Maple Glazed Southwestern Dry Rubbed Salmon with Marinated Avocado Salsa

I am an avid salmon-hater. I'd literally rather eat my own foot than even buying the fishy stuff. But as of lately, my husband and I have been trying to eat a tad bit healthier. And unfortunately for me, my mountain man is an avid salmon-lover. So, when we were going over healthy dinner options, he asked me if I was willing to give it one more try and make salmon for a weekday meal. I knew that in order for me to eat it, I would have to try and mask the fishy flavor that gives me the goosies (shutter). I eventually decided upon dry rubbing the filets in a southwestern spice mix that you broil in the oven until it blackens just slightly. After that, you just brush on the smallest amount of maple syrup to give it a little bit of sweetness. Now you've got this smokey, spicy blackened salmon that is cooked just perfectly with a candied flavor, which perfectly complements the bold southwestern seasoning. But what really takes this dish over-the-top is the marinated avocado salsa! This salsa is essentially a more rustic guacamole because it has big chunks of avocado instead of being finely mashed. The addition of the extra virgin olive oil gives it such a luscious texture, it feels like absolute velvet. However, the biggest compliment I could give it would be that it completely hides all of the fishy flavor that I have hated my entire life! We have made this dish 4-5 times since and I gobble up the whole thing, which is newsworthy. I decided to finish up the meal with some sauteed bell peppers and onions, but I also think that rice, black beans, or a salad would go great with this meal! Enjoy y'all :) 

For the Maple Glazed Southwestern Salmon:

1t Smoked Paprika

1t Chili Powder

¼t Cumin + Coriander

1t Sugar

1t Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper

4 Salmon Filets

2T Maple Syrup

Fresh Minced Cilantro, For Sprinkling

For the Marinated Avocado Salsa:

3 Ripe Avocados, Sliced

1 Lime, Zested + Juiced

2-3T EVOO

1 Large Shallot, Minced

1 Clove of garlic, Finely Minced into a Paste

1-2 Fresh Jalapenos, Minced (depends on your spice preference)

2T Fresh Cilantro, Roughly Chopped

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to broil, set an oven rack about 6 inches from the top of the oven, and line a baking shit with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. For the Marinated Avocado Salsa: In a mixing bowl, add in the sliced avocado, followed by the lime zest, lime juice, EVOO, minced shallot and garlic, fresh jalapenos, roughly chopped cilantro, kosher salt, and fresh cracker pepper. Toss all of the ingredients together, so that the avocados are covered in the lime. The sliced avocado should have some still some large chunks, instead of being like guacamole. Set the marinated avocado in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it with the salmon.

3. For the Maple Syrup Glazed Southwestern Salmon: Mix together all of the spices together into a bowl and place the salmon onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the spice mixture heavily and evenly all over the filets of fish. Broil for 5 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, and brush the salmon with the maple syrup. Place the pan back into the oven and broil for one more minute.

4. Assembling the Salmon: Remove the glazed and blackened salmon from the oven onto a serving plate and top it with a large serving of the marinated avocado salsa. I served our dinner with sautéed bell peppers and onions, but rice and black beans would be a great option as well!

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw, Mango de Gallo, Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa, & Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce

Next up for our Cinco de Mayo week are my absolutely ridiculous, over-the-top fried fish tacos. Now people, these aren't your ordinary fish tacos. Because I've had those fish tacos that are fried well and served with some sauce, maybe some lettuce and jalapenos... but they were just missin' something (apparently a whole lot of somethin'). I coated some small fish filets in my favorite beer batter and fried them until they were golden brown & crispy. After that, I made a whole bunch of different toppings. Let's start with the Mango de Gallo and the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa...

Mango de Gallo & Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa

The Mango de Gallo is sweet & fruity, which perfectly complements the fried fish. And the corn salsa is just damn good. I'm a lover of corn. Big lover. We just ate the corn salsa with chips for days. So don't leave either of these components out, they're key to fish taco greatness. I also made a coleslaw tossed in a homemade Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette for some acidity and freshness to cut through the heaviness of the beer batter and tartar sauce. I love this coleslaw... put it on every taco that you can, people. Lastly, there is the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce, which is personally my favorite component. It's spicy and creamy, and pretty much what dreams are made of. I will be making this again when I make homemade fish sticks... or fried shrimp. By the way, did I mention that I hate fish?! Yes, it's true. The stuff gives me the heeby-geebies. But guess what, I friggin' loved these tacos. So much so, that we will be making them again very soon. Most likely this weekend!! Enjoy :)

Always Garnish with Some Crumbled Cotija Cheese...

