We eat salmon at least once a week, because of all the proteins we could pick, this is the seven minute dinner that can be made in a number of ways. I’ve shown you many salmon recipes in the past, including my most recent salmon with pasta, cauliflower and olives.

When I was asked to partner with the National Salmon Council, I wanted to show you the easiest, most reliable way to get the best-tasting salmon in less than 10 minutes. I wanted to create a fun, family-friendly recipe to be fun, that brought out the best of salmon, while being a little unique.

I imagined vibrant colors of the rainbow and salmon tacos with tomato mango salsa popped into my head, and then onto this tray.

Easy Salmon Tacos are Slow Food Fast

Salmon tacos are easy and adaptable to your own taste. For example, I leave out anything spicy when I’m serving kids, but they tend to love the tomato mango salsa.

Salmon tacos are slow food fast, made in a matter of minutes and still so good for you. The salsa can be made in advance, and all you’ll need is seven minutes to pan-sear perfect salmon (I promise). I like to pan-sear the salmon on one side (skin side down) for two minutes in a hot pan and then put in the oven for five minutes. This is my basic salmon recipe from which many recipes can be created.

The biggest thing I hear from people is their apprehension to cook salmon or to cook fish indoors. Let me put all this to rest and tell you, once you cook salmon properly, meaning not overcooking, you’ll be making it every week and it’s not that fish that makes a house fishy.

Tomato Mango Salsa with Avocado, Red Onion, Cilantro

Mangoes love tomatoes and avocado. Be prepared to swoon over this combination and probably eat it out of the bowl (like we did). Red onion and cilantro bring these three ingredients together in perfect harmony that brings just the right amount of excitement to fish tacos. Sometimes, instead of cilantro, I use fresh basil for the salsa. Always make recipes your own!

Make sure your mangoes and avocados are ripe, but not too ripe. I buy my mangoes when they have a slight give, but not too much. Conversely, I buy my avocados rock hard, then ripen them myself. I explain why in this post, how to ripen avocados.

Cut the mango, by first holding it vertically and cutting the cheeks of the mango, avoiding the inner seed. Then cut crosswise and lengthwise, not cutting through to the skin. Then slide the knife close to the skin under the cubes.

When cutting the tomato, squeeze off a little of the juice and seeds. If you use Roma tomatoes, you won’t have an issue. Cut a very small dice.

Avocados are a superfood and healthy fat that do well with a bit of acid and salt, and when paired with a sweet fruit like a mango, it’s incredible. I peel my avocados first and then cut into a dice.

Red onion, plenty of cilantro, a touch of syrupy balsamic, and sea salt bring it all together. Shredded purple cabbage adds a little crunch, and a little color.

I suggest flour tortillas or my easy made from scratch grain free low carb tortillas (shown in the picture).

Salmon Tacos – Superfood and Eating the Rainbow

Salmon is a superfood that we should eat at least once a week. Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, EPA and DHA, salmon is loaded with selenium, potassium and is anti-inflammatory. Mangoes promote eye health, facilitate digestion and aid in lowering cholesterol and have a low glycemic count, not spiking blood sugar. Avocados are known universally for their “good fat” and red cabbage has amazing antioxidant properties.

Salmon is usually a signature dish we serve to company. We always get rave reviews, whether we pan-sear or cook on the grill with this technique. In all honesty, I jumped at the opportunity to partner with the Salmon Council, because there is never a time salmon is not in our freezer. It’s my go to for a post-workout lunch and part of my overall low-carb lifestyle.

 More of Spinach Tiger’s Timeless Salmon Recipes

Ginger Roasted Salmon with Roasted Beets

Salmon with Low Carb Pasta, Cauliflower, Olives

Salmon Greek Spinach Salad with Lemony Dressing

Salmon on the Grill

Savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

For More Recipes Follow Hooked on Salmon

Follow the Hooked on Salmon Pinterest Board  on Pinterest.

Follow Hooked on Salmon on Facebook.

