Tilapia with Tomato Peach Salsa

Well it appears that I don't know what salsa is. I've read dozens of salsa recipes. Eaten more than that. But apparently, my qualifications are not good enough. 

A Very Knowledgable Person in my household, on the other hand, knows better. His qualifications include a LOT of tortillas and store bought salsa. And so apparently he is much better qualified. And said Very Knowledgable Person doesn't think this dish qualifies as salsa. Salad, maybe. But not salsa. 

Well, call it what you will, this stuff is good. Really good. The tartness of the tomatoes. The sweetness of the peaches. The 'kick' of the jalapeño. Yum. 

This is a salsa salad that totally elevates a simple tilapia dish. It would also work really well with grilled chicken. Or just plain. Eaten right out of the serving dish. Not that I would know firsthand or anything.   

Tilapia with Tomato Peach Salsa 

This recipe serves 6. You can easily reduce it if you have less mouths to feed. 

Salsa
5 plum tomatoes, cut in small (½ inch or so) pieces
2 peaches or nectarines (I used white ones), cut in small pieces
1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, minced super fine
1 shallot, minced
½ lime
1T olive oil
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
a few sprigs fresh mint, chopped fine

Fish
6 tilapia fillets (feel free to substitute another non-oily white fish)
1T butter
2 T heavy cream
½ lemon
1 T chopped chives and parsley
Coarse salt

First, prepare the salsa. (It needs about 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.)
Combine the tomatoes, peaches, jalapeño, and shallot in a large bowl.
Squeeze the lime over the fruit. Add in the olive oil, salt and chopped mint.
Mix gently till well combined. Allow to rest for 30-45 minutes while you prepare the fish.

Now, prepare the fish.
Melt the butter in the microwave. Use a pastry brush or paper towel to spread it across the bottom of a large (preferably glass) baking dish.
Rinse and dry the fish. Spread it in the buttered dish so the pieces are mostly not overlapping.
Drizzle the heavy cream evenly over the fish so each fillet gets about a teaspoon.
Squeeze the lemon evenly over the fish.
Drizzle the herbs over all, and sprinkle lightly with some salt.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Serve the fish with salsa next to it, or mounded on top.

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Poached Salmon with Asian Greens

The food blogger's dilemma. The dish that tasted like the essence of awesomeness came out looking sad and limp. Do I post a picture and risk turning my readers off?

Do I do the unthinkable: post photos of the process but none of the finished product?

Or perhaps I don't post the recipe at all.

But now that I've piqued your interest, I can't very well not share. And I certainly can't ruin my reputation by posting nasty photos. So, here it is. The dish was awesome but not so pretty. There you have it.

Poached Salmon with Asian Greens
30 minutes prep
serves 4

2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch of kale, cleaned and sliced in ribbons
1 zucchini, peeled (or not) and sliced in 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup sake wine, divided
4 salmon fillets
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large oven safe, preferably cast iron, frying pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook for a minute or two, till fragrant. Add the kale and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, till the kale is heated through and beginning to brighten. Add the zucchini and 1/4 cup sake wine. Cook, stirring, for another 10 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and dry out the pan. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-high heat, and - once it's nice and hot - add the salmon fillets, skin-side down. DO NOT FLIP THEM UNTIL THE SKIN IS BEGINNING TO CRISP. (This is where I went wrong and how I ended up with no photos to show for all my efforts.)

When the skin is beginning to crackle and crisp, flip the fish. Cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding the remaining 1/4 cup sake wine, soy sauce, water, and ginger into the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil, cover the pot tightly with an oven safe lid or with foil.

Transfer the fish to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Check on the liquids from time to time - if it looks dry, add some more water and/or sake.

Remove the fish from the oven and let it rest uncovered for a minute or two. Use a spatula to delicately transfer the fish to the platter, right on top of your greens.

Serve immediately.

Linking this up to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Ultimate Recipe Swap and Weekend Bloggy Reading. 

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