Lime and chilli baked salmon with a mango salsa - summer feasts

The festive feasting is officially finished at The Blue House. We've eaten our way through the Christmas ham, puddings, brandy custard and one or two boxes of panettone (!). Light and luscious foods now head up the agenda, along with daily cycling, swimming and post-dinner power walks. 

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Fish and salads are back on the menu and I'd like to share with you a couple of fresh, fast and tasty recipes that have been on my repertoire for years. Key ingredients here are salmon and mangoes.

Salmon has a lovely rich flavour and moist texture, so it can be prepared in a variety of ways. It is probably best quickly seared on a hot BBQ or grill, but can also be baked or microwaved, added to risotto, made into patties, poached or served fresh as sashimi. It has a good shelf life, so if you buy it on special it'll keep for two to three days in the fridge or up to six months in the freezer.

Mangoes go into our market basket regularly during summer months and we find ourselves eating them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. This zesty mango salsa is an absolute favourite. It cuts the richness of salmon, but can also be served with other barbecued meats, including (Peter assures me) Chorizo sausage.

MANGO SALSA WITH LIME, CHILLI & CORIANDER
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
2-3 teaspoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fresh bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 teaspoon baby stem ginger or pickled ginger, finely chopped
juice and finely chopped zest of a lime

First, slice the cheeks away from the seed of the mango, then use a large stainless steel serving spoon to separate the flesh from the skin. This way you'll end up with neat mango pieces which can be diced into bite sized cubes. Next, prepare the rest of the fresh ingredients. 

There are two ways to serve this salsa, puree the ingredients and pour the salsa over the salmon, or simply combine the diced and chopped ingredients in a bowl and serve it whole alongside the fish. Chill the salsa until ready to serve. Serves 2.

LIME & CHILLI BAKED SALMON
2 x salmon fillets
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
lime and chilli salt*

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Cover a small cookie tray with some baking paper. Brush or spray a small area on the paper with the olive oil and sprinkle with the lime and chilli salt. Place the salmon fillets on top of the oiled salted paper. Bake the salmon for around 15-20 minutes until just done. Serve with the mango salsa. 

As a quick alternative, try cooking the salmon in the microwave. Pop the fish skin side down on a piece of baking paper; sprinkle with the lime and chilli salt and a dot of butter. Wrap into a parcel and place onto a plate. Cook for up to seven or eight minutes in a microwave at 500watts/Medium/50%. Allow to stand for a  minute or two before serving.  

*The lime and chilli salts are products from Suncoast Limes. We purchased them at the Noosa Farmers Market and also the Eumundi Markets on the Sunshine Coast. You can make your own with this gorgeous recipe from Annabel Langbein.

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Note: a version of these recipes first appeared on Good Things in 2011, in the early days when Celia, Lorraine and one or two others were my only regular readers. I've rescued them from the archives as they are simply too good to remain buried. 

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Tell me dear fellow cooks, are you still munching your way through Christmas leftovers? What's cooking at your place this weekend? 

Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you (and that includes those lovely readers who are non-bloggers too!).