Sunday, March 2, 2014

Salmon with Mango, Edamame & Pink Grapefruit Salad

Salmon with mango, edamame & pink grapefruit salad 1.jpg

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, our theme is Tropical Delights.  I love food that transports me to the tropics any time, and enjoying the tail end of summer here in New Zealand right now, this was the perfect theme to get excited about.

I've holidayed several times in Bali, and also in Queensland (Australia), and on such occasions nearly the first thing I do as soon as I get off the plane is find a good fruit stall and stock up on papaya, mango and pineapple.  These are pretty much my all time favourite fruits, but as none of them are really grown here in New Zealand, indulging in them is at best a rare treat.  Set me down in a tropical destination, however, and you will find me literally gorging on them every day for the duration of my stay.

As most of you will know, our current guest chef, Donna Hay, is based in Australia where tropical fruit is abundant at this time of year.  Little surprise then that the latest summer issue of Donna Hay magazine is positively groaning with tropically-inspired fare - seriously, I was just about drooling over every single page.  But the dish that really leapt out at me was Donna's Salmon with Papaya Salad & Pink Grapefruit Dressing.  Of course Donna's styling is always stunning, but I found the picture of her crispy skinned salmon, alongside a gorgeous wedge of orange-fleshed papaya, garnished with lotus root chips and Thai basil leaves particularly captivating - the kind of dish I could easily imagine myself eating on a steamy evening, sitting on the terrace of one of my favourite Balinese restaurants.

Of course, I live in Nelson, New Zealand, not some tropical island paradise, so I couldn't find a ripe papaya last week for love nor money.  Ditto Thai basil leaves.  Also lucked out on the lotus root, which they do often stock in the freezer of my local Asian supermarket, but the one day I want some ... nada!

So, what's a girl to do when obsessed with a certain dish and ingredients aren't available?  Improvise of course.  Mango seemed like a good alternative to papaya.  I could use some peppery rocket leaves and mizuna instead of Thai basil and Chinese spinach.  I also decided that since the salad had a pink grapefruit dressing, some grapefruit segments in the salad would be a nice addition, and I also added some edamame to make the salad a little more substantial.  In fact, even without the salmon, the resulting salad would make a delicious, light meal in its own right.

Mango, Edamame & Pink Grapefruit Salad.jpg

Salmon with Mango, Edamame &
Pink Grapefruit Salad Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Donna Hay
From Feb/Mar 2014 issue of Donna Hay magazine

2x skin-on, bone out salmon fillets
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salad
1x firm mango, ever so slightly under-ripe, peeled and cut into wedges
1x pink grapefruit, peeled & cut into segments (membrane removed)
3/4 cup shelled edamame
2x generous handfuls of peppery leaves such as rocket, cress, mizuna

Dressing:
juice of 1x pink grapefruit
2 tablespoons grated palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 cm (3/4 in) piece of ginger, finely grated

Begin by making the dressing.  Place all the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to combine.  Set aside.

Put vegetable oil in a non-stick frypan set over medium heat.  Season salmon with salt and pepper, and once pan is heated, place salmon in the pan skin side down.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, before turning over and cooking for approximately one more minute or until done to your liking.

While salmon is cooking, place all the salad ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine.

To serve, arrange salad on serving plates, drizzle with the dressing, and top with the salmon.

Salmon with mango, edamame & pink grapefruit salad 2.jpg

This was a wonderful dish, full of great flavours and textures, and washed down with an excellent gewurtztraminer loaded with tropical flavours of lychee and papaya, it wasn't hard to close my eyes and imagine myself in some island paradise.

If you would like to get to know Donna Hay a little better, and to see all the fabulous tropical delights my friends have come up with, then do go visit I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links.

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I'll also be sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace, Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads, and at Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollam.

See Ya in The Gumbo Badge     Weekend Cooking Badge     Foodie Friday Badge

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14 comments:

  1. What a pretty and very tropical dish. Love all of the changes you made to it. And based on your description - and ignoring the mountains of snow surrounding me - I can almost imagine myself on that island paradise.

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    1. Thanks, Zosia. I'm totally impressed that you manage to put yourself in the tropical mood to participate in the event this week when you're surrounded by snow! I would have found that a real challenge.

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  2. I absolutely love salmon and this recipe definitely sounds like a winner! Great combination of flavors :)

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow

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    1. Definitely a winning dish for any salmon lover, Eric. Thanks for visiting.

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  3. This dish looks amazing--so bright and colorful, fresh and healthy! I am definitely going to tag it and make it. I love all of your changes--I can get papaya readily here but I would hold out for the mango. ;-) The edamame are a great addition and the grapefruit segments too. Perfect!

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    1. Thanks, Deb. I really enjoyed the addition of the grapefruit and edamame, and the tart mango was delicious too. I'm definitely going to try it again though the next time I see papaya available.

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  4. Hi Sue,
    That is one stunning dish! Combination of salmon with tropical fruits salad looks wonderful. I like the changes you've made. And yes, I would enjoy the fruit salad as it is, even without the salmon.
    But with the salmon, it makes a satisfying meal, and a healthy one at that. And a nice touch with the edamame! :)

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    1. Thanks. Joyce, I actually would never have thought before to put salmon together with those kind of fruits, but it was a really delicious combination of flavours and textures.

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  5. Sue - I simply don't know where to start. First of all, I loved reading about your tropical vacations. I can just imagine enjoying that fresh, ripe, juicy tropical fruit while relaxing on a beach or veranda somewhere. I have to tell you that I love that way you improvised this dish. It looks absolutely mouthwatering and is calling to me on so many levels. I swear I'd love to reach into your photo and just take a bite of that mango :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Kim. I know that you would absolutely love this dish and know doubt you will be looking forward to some "tropical fare" soon after the winter you've just had.

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  6. What a lucky lady you are! I'm pretty much a desert rat! ;) foods certainly can transport you to various foreign places. Salmon is a fav of mine as are mangos & grapefruit. This is the next salad I make! OXOX!

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    1. Thanks, Gwen. If you're a salmon, grapefruit and mango lover, you are definitely going to enjoy this salad. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. One of my favorite fish dishes includes grapefruit, lemon, and orange segments. I never would have thought to use tropical fruit like papaya or mango. Beautiful plate, Sue. Perfect meal fot eating out on the deck in the sunshine.

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  8. I love all of these ingredients! I wouldn't have thought of using them together, but it sounds like it really worked well! The creamy papaya, the sweet-sour grapefruit, crunchy edamame, peppery greens...all lovely compliments to the salmon. Beautiful! :)

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