North Shore Part 2: Domestic Diva's Pan Roasted Salmon with Mango Salsa

I'm coming to you live from the North Shore of Oahu once again! Even though a hurricane was barreling down on us (don't worry parents - it's already downgraded to a tropical storm), we've had fantastic weather, plenty of beach time, snorkeling and even some sea turtle sitings. And those damn mosquito bites - even Kuzak has succumbed - but it's a small price to pay for paradise!


This morning I woke up bright and early to meet my friend Alison, her progeny, Pierce and her mother-n-law at the Haleiwa Farmers Market, rumored to be one of the best markets in these parts. Haleiwa (pronounced Ha-lei-eeeva as my local friend taught me) is the historic town next to where we're staying, full of small shops, shaved ice stands and shrimp trucks. The farmers market was great, featuring local purveyors of everything from organic honey, to eggs and chicken, to heirloom tomatoes and lots of produce.


Our goal was to select fresh, local produce to cook into a feast tonight for dinner. We made out like bandits, scooping up gorgeous eggplant, collard greens, football-like avocados, basil, heirloom tomatoes and much more! So stay tuned to find out what we make for dinner, but in the meantime, I'll share with you a dinner I cooked up the other night for Kuzak. The house where we're staying has a beautiful mango tree brimming with fresh fruit, so I decided to make use of the local bounty. I pan-seared some sashimi quality salmon and served it with a mango salsa, stuffed full of serrano pepper, garlic, spring onion and plenty of citrus. The result was fantastic!

Note: For a balanced meal, I combined this dish with sauteed spinach and garlicky brown rice.


Domestic Diva's Pan Roasted Salmon with Mango Salsa

2 salmon fillets (I use 4 oz)
1 mango, fruit cut into small cubes
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp grapeseed oil or canola oil
2 lemons, juiced
salt and pepper

Directions:

To make the mango salsa, place the lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the mango, pepper, garlic and onion. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. If needed, add a little more lemon juice to balance the taste depending on the sweetness of the mango.

To make the salmon, heat the grapeseed oil in a pan over medium high heat until almost smoking. Add the fish, cooking for a few minutes on each side until desired doneness (I leave mine a little pink in the middle).

To serve, plate the salmon and top with a generous heap of mango salsa. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients:

mangoes from the tree by our rental cottage in Waialua

serrano pepper, spring onion and sashimi quality salmon from Malama Market Haleiwa

Music on Tap:

Air - Moon Safari
Bob Marley - Natty Dread
Angus & Julia Stone - A Book Like This