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Pan-Seared Salmon Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Pan Seared Salmon Tacos with Mango Tomato Salsa Recipe, a rainbow of superfood comes together to make exciting tacos the whole family will love.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon filets
• 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt and pepper
• Mango Salsa recipe below
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 8 flour tortillas or these almond flour tortillas

Mango Salsa

• 2 mangoes
• 2 avocados
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion finely diced
• 1 large bunch cilantro
• 2 tablespoons syrupy balsamic vinegar see notes
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 to rtillas

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees f, 180 C, Gas 4.
• Marinate salmon with olive oil and lime juice, while oven is preheating. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in pan to medium high in oven proof pan.
• Place salmon in pan skin side down. Cook for two minutes or until skin is crispy.
• Place pan in oven for about 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the salmon will continue to cook once removed from the oven. You do not want to overcook the salmon.
• Remove the skin, cut into pieces to place in tacos.
• Assemble with salmon, red cabbage and mango tomato salsa. Serve Immediately.

Mango Salsa Instructions

• Cut mango into cubes. Hold up vertically, slice off each cheek. Slice across, not cutting skin and then slide knife under cubed mango.
• Cut tomatoes into very small dice. You may need to squeeze juice out.
• Peel avocado, and cut into cubes.
• Finely dice red onion.
• Chop cilantro.
• Toss tomatoes, mango, cilantro and red onion together with lime, 1/4 teaspoon salt syrupy.
• balsamic or white vinegar and honey.
• Add avocado.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

Only use balsamic if you have a good syrupy sweet balsamic. In lieu of balsamic, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar with 1 teaspoon honey.

 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of National Salmon Council. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Pan-Seared Salmon Tacos with Tomato Mango Salsa appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Did you know that sometimes two completely different things make one perfect thing? When you put a mango and a grapefruit together, it’s magic, and a burst of different texture and flavor that accompanies shrimp splendidly.

I developed this recipe for shrimp tacos for Tortilla Land a few years ago,  and thought it was time to share this recipe with you. I used raw tortillas (which by now you know I prefer), but you could of course, use your own favorite tortilla.

I’ve used shrimp, but you could substitute with grilled fish, fried fish or even spicy chicken.

My Favorite Shrimp Taco Recipe

First I marinated the shrimp and then grilled them.

Marinate shrimp in olive oil, lime juice and salt. Don’t over marinate or the shrimp will become mushy. Feel free to add in a touch of cilantro.

Now it’s just a matter of what cocktail you’ll be serving this shrimp taco recipe.  Last week I made this amazing avocado margarita that would be just perfect. Or perhaps a mango sangria is your choice.

Please let me know if you have a cocktail that would pair well with these tacos.

Let’s Connect

It means a lot to get to know you. Please connect with me on Instagram for more food and drink pictures, and more that don’t make it here.

More Taco Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Sweet Potato Tacos

Teres Major Tacos

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Mango Grapefruit Shrimp Taco

Shrimp Tacos with grapefruit mango salsa is a refreshing way to usher in Spring.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound grilled or sautéed shrimp see below
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• Mango grapefruit avocado salsa see below
• 4 raw flour tortillas or pre-made
• cilantro or basil garnish

Shrimp Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp peeled with vein removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lime salt and pepper

Grapefruit Mango Salsa Ingredients

• 2 mangoes peeled, cubed
• 1 ruby red or pink grapefruit cut into small bite sized sections with membrane removed
• 1/2 large red onion finely diced
• 1 to 2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers, very finely diced
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon champagne
• vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil can use cilantro
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

Instructions for Shrimp

• Toss with olive oil and lime juice. Refrigerate for one to four hours.
• To Grill: Grill shrimp on medium high heat for a 2-3 minutes each side, until cooked through.
• To Pan fry: Put tablespoon oil in frying pan. Fry shrimp two minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Mango Salsa

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, honey together. Set aside. Toss mango, onion, diced pepper and grapefruit together with olive oil, vinegar mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for two hours minimum up to overnight. Cube avocado and add to salsa right before serving.

Assembly

• To Plate: Cook raw tortillas according to instructions, 30 seconds on each side. Place cabbage on tortilla. Toss salsa with avocado. Taste to season. Cook TortillaLand® Flour tortillas according to instructions, approximately 30 seconds on each side with no oil, until they puff up and lightly brown. To assemble, layer cabbage, shrimp and salsa. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped basil or cilantro. Fold.

The post Shrimp Tacos Recipe with Mango Salsa appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here is a host of sexy appetizers and cocktails to enhance the evening from some of my favorite blogs. I’ve included the easiest, fastest recipe for a healthy addition to decadence. Red Beets for the red carpet with a little golden mango for the lucky winners.

And now a public service announcement from Jennifer Lawrence:

“WHATEVA you do, don’t wrap any of these in foil and put them in the science oven.”

