Monday, January 26, 2015

Jerk Salmon Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing

Jerk Salmon Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing 2

It's been a little while since I shared a Secret Recipe Club (**) post with you.  We've been on a brief hiatus over Christmas, but I'm excited that my group is back to posting this week.

*  So what's this Secret Recipe Club you may ask?  The club has over a hundred members, divided into four groups, and each month one member is assigned (in secret) to another member from their group.  That person then selects a recipe (or more) to make, photograph, and prepare a blog post - all in secret.  Then everyone in the group posts their recipe on the same day, and of course the secret is then out.  It's a always a thrill to find out who has posted something from your own blog, and to meet and discover some new blogs.   If you are a food blogger and interested in joining the Secret Recipe Club, be sure to check out the Join SRC page.

Because we've been on a bit of a break, I've had an extra long time to explore and get to know my assigned blog, which this month is Sew You Think You Can Cook, hosted by Lauren who lives in Ohio with her husband and son.  Lauren is an aerospace engineer, and hopes to one day realise her food dream and become a caterer.  As well as her obvious passion for food and blogging, Lauren also loves quilting and cross stitching, which is evident in the quilt-block tutorials you will find on her blog along with all her great recipes.

There were several recipes from Lauren's blog I bookmarked to try:  Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Raisin Energy Balls, Coconut Shrimp with Bloody Mary Dip, and Lemony Shrimp Scampy with Orzo.  In the end, I decided Lauren's Spinach Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing was the best fit with the healthy eating plan I'm trying to follow this month.

Jerk Salmon Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing 3

I did make a couple of changes to fit my current food habits and available ingredients.  Firstly I replaced chicken with salmon, since I'm not eating any meat at the moment and, as a clean out of my fridge revealed a jar of jerk paste needing to be used up, I marinated my salmon with some of that instead of the ancho chilli powder which is not readily available here.  I couldn't get any spinach at the market this week, so I've used cos lettuce instead;  I replaced coriander (cilantro) with mint because that's what I had in the garden;  and I replaced apple cider vinegar with fresh lime juice, again because that's what I had on hand.  I increased the amount of chilli in the dressing as well, and let me tell you that this dressing is so good I could just drink it on it's own.  The combination of sweet pineapple, hot chilli, fresh mint and sour lime is positively irresistible, and was the perfect foil to the oily, spicy salmon.  Thanks for a great recipe, Lauren - this is definitely one I will be repeating.

Jerk Salmon Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing 1

Jerk Salmon Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing Recipe
adapted from this recipe
at Sew You Think You Can Cook
Serves 2 as a main meal

2x fillets of salmon, pin bones removed
2 teaspoons of jerk paste
olive oil

1/2 a fresh pineapple, core & skin removed and discarded
generous handful of fresh mint leaves
1x clove garlic
1x green chilli, roughly chopped (remove seeds if you prefer)
juice of 1/2 an orange
2 tablespoons lime juice
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

salad leaves of your choice
thinly sliced red & yellow peppers

Rub jerk paste all over salmon fillets, and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Meanwhile, make the spicy pineapple dressing.  Cut the fresh pineapple into chunks, and put half of the chunks into a blender - reserve the rest of the pineapple chunks for the salad.  Add the mint leaves, garlic, chilli, orange juice, lime juice, salt and pepper to the blender and blitz until smooth.  Then with the blender running, add extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream, until dressing is smooth and emulsified.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Place salmon in a lightly greased ovenproof dish, drizzle with a little olive oil, and place in the preheated oven until cooked through - about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your fillets.

While the salmon is cooking, toss salad leaves, red & yellow peppers, and chunks of pineapple together.  Arrange on a serving platter, and drizzle over the dressing.   Remove salmon from the oven, place on top of the salad and drizzle with a little more dressing.  Serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did, and visit the links below to check out all the other great dishes my Secret Recipe Club friends made.



46 comments:

  1. Happy Reveal Day~ The perfect recipe with just right amount of zip! Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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    1. Thanks, Lynne. I really enjoyed the bit of kick this had from the jerk seasoning on the salmon and the bit of chilli in the dressing.

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  2. This looks delicious!! I LOVE salmon paired with fruit... perfect combo!

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    1. Thanks, Jess. To be honest I had never thought to pair salmon with fruit before, but in this instance it worked perfectly.

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  3. This looks amazing. Salmon + fruit = fantastic. Thanks for sharing with the SRC.

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    1. Thanks, Camilla. I have to admit that I wasn't entirely sure that the salmon and pineapple would work together, but they were strangely wonderful together. I think it was the spiciness of both the salmon and the dressing that brought the two together.

