Local cookbook writer Eric S. Lee has the secret recipe for a perfect Valentine’s supper: grilled salmon with mango salsa. Follow with chocolate, and even if it doesn’t score you love points, you’ll have a delicious dinner.
Lee will be signing copies of his new romance-focused cookbook, “Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food,” 2-4 p.m. Thursday and 1-2 p.m. Saturday at Cheese Importers, 33 South Pratt Parkway, Longmont (303-772-9599, cheese ).
Salmon With Fresh Mango Salsa
From “Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food,” by Eric S. Lee. Visit for more information.
Ingredients
1 lime
1/3 cup oil (preferably olive oil)
1 fresh mango peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (some grocers carry fresh mango already skinned in jars in the produce dept)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced (save the rest for roasting)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 salmon filets, 6 to 8 ounces each (do not get steaks)
Salt & pepper
Directions
MANGO SALSA
Cut lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into a midsized mixing bowl. Whisk in half of the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except salmon, remaining oil, salt and pepper in a midsized bowl and gently toss until well mixed. Be sure and stir using a large (wooden if possible) serving spoon, from bottom using your spoon in an upward, over and down folding motion to get all of the juice from the bottom mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. Add a dash of salt and pepper and gently mix again. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made one day ahead.
GRILLED SALMON
Turn grill to medium high to heat up the grates. Place the salmon filets on a platter skin side down and rub remaining oil onto the meat until completely covered. Try and get some of the oil onto the skin. Feel free to use a barbecue sauce brush for this. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
When grill is hot place filets on the grill, flesh side down and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Turn over and let cook another 3-4 minutes until salmon is just cooked through. Some like their salmon medium rare. If this is you cook a little less. If you need to check for doneness, though I try to avoid this, take a knife and gently slice into the top of the fish to ensure it is cooked to your preference. If it “flakes” all the way through but is still moist it is done. Since you will be topping it with the beautiful salsa you’ve made it won’t matter if you have “butchered” it a little.
Optionally, when salmon is done, take a metal spatula and insert it into the crease between the skin and the flesh and slide it all the way through until the skin is removed. Place each filet on top of a bed of sauteed spinach on a beautiful plate.
Top with Mango Salsa and serve.