DRINK

Champagne Cocktail from Sippity Sup

Raspberry Dinner Bellini

Blood Orange Margarita from How Sweet It Is

POPCORN

Duck Fat Popcorn from Diane, A Broad

Crispy Proscuitto and Black Truffle Popcorn from Dooley Noted

Mint Chocolate Chip Popcorn from the NY Melrose Family

NIBBLES

Paleo Spiced Nuts by Elana’s Pantry

Fried Olives with Blue Cheese from Sis Boom Blog

Paleo Friendly Prosciutto Cups with Pears by Spinach Tiger

Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites from Lite House Foods

BIGGER BITES

Honey Proscuitto Flatbread Appetizer from She Wears Many Hats

Grilled Scallop Sliders from Taste with the Eyes

Roasted Broccolini Wrapped in Proscuitto by Spinach Tiger

Smoked Salmon Tartine from Blogging Over Thyme

Smoked Salmon Cheesecake with VIDEO by Spinach Tiger

SWEETS

Chocolate French Macarons from Teenie Cakes

Chocolate Blueberry Truffles by Gourmande in the Kitchen

Chocolate Ribbon Cupcakes by Spinach Tiger

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting

Red Velvet Cheesecake for the Red Carpet from Willow Bird Baking

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Red Beets & Mango Appetizer

Red Beets & Mango tossed in a lemon honey vinaigrette could be a starter or a dessert.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 red beets roasted or boiled, diced
• 1 mango diced
• Honey lemon vinaigrette
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Roast Beets whole in oven at 300 degrees for one hour. Peel, dice. Cool.
• Dice Mango.
• Toss together with vinaigrette. Use very small amounts.
• Season with salt & pepper.

Where will you be on Oscar night? Do you have a favorite movie or star you’re hoping will win. Shake it up with a little red beets and mango salad which by the way can also be served for dessert.

The post 20 Oscar Night Party Food Recipes and a Word from Jennifer Lawrence appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Green Kombucha Smoothie made with spinach, avocado, apple, and mango is surprisingly good and super healthy.

I feel good bringing you smoothie recipes because I have smoothie testers. Picky eaters who don’t eat many vegetables, but love their green smoothies. Today I put them through a test. I made five different kinds of green smoothies, wishing to add more to my repertoire. This green smoothie with spinach and kale gets a lot of love as my third most popular post, but I wanted to branch out, and I wanted to experiment with ingredients like avocados and kombucha.

Kombucha, a fermented tea that is bottled cold and is naturally carbonated is tangy, sour, and a touch sweet. Because it’s so healthy,  I wanted to see how it fared in a smoothie. To my surprise, the kombucha green smoothie passed the taste test, even with kids.

I fell upon the supposed miracle tonic, kombucha, quite by accident. A crowd was gathered around an end cap at Whole Foods, and curious me had to know what the buzz was. Kombucha was half price for one day only,  and suddenly I found myself in a shopping frenzy.  Hearing that the Synergy gingerberry was selling out. I heard myself say, “I’ll take that last case.” I didn’t even know what gingerberry kombucha tasted like, and I had a case in my cart. I’m not an impulse shopper, but I went with it, looking for some instant healthy feelings after too much Christmas celebrating.

What’s so great about kombucha?  It’s probiotic, made with a scoby, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, sugar and tea. The many benefits of kombucha have to do with the fermented tea bringing the body back into balance, boosting the immune system and allowing the body to heal itself.  Some of the benefits of  kombucha include:

• Aid in Digestion and Constipation
• Joint Health and Relief from Arthritic pain
• Detoxes the liver, reduces stress on kidneys and pancreas
• Fights off cancer cells
• Sense of overall well-being

These are a just a few of the claims made, but all are anecdotal, and although people have been drinking fermented tea for 2000 years, it’s only been around the United States for about 20 years and still known to only a few. It’s only  starting recently to gain popularity. as its popping up in more places besides health food stores. (Whole Foods).

My personal benefit in drinking kombucha was as a transitional drink after the holidays. While my friends were still drinking wine, I was putting Synergy’s Gingerberry Kombucha in a wine glass on ice, not missing wine at all. Let’s just say December was too much of a good thing and the last glass of wine I had was on Christmas night. I haven’t quit drinking, just taking a break for now, from wine, sugar and grains. Kombucha is made with sugar but the brand I am drinking has only 35 calories per serving and I never exceed two servings per day.

