pan-seared salmon with mango salsa

I’ve always heard and read that mango salsa pairs well with salmon but I’ve never really tried it before. The sweet, salty and slightly spicy flavors blend well together for a fresh and tropical salsa version. For a quick Friday dinner, salmon pieces were marinated in lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper and set aside in the fridge until ready to cook. I decided to make some oven-roasted potatoes to go with the dish. The potatoes were cut into wedges lengthwise and blanched until half-cooked. I’ve tried roasting raw potatoes before but it took a long time to cook. Blanching helps cut down the broiling time. The blanched potato wedges were then transferred to a baking pan, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika, for color, and broiled until lightly toasted. The basic vegetable side dish I made consisted of broccoli, snow peas, and carrots, stir-fried with some minced garlic. The vegetables were very filling and I’ve been relying on them as a substitute for rice during the week. For the salsa, diced ripe mangoes, chopped cilantro, chopped red onions ( may be sauteed in olive oil until translucent and cooled before adding to the salsa ), thinly sliced spring onions, finely chopped jalapeno ( optional ), salt and pepper to taste, were combined together. Pan-frying the marinated salmon pieces was quick and easy in a some olive oil for about 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Pan-searing gives salmon and other fish as well, a perfectly toasted color. I tend to stay away from thicker cuts as much as possible or else I split them into smaller pieces or slice them thinner to cook more evenly.

Pan-seared salmon served with mango salsa, oven-roasted potato wedges and garnished with cilantro