Malibu Salmon - A Great Summer Dish

I wanted to cook dinner last night but didn't want it to be too complicated because of the heat in our apartment--no central AC here. After scanning a couple of recipes in one of my favorite cookbooks, Dave's Dinners by Dave Lieberman I found what I was looking for--Chili Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Mango Salsa. As I usually do, I switched a couple of things around to make it more my own. See Dave's recipe below and then my variation too.

Dave's Version (Serves 4)

Ingredients (for the fish)

1 lb of fresh salmon fillet, skin removed and cut into 4 equal pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbs of vegetable oil

2 tbs of chili powder

2 tsp of dried oregano

Ingredients (for the cucumber-mango salsa)

2 ripe but firm mangoes, flesh removed and finely diced

1/2 English (hothouse) cucumber, finely diced

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp of salt

10 grinds of fresh black pepper

Directions:

Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Rub all over with vegetable oil. Mix the chili powder and oregano together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Rub all over the fish to coat the fish evenly. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Cook the salmon 4-5 minutes per side, until crispy on both sides and cooked medium.

Toss the salsa ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

My Variation:

For the salmon, I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and instead of the chili powder I substituted with Malibu BBQ Rub. If you don't have this--who am I kidding, why would you have this?--the ingredients in it are onion flake, dry orange peel, coriander seeds, black pepper, coconut and Malibu rum. But if you don't have these ingredients--or don't care for them--you can always use a dry rub of your choice.

Dave's recipe above doesn't ask for more oil when sauteeing the salmon and I'm not sure why. The fish needs something to cook on, so I used a modest amount of cooking spray but you can use olive oil too.

For the cucumber-mango salsa, I substituted the juice of an orange with some water, which diluted the strong taste of lime juice. Because I don't particularly care for mint, I used fresh chopped parsley, which was lemony and crisp.

As a side dish, I cooked up an instant package of Basmati rice and flavored it with fresh lime juice and the chopped parsley.

Overall, it was the perfect summer dinner--filling yet juicy and refreshing from the fruit and veggies. Also, if you're looking to cook something healthy, this is your dish. Give it a try and let me know the variations you come up with!