I am hesitant to recommend any product that we still don’t know much about, and each person has to decide for themselves if kombucha makes them feel better. I see a lot of people giving recipes on line to make your own at home because kombucha is expensive. After everything I read, I can’t recommend that unless you really know what you are doing, but I feel quite comfortable with the brands sold in reputable grocery stores.

It never matters how healthy a drink is if no one will drink it. By the way, notice these adorable bottles. These were another Christmas gift from the same great friend who gave me the Spinach Tiger cutting board. We had intended them for milk, but discovered that they made the smoothies a lot more attractive for kids. Marshall drank two of green kombucha smoothies!

Other Smoothies from Spinach Tiger

Green Smoothie Using Kale and Spinach Made Two Ways

Red Beet Smoothie and the Benefits of Red Beets

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Green Kombucha Smoothie

Green Smoothie made with spinach, kombucha,

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 1 small apple cut in large chunks, skin included
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup gingerberry kombucha more if you want
• 2 tablespoons frozen mango honeydo or grapes (for sweetness)
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1 cup ice more if needed
• 1 serving protein powder optional

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients in Vitamix on the smoothie button.
• If you don't have smoothie button, start slow for 20 seconds, take to high for 30 seconds or turn off, once it is completely smooth.
• Use the tamper to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.

Notes

Notes: If too thin, add in more fruit.
If you find your smoothie too thick add in small amount of water or add in more kombucha.

 I am thrilled you took the time to visit. Never miss a recipe, subscribe today and follow my boards on Pinterest.

The post Green Kombucha Smoothie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I am loving my Vitamix to make green smoothies.  I am back to my healthy self again, which means all out exercise. It took me about three weeks to rebuild my stamina from pneumonia, the flu and a sinus infection, which took the better part of three months of my life, where my exercise was spotty to non-existent.

It was a troubling time for me, as I have never gone hardly more than a week without exercise my whole adult life. I’m one of those rare birds who loves to work out, because I need to work out. I really feel it when I’m not in my routine.  I’ve been working out with a group called B. Fab Fitness for the past eight years and if you live in Nashville, it’s worth checking out.

Take a look at the video to see how kids get excited about the green smoothie recipes.

The Vitamix came just in time for me to make this 30-minute  health soup while I was recuperating, and now it’s the staple to give me super nutrition while I’m doing classes several times a week. These workouts are intense and my body needs all the help it can get from the power foods.

These green smoothie recipes have the right color, texture and amount of sweetness as to not taste grassy or have that dull green color, which I think is unappetizing.

These are a few ideas for green smoothie recipes, but you can always mix them up. I generally use a handful of kale and a handful of spinach, an apple and a citrus.

If I want it a little tart, I’ll use lemon. If I want it sweeter, I’ll use a little orange.  For sweetness, I’ll use honeydew pineapple, or mango. These work best frozen in advance.

There are times I might throw in celery and a carrot. The possibilities are endless. To bulk up the smoothie with more nutrition, I’ll  add this unflavored Vitamix protein powder, which remains tasteless in the drink (not like the protein powders that are flavored vanilla, etc.). Other healthy additions are raw oats, ground flax seeds or nuts.

Since this post I discovered that you can freeze spinach and kale.  I wrote about how to freeze kale and spinach here.

More Smoothies from Spinach Tiger

Green Smoothie made with Kombucha

Red Beet Smoothie

Cold Fighting Smoothie for sick kids

Vitamin C Smoothie and Tips for Reducing a Fever

Carob Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

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Green Smoothie with Kale, Apple, Lemon, Honey Dew

Two Recipes for Green Smoothies with Kale & Spinach

Course Beverage

Cuisine Heathy

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Ingredients for Smoothie Number 1
• 1 cup kale
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup honey dew melon
• 1 green apple
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds optional
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup ice cubes

Ingredients for Smoothie Number 2

• 1 cup kale
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 frozen pear slice before freezing
• 1 cup chopped mango
• 1/2 orange no seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds optional
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Mix with together in Vitamix until smooth. You have options to add in flax seeds, the Vitamix protein powder (which is tasteless), avocado, banana, raw oats, nuts, etc.

The post Two Green Smoothie Recipes using Kale and Spinach appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

All day, I tried to figure out why this dessert haunted me, in a good way. I kept remembering how it tasted, and I tried not to eat it because, really, I made it for you, and for a mango contest, but it was so hard to resist and with each set of photos, it was disappearing fast, not just because it was melting.

