchen gods were on my side that night because the salmon experiment turned out fantastically well and the pan-fried eggplant did too, albeit a little greasy. Did you know eggplant is really porous? I didn't.

So the salmon is stupid easy: just a little mayo, paprika (obviously), salt and pepper mixed together and fresh ginger grated on top. I squeezed lime juice over the top to finish and it made it even better. This would have been delicious with some wild rice but we're not supposed to be eating grains...sigh.

About the eggplant: I honestly don't know how much oil or butter to use to properly pan-fry it. I just kept pouring oil in when things looked like they were sticking and it was the wrong choice. I'd say start with about  1/4 cup of olive oil and heat it until it's almost smoking then fry the eggplant in batches for a minute or so each side. Slice the eggplant so that it's at most 1 inch thick.

First night of the Paleo diet: check.

It's going to be a long ass week.

Ingredients:

12 to 14 oz. fresh salmon
1/8 c. mayo
1/4 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
Lime (for serving)

1. Set the salmon on a large baking sheet lined with foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, paprika, salt and pepper and spread it over the tops and sides of the salmon. Sprinkle the grated ginger on top of the mayo.

3. Bake for 20 or 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until salmon flakes with a fork and is light pink all the way through.

4. Serve with wedges of fresh lime