Broiled Salmon with Mango Salsa and Rice

Yummy.  The mango salsa was perfect with wild rice.  Great, fresh meal!

(Recipe and photo from juliasalbum.com)

Ingredients for mango salsa:

• 2 cups pineapple, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup mango, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup tomato, chopped in small cubes
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped

Ingredients for rice, salmon, and glaze:

• 2 cups uncooked rice or wild rice
• 1.5 pounds salmon, or 4 6-ounce salmon fillets
• garlic salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1) Mix all chopped ingredients for mango salsa in a large bowl, add lime juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let the juices do their work.

2) Cook 2 cups of uncooked rice according to instructions for the type of rice (or even quinoa) you’re using.

3) To prepare the glaze: combine honey, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small pan on medium heat until honey is softened and well incorporated with other ingredients. Set aside.

4) Preheat broiler. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Before broiling salmon in the oven, I like to sear it a little bit on the stove top: this will add nice color and will also allow to easily remove the skin. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat in a skillet until very hot. Add salmon, non-skin side down and sear on high heat for 2 minutes, constantly moving the salmon in the skillet so that it doesn’t stick. After it’s nicely seared, flip the salmon skin side down and continue searing for 2 more minutes on its skin side, constantly moving the salmon to avoid sticking to the skillet. After it’s nicely seared on the skin side, remove the skin easily with spatula.

5) Place the salmon in an oven-proof dish skin-less side up (with the side that used to have skin – down). Brush the top of salmon with half the amount of glaze prepared in step 3. Broil for about 3 minutes, brush with the remaining amount of glaze and broil for additional 2-3 minutes until nicely charred. Watch to make sure salmon does not burn because of the sugar in the honey. Remove from the broiler, cover with foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow salmon to cook through but not be overcooked.

6) To serve, place a scoop of rice (or quinoa) on one side of the dish and a scoop of mango salsa next to it. Top with salmon.

Greek Flat Bread- Perfect for Souvlaki

Our store was out of flat bread so we had to make our own last night and I am afraid we have been ruined.  The texture of this was so soft and delicious, nobody wants to go back. :)


Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, see Cook's Note*
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Melted butter for slathering on the finished bread
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the bread into a round circle. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circular shape.

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your circles, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

After about 1 minute, flip the bread.  Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the bread from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the bread in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest and serve.