At the end of August, for our last summer hurrah, me, the hubby & our 7 year old spent the week in Whidbey Island, just north of Seattle, where two sets of my uncles and aunts live.

We were spoiled by beautiful weather, gorgeous views and some mighty tasty meals, thanks to our West Coast hosts, who are fantastic cooks along with knowing the best local hot spots for coffee and dining.

Case in point – one memorable meal at the Steelhead Diner (pardon the restaurant lighting in this photo) :

Grilled Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Creamy Hominy Polenta, Red Cherries
& Smokey Almond with Rosemary Brown Butter Sauce

Swoon.

So, of course, I came home craving all things salmon. And while nothing beats getting it fresh from the Pacific Ocean (or the North Sea for that matter), Trader Joe’s frozen salmon fillets are my usual go-to back home.

Have you ever make tostadas? They are so so easy – you bake your tortillas for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F, then flip them, add your toppings and heat another 5 minutes and dinner is served.

I ended up doing a riff on my Sweetpotato & Kale Tostadas using grilled salmon and jarred roasted red peppers along with Cabot Jalapeño Light Cheddar (I’m one that ignores the “seafood and cheese don’t mix” rule.)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 pound salmon fillets
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• 4 ounces Cabot Jalapeño Light Cheddar, shredded
• 1 (12 ounce) jar of roasted red peppers chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
• Cilantro leaves
• Lemon wedges

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over salmon fillets.

   Cook salmon, skin side up, for 3 – 4 minutes then flip. Cook another 3 -4 minutes until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily. (You should be able to easily remove salmon from the skin, which will stick to the pan.)

3. Cool salmon for 5 minutes and then flake with a fork.
4. On two cookie sheets coated with cooking spray, add tortillas and put in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven. Flip tortillas and divide cheese, salmon and roasted peppers among all eight tortillas.

   Start by sprinkling cheese on each tortilla followed by cooked salmon and then roasted peppers. Return to oven. Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy.

5. Before serving, sprinkle each tostada with a few fresh cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.

So so good and like I said, so so easy.

Have you ever made tostadas? What was your favorite meal from this summer, either at home or on vacation?