For the Beer Battered Fish:

2C AP Flour (plus a little extra)

Pinch of Salt

1t Baking Powder

½C + 2T Seltzer Water

½C + 2T Beer

Thin Filets of Cod Fish (or any other white, flaky fish)

Few Drops of Yellow Food Dye

1Q Canola Oil 

Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling

For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette:

½C Red Wine Vinegar, Honey, & Olive Oil

2t Dijon Mustard

2t Adobo Sauce

½t Paprika

¼t Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, & Dried Oregano  

For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw:

1 ½C Coleslaw Mix

2-3 Green Onions, Chopped (depending on how much onion you like)

1 Large Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Mango de Gallo:

1C Mango, Cut into Small Cubes

1 Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

¼C Chopped Cilantro

½C Red Onion, Finely Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Lime, Zested & Juiced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa:

1 Poblano Chile Pepper, Roasted & Diced

1C Corn Kernels, Charred

1 Small Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded & Chopped

2T Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

2T Red Onion, Chopped

2T Fresh Lime Juice

2t Olive Oil

½t Sugar

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce:

½C Mayo

1t Fresh Cilantro, Minced

½t Dijon Mustard

1t Capers, Roughly Chopped

1t Sweet Onion, Minced 

1 Roasted Poblano, Seeded & Diced

1 Roasted Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

½t Lime Zest

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Fish Tacos:

Flour Tortillas

Prepared Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce

Crispy Beer Battered Fried Fish Filets

Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw

Prepared Mango de Gallo

Prepared Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa

Pico de Gallo, Fresh Lime, or Cotija Cheese

Directions:

1. For the Beer Battered Fish: Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in the seltzer, beer, and yellow food dye. Whisk until lumps are gone. Dip the filets into some plain AP Flour, so that it is completely covered, and then shake off the excess. Dip the floured filets into the batter and gently lay into the hot oil for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and flaky inside. Sprinkle the fried fish with salt and pepper.

2. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients, except oil in a blender and blend on low speed for 10 seconds. Slowly drizzle the oil into the blender on low speed. Chill the finished dressing for at least an hour.

3. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the diced jalapenos and green onions until incorporated. Coat the coleslaw mixture with the prepared chipotle-honey vinaigrette until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the tacos.

4. For the Mango de Gallo: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.

5. For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.

6. For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

7. Assembling the Fried Fish Tacos: Line 3 tortillas on a plate, and then spread on some of the homemade roasted poblano tartar sauce. Place 1-2 pieces of beer battered fish onto each tortilla and top with chipotle-honey vinaigrette coleslaw and mango de gallo. Garnish with a spoonful of chunky guacamole, Pico de gallo, some onion, a squeeze of lime, and crumbled Cotija cheese (optional). 

Fish & Vinegary Chips with Tartar Sauce

There are a lot of pubs in Savannah, and we really have only been to one. We really need to go to more because although Savannah is famous for its southern food, it's also famous for the pubs. Obviously, the most popular dish you can order are Fish & Chips. So we decided to take a stab at it. I made a classic beer batter for the fish, and it turned out flaky, crunchy, and delicious. But for my twist on this classic, I decided to soak the potatoes in malt vinegar, (normally they are soaked in water to remove the starch for better frying) which gave it an awesome tangy flavor. Malt vinegar is usually poured all over fish and chips, so I though why not soak the french fries and kind of make salt & vinegar french fries. Well all of it turned out pretty good, we have our own little pub here. I served it with some homemade tartar sauce too! Enjoy :)

Ready to Eat

Ahh look at those glorious fish & chips

Pub-Style Fish & Vinegary Chips with Homemade Tartar Sauce

For the Tartar Sauce:

½C Mayo

1t Grainy Mustard

½t Prepared Horseradish

1 Lemon, Zested & Juiced

2T Anchovy Paste

3T Sweet Pickle Relish

2T Capers, Roughly Chopped

1t Garlic, Chopped

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Vinegary Chips:

4 Large Russet Potatoes

2C Malt Vinegar, Very Cold

6-8C Water, Very Cold

1T Paprika

1t Garlic Salt

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Fresh Chopped Parsley, For Garnishing

1Q Canola oil

For the Fish:

2C AP Flour (plus a little extra)

Pinch of Salt

1t Baking Powder

½C + 2T Seltzer Water

½C + 2T Beer

4 6oz Filets of Cod Fish

Few Drops of Yellow Food Dye

1Q Canola Oil 

Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Tartar Sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Put the tartar sauce in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
2. For the Vinegary Chips: Whisk together the paprika, garlic salt, sea salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set it aside. Cut the potatoes into ¼inch thick slices, and then cut each slice into ¼inch thick fries. Place the cut fries into a bowl and pour over the cold vinegar and water. Refrigerate the fries for about 4 hours (this helps to get out the starch in the potatoes). Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 325 degrees. Drain fries in batches on paper towels. Fry each batch for 3-4 minutes until a pale blonde color forms and remove to a sheet lined with paper towels. Just before serving, heat the oil up to 375 degreed and fry the potatoes again, in batches, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Drain the golden French fries slightly and put them into a bowl. Toss the French fries with the spices you set aside earlier and garnish with the chopped parsley.
3. For the Fish: Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in the seltzer, beer, and yellow food dye. Whisk until lumps are gone. Dip the filets into some plain AP Flour, so that it is completely covered, and then shake off the excess. Dip the floured filets into the batter and gently lay into the hot oil for about 4-6 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and flaky inside. Sprinkle the fried fish with salt and pepper.
4. Serve the fried fish with the vinegary chips and the homemade tartar sauce.