If you are in the mood for a light dish with a peppery crust, you will love this meal. I adapted the recipe from my father’s cookbook and used salmon instead of Mahi-Mahi. Either will work well with the pineapple, peach, and bell pepper salsa.

Since I chose wild salmon, I used a lemon instead of lime, added some honey to sweeten the flavor, and used ginger for the zing and anti-inflammatory properties instead of the hot habanero pepper. My kids would refuse to eat the dish due to the spice from the jalapeno or habanero. The Mahi-Mahi recipe below tells you how to incorporate the hot peppers if you want to try it.

I do think there was a mistake on the amount of pepper in this recipe which is understandable since my father wrote the cookbook by blinking. I used 1 tablespoon of black pepper instead of the 2 tablespoons in the ingredient list. I would cut it back to 1/2 tablespoon unless you love pepper. It does give a good looking crust but it is very spicy.

Directions

1) Make the salsa ahead of time so the juices meld together. Cut up 1/4 to 1/2 a pineapple into small chunks. Cut up 2 or 3 organic peaches and dice the orange or red organic bell pepper. Zest the lemon or lime and put aside and then squeeze all the juice into a bowl. Chop 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro. Since my cilantro in the garden is going to seed and not as pungent, I added 1/4 teaspoon of pureed cilantro to the 1 tablespoon for extra flavor. Add 1 teaspoon of coconut or cane sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan or Fleur de Sel salt. Drizzle 1/8 to 1/4 cup of local honey over the top and mix everything together well. Slowly add the ginger in to taste. I used about 1/4 teaspoon of ginger puree. Set salsa aside to marinade.

2) Mix 1/3 cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil or the best you have, the zest of the lemon or lime, 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley, 1/2 to 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and mix. Pour over the fish and coat them well.

3) Grill the fish on a stainless grill plate and be careful not to burn yourself when the olive oil drips into the flames. Grill until medium rare and then pull it off to rest for 10 minutes to cook a little more.

4) Spoon the salsa over the fish and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Enjoy!

Why you want to eat this!

• Salmon is rich in Omega-3′s and is packed with protein for your muscles.
• The ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory to help fight disease and sickness.
• Cilantro cleanses your body and is one of the herbs you should eat once a week.
• The pineapple is rich in calcium, potassium, fiber, manganese, and vitamin C as well as helps strengthen your bones and improve arthritis, is good for your gums, and prevents macular degeneration. Bromelain found in the pineapple core helps remove toxins from our blood and has anti-inflammatory benefits for our organs. It speeds up the recover for injuries and reduces swelling.
• Peaches lower cholesterol, are rich in potassium, vitamin C, and Niacin which helps metabolism and your skin, and is a low calorie treat.
• Pink Himalayan salt is revered for its ability to reduce blood pressure (crazy I know), balance your pH levels, help sinus issues, and cleanse the toxins from your body. This pink salt is from the Jurassic era and is a very clean salt with 84 trace minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and zinc. This is not your everyday salt people want to avoid. Your body needs the sodium and all the minerals in this salt.

Wine Pairing from Perrine’s Wine Shop

The Ultimate Cookbook

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Tropical Fruit Salsa
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

•  1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  Grated zest of 1 lime
•  1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
•  2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
•  4 (6-ounce) mahi-mahi (dolphin fish) fillets
•  1 teaspoon salt
•  Tropical Fruit Salsa

Combine the olive oil, lime zest, cilantro and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Rub the mixture over the fillets, coating well. Refrigerate while preparing the salsa. Sprinkle with the salt just before grilling. Grill the fillets for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or just until the fish is opaque. Serve immediately with a large spoonful of the Tropical Fruit Salsa. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Yield: 4 servings
Cafe Atlantis Fernandina Beach, Florida

Tropical Fruit Salsa

•  1 mango or 2 to 3 fresh peaches
• 1/2 fresh pineapple
•  1 red bell pepper
•  1 habanero or jalapeno pepper
•  Juice of 1 lime
•  1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
•  1 teaspoon sugar
•  1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and section the mango. Core and peel the pineapple. Cut the mango and pineapple in small dice. Dice the red pepper into slightly smaller pieces than the mango and pineapple. Seed, devein and finely chop the habanero pepper. (Protect your hands with rubber gloves and do not get the juice in your eyes.) Combine the mango, pineapple, peppers, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Let stand for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Adjust the sugar and salt before serving. Yield: 4 servings

Note: May substitute bluefish, swordfish or other firm, fatty fish for mahi-mahi.