Salmon with mango jalapeno salsa

Prep time: approximately 30 minutes

Serves 4 people

I love salmon. I remember the first time I ate it. There is a farm stand outside of La Connor, Washington that sells produce, fish, and sometimes ice cream. I remember, as a teenager learning about “copper river salmon” there. I had been on a drive with my family and, very unlike us, we decided to bring home copper river salmon. We were told it was special, and only available for a few weeks in the year. This was a big deal for us - we rarely ventured outside of our “tried and true” recipes at home. None of us really knew how to cook salmon, so we put it on the BBQ; I was hooked. It took me a while to master cooking it - this is one of my favorite ways to prepare it.

For the salmon

1T butter

1T olive oil

1.5 lbs salmon, cut into 6oz filets, skin on

1 lemon

salt and pepper

For the mango jalapeno salsa

2 mangos, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 diced jalapeno (remove seeds and ribs to to make it less spicy, keep them for a kick)

1 lime (juice and zest)

1 clove garlic, pasted

1T apple cider vinegar

1/4 t red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

For the couscous

1 cup pearl (or Israeli) couscous

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 T butter

1 lemon, juice and zest

salt to taste

First, make the mango jalapeno salsa. Paste the garlic by chopping finely, mixing with a pinch of salt and pushing the two together up against a cutting board using the side of your knife. Do this over and over again until the garlic releases liquid and the mixture becomes a paste. Add the paste to a bowl, then mix in all of the other salsa ingredients. Allow to sit at room temperature until the rest of the meal is prepared.

Next, make the couscous. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Once boiling, add couscous, and reduce heat to low. Stir every few minutes until the couscous has absorbed all of the water; you can put together other parts of the dish during this time. Add lemon juice and zest, butter and pine nuts and stir. Keep covered in the pot until other components are ready.

While the couscous cooks, make the salmon. Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Pat the top of the flesh and skin dry. Sprinkle the flesh side with salt and pepper and place flesh side down in the butter and olive oil. Do not over crowd the pan; I typically make 2 filets at a time. Cook until the flesh side is brown, crispy and moves easily away from the pan; this will take 3-4 minutes. Flip over, so the salmon is skin-side down, and add the lemon juice and zest to the pan. Baste the salmon with the juices in the pan by scooping the pan drippings out and pouring them over the salmon several times per minute - You may need to tip the pan to do this successfully. Continue this process until the salmon is cooked through - depending on your stove and the thickness of your salmon, this could take another 3-6 minutes. Once cook, remove from the pan, slip off the skin and place on top of the couscous. Add the mango jalapeno salsa over top.

Substitutions:  

For vegetarian, sauté 1/2 inch cubes of tofu in olive oil, mix with the mango salsa and serve over the couscous

For gluten free, substitute couscous with a long-grain rice

For dairy-free, substitute butter with olive oil