Description
A crowd-pleasing dish you can make in a pinch, this Blackened Salmon With Tropical Pico is the standout recipe of the summer.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Tropical Pico:
- 2 cups / 330 g chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 ripe mango, diced small
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 bundle cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 of a red onion, minced
- 1 serrano, seeded to taste and minced
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- A few grinds of freshly ground pepper
- Pinch of sugar
For the Salmon:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for the pan
- 2 pounds / 900 g center-cut slab of salmon
For the Blackened Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the Coconut Rice:
- 1 cup / 200 g short-grain white rice, well rinsed
- 1 cup / 240 ml water
- 1 cup / 240 ml coconut milk
- Pinch of sugar
- Zest of 1 lime
- Sea Salt
- 2 large avocados, cubed
- Fresh cilantro and microgreens
Instructions
For the Tropical Pico:
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.
For the Blackened Salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray or rub it with oil. Dry the salmon with a paper towel and place it on the oiled parchment sheet.
- Mix all the blackened seasoning ingredients together. Mix in the oil and gently rub it all over the flesh of the salmon.
- Start the rice. Combine the rinsed rice, water, coconut milk, sugar, lime zest, and salt together. Stir to mix. Bring the rice to a boil, then down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until cooked and tender. Set aside.
- While the rice cooks, roast the salmon. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat up to broil and cook another few minutes until the top starts to char. Timing will vary by oven, but assume somewhere in the 2-minute ballpark. The salmon should be cooked to about medium in that time; add 5 minutes to that first bake if you prefer it well done. Remove to rest.
- Serve the slab of salmon over the rice on a platter, flaking it apart with a fork, with the avocado and pico over the top. Garnish with cilantro and microgreens.