Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce and Chilled Carrot Soup with Cumin and Lime

I put these two recipes together to make one easy-to-make, tasty meal.

First, start with the soup, since it needs to chill in the fridge for a while:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, chopped (about 5 cups)
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
6 1/2 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
8 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons grated lime peel

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and leeks; sauté until leeks begin to soften but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add cumin and crushed red pepper; sauté 30 seconds longer. Add 6 1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until vegetables are very tender, about 35 minutes.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Transfer soup to large bowl. Cool. Whisk in 6 tablespoons sour cream. Cover soup and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Stir lime juice into soup. Thin soup with more broth, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into 4 bowls. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon sour cream atop each serving. Sprinkle with cilantro and lime peel.

And then the salmon:

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 Tablespoons Lime Butter Sauce (see recipe for this below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

Lime Butter Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Comments:

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Thoughts:

We really enjoyed the soup, Nicole thought she would have enjoyed it more if it was actually warm instead of chilled. The salmon with the lime butter was easy to prepare (I used the broiler instead of the grill), and went well with the soup. I would definitely make this meal again, but would leave the soup warm the next time.

Source: Epicurious