Lori of Fake Food Free is hosting a mango contest and this is my entry. My idea of a perfect mango recipe is to leave the mango as whole as possible and marry it with other flavors to create something bright, delicious and memorable.

This is memorable. It’s an unusual Italian frozen custard that can be made in an ice cream maker or not. Since I don’t have an ice cream maker, I froze the custard and chopped it up a few times. I finished it in a food processor, scooped it into glasses and refroze. Right before serving, it comes out to sit for about 10-15 minutes and is eaten soft. This only enhances the flavors more. It’s the dessert I can’t wait to serve to guests and see their reaction. The rosemary is the great surprise, but it’s still all about the mango.

The Advantages of Making Frozen Custard
You will notice that there is no heavy cream in this recipe and one of the advantages is that you get to choose which milk you want to use–organic, fat free, whole, lactose free. You get to pick the eggs–cage free, local farm, organic. You get to pick the sugar, and you can choose an organic sugar, or a less processed sugar. I made one version with raw agave nectar and while the egg yolks don’t froth as much, it was still good.

This would be delicious served with these lime coconut butter thins.

Recipe for Mango Frozen Custard

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk
• Juice and zest of one large lime (zest divided)
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 ripe mango, diced
• scant 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped very very fine

Instructions

• Add 1/2 lime zest into milk. Heat until small bubbles appear, not allowing to boil.
• Beat egg yolks with sugar for 5 minutes until very creamy.
• Place a heatproof boil over a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler).
• Add 1/4 milk into egg yolk mixture, whisking (to make sure there is no curdling).
• Add rest of milk, put bowl over simmering water (or double boiler. Mixture will be done when a spoon is lightly coated, (the water in pan will boil). Don’t allow the custard to boil.
• Cool. Add in diced mango, lime juice, rest of lime zest and rosemary.

At this point you can either put into an ice cream maker or freeze. (If you not using an ice cream maker, do not add mango.)

Instructions when not using ice cream maker

1. Once frozen, first time, set for a a few hours, remove, chop up. Place in food processor. Once smooth, add in diced mango. Repeat 2 or 3 times, until smooth and creamy.
2. I made this once with fat free milk and once with whole milk.
   Fat free milk: I had to smooth the process 3 times.
   Whole Milk: I froze and chopped up once and put in food processor. It was very creamy.
3. Scoop into serving dishes, place in freezer.
   Take out 10-20 minutes before serving. This is best eaten when soft, more like a frozen custard.

The post Mango Lime Rosemary Frozen Custard appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I did a little research on mango. We all know that fruit is good for you, but I’ve read again and again “mango is king.” Not queen, but king and that must be a big deal.

Thought to be highly medicinal, mangoes are an ancient fruit dating back maybe as early as 4000 B.C. Some of the claims include a cure for anemia (high in iron), reducing blood cholesterol, increasing digestive capacity and brain power, and can be used as a laxative.

I think they just taste really good, and have the versatility to be made into desserts, breads, shakes, and cocktails. Just yesterday I made a delicious tomato mango salsa for grilled halibut. But today it’s sweetened up in a quick bread from Dorie Greenspan, which she adapted from a “Mrs. Earl” who had a grew mangoes and this is probably just one of the things she did with this king of fruit.

This mango bread is very moist, and flavorful, and can also be made into muffins.

Making a few changes
I replaced both brown and white sugar with raw agave nectar and eliminated one egg white. I used a white whole wheat flour instead of white flour. In rethinking this recipe, I might even cut the raw agave in half, and macerate the mangoes so that the sweetness comes more naturally from the fruit. I used allspice instead of ginger and DC thought the bread was perfectly spiced. I would still like to try fresh ginger next time.
Recipe (adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours)

• 3 large eggs (I removed 1 egg white)
• ¾ cup flavorless oil, such as canola (next time, I’ll replace half with applesauce)
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar and
• ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar (I used 1 cup raw agave nectar)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger (I used allspice)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced mango¾ cup moist
• Grated zest of ½ lime

Notes: The changes I made resulted in a very moist, spicy quick bread. It made me think of gingerbread. Mangoes are very sweet, and I will reduce sweetener by half next time, reduce the amount of oil and replace extra ripe mango.

You can order Dorie’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours here. 

