Salmon with Pomegranate Orange Salsa
In typical Jen/Natalya fashion, I was trying to search for recipes that could incorporate leftover ingredients from previous meals. This time the ingredient du jour was pomegranate. I had used it for the Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish and had leftovers. So I searched the web and saw this South-American inspired recipe (courtesy of Laylita) for salmon which was juicy, flavorful, and still packed a punch. I served this with some fried plantains (which were not quite ripe enough, so I will do a separate post when the plantains turn out more successfully) and Guacamole. The original recipe also recommends quinoa which I’ve never cooked before, but would definitely work.
Salmon with Pomegranate Orange Salsa
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
Pan seared salmon
- 1 to 1 ½ lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets (can use cod, tilapia etc)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 2 -3 tbs butter or oil
Pomegranate Orange Salsa
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds or arils, from ½ large pomegranate
- 3 oranges, peeled and cut into supreme style segments (all the skin/pith/membranes/seeds removed), plus any remaining juice; I actually used clementines and just cut up the segments which was less work
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
- 2 serrano peppers, seeded and membranes removed, finely diced – replace with jalapenos for milder version (yup, I replaced with jalapenos)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
Mix the crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel, lime juice, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper together to prepare a marinade for the fish. Let the fish marinate for 1 to 2 hrs.
Meanwhile to prepare the pomegranate salsa, combine the pomegranate arils, orange supreme, any juice squeezed from the orange membranes, lime juice, diced onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Mix the salsa well and let it rest in the refridgerator until ready to use.
Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add the salmon fillets and cook until browned on each side and cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets.
Serve immediately with the pomegranate salsa on top or on the side.
As a full meal, try adding fried plantains and guacamole on the side.
food comas 