Salmon with Mango Salsa

I had major surgery two and a half weeks ago. The wonderful ladies from our church flooded my kitchen with delicious meals for the first week and a half once I got home. All of the food was wonderful, but a couple of things were absolutely amazing (chocolate chips cookies, chicken spaghetti, and homemade rolls!), and I'm collecting those recipes and will share them with you soon. One night, we did have an opening, so I got in the kitchen and made this light, but delicious meal. Brack was at work that night, but Gerald, Jewell, and I, thoroughly enjoyed it!

We are trying to eat fish at least once a week, particularly salmon due to it's health benefits. This summer, I have determined that besides salmon once a week, we will have some other fish or shrimp at least one night. Seafood is delicious, and lighter. Perfect for summer fare. Here's the recipe!

Pan Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice

fish and marinade

four salmon steaks (fresh or thawed)

one tbsp EVOO per piece of salmon

zest and juice from two limes

fresh garlic to taste (I used about a tablespoon of jarred minced)

salt and pepper to taste

coconut rice (ancient grains blend)

one cup ancient grains and rice blend

two cups coconut water

zest from one lime

minced fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, lemon balm, dill)

mango salsa

1 large mango, peeled and diced

four red mini peppers, diced (or one small red bell pepper)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1 large avocado, diced

one tbsp EVOO

juice and zest from one lime

drizzle of honey (or more to your taste)

one tbsp coconut water

salt and pepper to taste

(Note - my local grocery store did not have one single avocado in stock. And to be honest, when they do, they're either nearly bad or rock hard. I buy Wholly Guacamole Chunky singles so we always have some on hand. Jewell loves to make avocado toast, so this is perfect for that. I just opened a pack and dropped little dollops on top. It worked great!) 

Marinate fish for about 30 minutes. Make salsa. Try to chop the mango, onion, and peppers finely and the same size. Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Cook ancient grains using coconut water. See my directions below this picture. Set aside. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Spray with Pam. Add fish face down, cook for two minutes, flip and cook for two minutes. You may need to reduce heat to keep garlic from burning. I continue to flip my fish about every minute or so, until it reaches 145 degrees. Stir herbs into rice. Plate and enjoy! 

I love rice - all rice: white, brown, black, you name it. But I am trying to make healthier choices when possible. I found this ancient grain blend that I really like. It has fewer calories than traditional white rice and cooks up so much faster than brown rice! I used to be able to get a similar blend at Costco, alas, as they do with many of my favorites, they have stopped carrying it. I found this one on Walmart.com. It is out of stock right now (surprise, surprise), so when it is available again, I will share it on my IG stories. I plan to buy several bags. It takes 10 minutes to cook. I usually add a teaspoon of chicken base to the water, and then once it is done, I add a 1/4 cup or so of fresh herbs that I have chopped. I use whatever I have plenty of, but usually its oregano, basil, thyme, and LOTS of fresh dill. I mix the herbs in as I fluff the rice with a fork. We love this! For this recipe, I used coconut water instead of plain water and chicken base. I also added some lime zest. It was very light and fragrant!