Grilled Salmon with Green Sauce and Tomatillo-Pineapple Salsa

Grilled Salmon with Green Sauce and Tomatillo-Pineapple Salsa
Chef: Sue Torres
Servings: 4

If you’re a salmon fan, this recipe is definitely for you! Actually, even if you’re not, this one may sway you. Here the fleshy fish is beautifully balanced—in both color and flavor—by both wonderful sauces. And, if you’ve never used tomatillos before, this is a wonderful introduction to this typical Mexican tomato-like veggie. Actually, the individual components of this dish, which could be for lunch or dinner, are easily adaptable to other recipes. This recipe is packed with several Latin powerfoods: tomatillos, chiles, avocados, and cilantro. It also has the lime, jícama, onion, and pineapple.

Green Sauce

Ingredients
3 ⁄ 4 cup water
2 tomatillos, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 serrano chiles, stemmed but not seeded, coarsely chopped
1 1⁄2 avocados, preferably Mexican Hass, peeled and seeded (about 1 cup packed)
1 tablespoon salt
juice of 1 lime (about 1 ⁄ 8 cup)
1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Tomatillo-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients
3 ⁄ 4 cup jícama, cut into 1⁄4 -inch dice
1⁄2 cup red onion, cut into 1⁄4 -inch dice
1⁄2 cup pineapple, cut into 1⁄4 -inch dice
1 cup tomatillos, cut into 1⁄4 -inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (leaves and stems), coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lime (about 1 ⁄ 8 cup)
1 ⁄ 8 of an habanero chile, seeded and finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1 ⁄ 8 cup sunflower (or your favorite) oil

Salmon

Ingredients
Four 6-ounce wild salmon fillets, with skin
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
4 lime wedges

Method

To make the Green Sauce, pour the water into the bottom of a blender. Add the tomatillos and serranos and blend until puréed. Add the avocado, salt, and lime (and cilantro, if desired). Mix until well blended. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the jícama, red onion, and pineapple, and tomatillos. Stir in the cilantro, lime juice, habanero, salt, and pepper. Add the oil and stir until well coated. Let sit for an hour at room temperature and correct seasoning, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium-size stainless steel saucepan over a medium-high flame until hot but not smoking. Add 4 fillets, skin side down, and sear until the skin is well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to serving platter and keep warm. (You also have the option to grill the salmon.)

Set four plates up for serving, and ladle about two ounces of the Green Sauce into each plate. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the salsa, add a salmon fillet, and top with a teaspoon of the fruit salsa. Garnish with a fresh lime wedge, and serve.

Nutritional information (per 1-person serving):
Salmon w/both sauces Grilled Salmon Green Sauce Tomatillo-Pineapple Sauce
Serving: 6 oz. ½ cup 1 cup
Calories: 529 349 103 77
Total Fat: 30.8g 17.8g 8.3g 4.7g
Carbs: 10.3g 0g 5.5g 4.8g
Fiber: 8.2g 0g 4.4g 3.8g
Sugars: 8.8g 0g 0.9g 7.9g
Protein: 45.3g 43.2 1.5g 0.6g
Antioxidant Rating: 3 1 3 2