Pepper Crusted Salmon and Basmati Rice

I made Basmati rice for the first time last night and it was absolutely delicious. Most of the time when I make rice I like some kind of sauce with it, but this rice is so good on its own you don't need anything. It goes off a great fragrance, too. And this salmon recipe is one of my favorite. I make it often.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsps. soy sauce (I like to use low sodium soy sauce)
1 large garlic clove, passed through a garlic press
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
4 (8 ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
lots of cracked black pepper
olive oil

Place the soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, sugar and salmon in a sealable plastic bag. Toss the bag around, coating the salmon in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Heavily coat both sides of the salmon with fresh cracked pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a couple turns of olive oil. Add the salmon and cook on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. I like my salmon a little moist, so I don't cook it well done, but if you like it well done, feel free to cook it a little bit longer. Serve with the Basmati rice.

For the rice, you want to follow the directions on the package, but essentially for four servings, you want to cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water. Place the water in a sauce pan with salt and a tablespoon of butter. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and stir while boiling for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.