Come back tomorrow to see another mango recipe made with sabayon.
All original content (outside of adapted recipe) copyright © 2009 Angela Roberts, All Rights Reserved

The post Mango Quick Bread with Raw Agave Nectar appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

It’s food that is not “messed” with, kept as whole and untouched as possible so that each ingredient can be a star in its own right. This is my idea of a happy meal, not in line at all with the vision of modern culture’s happy meal. You can’t wrap this and put it in a bag. It’s not a carry around eat with your hands on the way out the door meal. It’s a “sit down, taste, enjoy, and savor each and every bite” meal. It was so good that I’ve been remembering it all day, wanting to eat it all over again. So good that I couldn’t eat dinner, because I’m ruined to be hungry for anything else. I may have to run to Whole Foods tomorrow and have it all over again.

Mango Crazy – How it Started
I am committed to two mango dishes this week and thought why not be like my fellow food blogger friend Greg at Sippity Sup. He went mint crazy last week and made no less than FIVE mint dishes that are worth checking out.

Mangos are not a go to food for me, but why not take on the challenge and prepare five dishes with mangos. It was easy to know where to start. We could be in separate rooms and answer the question correctly. What would DC want me to do with mangos. Make a salsa and put it on seafood. He got excited and brought me home a case of mangoes, which led to a back and forth on what I could do with them.

I had to pair the mango with tomato. I can’t say why but it was in my head, and I discovered I like the two sweet fruits put together. They are beautiful side by side. Perhaps it works because one doesn’t take away from the other. They can remain distinctly who they are, each exhibiting a different kind of sweet.

My First Attempt was a Failure
You need to know that I have kitchen failures trying to develop my own recipes. If I could give you a cooking lesson, it would be to go with your instincts, your own taste buds, use recipes as guides and be willing to try again. This time, I made the mistake of putting the mango tomato and onion in a food processor all at the same time, and all I got was mush. With a box of mangos staring at me, I started over, realizing the importance of keeping each ingredient separate and chopping by hand.

On my second try, I decided to use some mango I had macerated in limoncello using Italian lemon liqueur, but you can skip that step if you use very ripe mangos. I roughly chopped up each ingredient separately and then brought it all together. I did not use a lot of heat or a lot of red onion, because they can overpower the mango and tomato flavors and the delicate flavor of the halibut.

Cilantro or Basil
We had one disagreement. DC wanted cilantro. I wanted basil. Of course, I divided it up and made it both ways, thinking I would change his mind. He thinks his version was better, and I still disagree. Normally, I trust his taste buds, which are incredibly sophisticated and spot on. He knows immediately, what I need to take out or put in. I marvel at this, and feel the hand of divine intervention in making us a couple.

The recipe is for the salsa and halibut. The fish was served over brown rice made with mango and basil, but you could easily figure out how to do that, or I might return with a rice recipe. You could use white rice, wheat berries, couscous, orzo, etc.

Arrange raw spinach on a dish, drizzle with olive oil. Cover most of the spinach with the hot rice or hot grain. Place halibut on top of rice, and then arrange salsa on top of the halibut. It’s an all in one dish meal, but certainly no casserole, not even close. You will be able to taste everything individually and that is what makes this such a superb meal.

Recipe for Grilled Halibut with Tomato Mango Salsa
Ingredients

• 1 pound halibut
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Allow halibut to sit out before grilling for 20 minutes so it will cook in center.
2. Brush grill or spray grill with oil so fish will not stick. Brush lightly with olive oil, lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
3.  Heat grill to very hot, and then turn to medium high. Sear on grill skin side down, for 5 minutes. Turn over for another 4-5 minutes, watching carefully to not overcook. Time will vary depending upon thickness of fish. The fish is done as soon as the translucency disappears.

Tomato Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango, macerated in liquor such rum overnight, sliced, diced
• 1 tomato, seeded, diced
• handful basil leaves chopped or cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion or finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped serrano pepper, seeded, deveined
• 1/4 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded, deveined, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Peel mango, using a potato peeler. I use a mandolin to medium slice the mango, then dice.
2. Slice tomato, squeeze out seeds, dice.
3. Dice or cut herbs with kitchen scissors, finely
4. Mix olive oil and lime juice together.Bring together gently to avoid over blending or making mushy.
5. Add lime zest at end.

Allow to sit in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Notes: Macerating a mango will help to bring out it’s flavor as it breaks it down. I used limoncello, but you can use a syrup made of citrus sugar water or a different alcohol, such as rum.

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