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  4. Salmon would pair perfectly with that dressing. Great pick. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Thanks, Lauren, and thanks for providing such a great recipe. The salmon was absolutely wonderful with that fabulous dressing. I'm going to try it again this weekend with prawns.

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  5. Absolutely STUNNING photos and a GREAT idea and SRC pick! Karen

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    1. Thanks, Wendy and thanks for taking the time to stop by - I do appreciate your visit.

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  7. My mouth is watering and I don't even eat fish at all (minus canned tuna - fancy, right?!). That seriously just looks so incredibly good. Great pick :) Happy reveal day!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah - if ever a non-fish-eater was going to give it a try, I think this would be the dish to do it. I think it tasted even better than it looks.

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  8. That salmon sounds SO fresh and inviting - absolutely GORGEOUS! Beautiful pick for SRC today. :)

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    1. Thanks, Rebekah - this was a very fresh and lovely, and I love that salmon is so good for you that you know you're doing something great for yourself eating something like this.

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  9. I eat some fish, and salmon is one of my favorites. I'm TOTALLY making this!!!!! Great pick this month!

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    1. Hope you enjoy it, Susan. Salmon is definitely my favourite fish too.

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  10. My husband would love this! Great flavor combination!

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    1. Then you should definitely make it for him, Tara. Let me know if you give it a try :-)

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  11. Great post, and super creative use for salmon! Loved it!

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    1. Thanks, Sally. To be honest I'd never tried the jerk seasoning on salmon before, but I'll definitely be doing it again.

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  12. I love salmon and this dish looks amazing. Those colors are just what I need for this snowy day. Happy Reveal Day!!

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    1. Thanks, Emily. It does look beautifully colourful, doesn't it - definitely just thing to brighten up a gloomy day.

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  13. Oh this looks good! I signed up for the Secret Recipe club - I hope there is an opening!

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    1. Thanks, Pam. I know how much you like salmon, so I know you'd really enjoy this dish. So glad you've signed up to participate in SRC. Hope that you don't have a long wait to get in - even better if you end up in Group D :-)

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  14. I love the flavor combo of the jerk with the pineapple. I bet this is so delicious! Great job! :)

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    1. Thanks, Melissa - it sure is a great flavour combo. Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. Oh this sounds just perfect and is making my current dinner of sardines on toast look quite underrated - ha! Great pick and fab changes for what you had on hand.

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    1. Thanks, JJ - though I have to say that sardines on toast should never be underrated - that's easily one of my "not cooking tonight" meals.

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  16. Jerk salmon and pineapple dressing are simply great together. A scrumptious meal, Sue.

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    1. Thanks, Angie - I'm pretty sure jerk anything, even jerk shoe leather, would taste great with that pineapple dressing, but in the absence of shoe leather the salmon was a pretty good choice :-)

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  17. I love the sweet-spicy combination of pineapple dressing! Definitely a winner!

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    1. Thanks, Dena. The dressing sure is a winner - it has the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, and it is so beautifully refreshing.

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  18. yum! this salad looks so colorful and refreshing

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    1. Thanks, Nicole, and thanks for taking the time to stop by. I really appreciate your visit.

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  19. I love how you adapted her recipe to suit your needs and what you had in your pantry. The salmon dounds great with it. great pick!

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    1. Thanks, Nicole. i love it when a good recipe can be tweaked a bit to suit the ingredients I have in the house.

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  20. Ooooh, what a fantastic salad! Love the flavors you have goin gon, especially that pineapple! Pineapple with salmon is just awesome. :) Visiting from Group A! :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Sara. Funnily enough I wouldn't normally pick salmon and pineapple to go together so wonderfully, but the spiciness of the dressing and the jerk seasoning pulls it all together. Thanks for visiting.

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  21. This sounds wonderful, and I love the changes you made to make it best suit your eating habits / fridge contents. It looks beautiful!

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    1. Thanks, Amy. I have to admit that my changes are not always so successful, but worked out brilliantly this time :-)

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  22. This salmon sounds amazing! I love jerk chicken and now can't wait to try the seasoning on fish (and with pineapple!).

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    1. Thanks, Rebecca. I love jerk chicken too - I'm just not eating any meat at the moment. I reckon in would be great on just about any fish, and I can't wait to give it a try on prawns.

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  23. You certainly came up with a winning flavor combo. I bet the pineapple paired perfectly with the jerk seasoning.

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    1. Thanks, April. The pineapple was definitely perfect with the jerk seasoning - the fresh pineapple chunks were cooling and refreshing with the jerk spices, and then the spicy pineapple dressing added another layer of spiciness with sweetness.

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