Salmon Mango Salad

Sorry for the brief absence, I've been cooking but I seemed to have been struck with a little writer's block. Oh, and laziness. Whoops?


Anyway, back on track, last night I made one of my favorite summertime staples, Salmon Mango Salad. It is light, crisp, and the mangos are wonderful right now, so you can pretend that it isn't 30 degrees outside.

Salmon Mango Salad
serves 2

2 medium salmon fillets, skin removed
1 lime
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
honey
salad greens
chili-lime pistachio nuts*, coarsely chopped
1 mango, diced

*I have found these at the grocery store and at Target, but if you can't put your hands on a bag, regular pistachios are fine.


Slice two wedges out of the lime, set aside. Squeeze the juice from the rest of the lime into a small bowl. Add a few splashes of olive oil, a dollop of honey, the ginger and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste; whisk until blended. Marinate the salmon fillets in the lime mixture for 1-2 hours.


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a splash of olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet until just about to smoke, carefully place salmon in hot pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, developing a nice crusty sear. Flip salmon and place in oven for 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillets and desired degree of doneness.

While the salmon cooks, heat the marinade in the microwave for about a minute and place washed and dried salad greens in bowls. Top with diced mango. Mix heated marinade with a bit more olive oil and the juice from the reserved lime wedges. Whisk well to combine, then taste and adjust the spices--this is your salad dressing, you're looking for bold, tangy flavors here.


Place hot salmon on top of greens and garnish with crushed pistachios and honey lime vinaigrette. Serve immediately.