R khooks

A feisty sweet & spicy salmon salad

Thursday night my friend was playing some old show tunes on the piano at Hôtel Sers, so I went along to lend some moral support with a few friends. While sipping a very delicious apple martini (definitely shaken not stirred with a small slither of lemon peel) I asked them ‘If you were a type of food/dish, what would you be?’. Now unlike asking ‘What’s your favourite meal?’ this one isn’t as easy to answer. I’m no psychologist (although I’m a not bad amateur one) I find that it usually reveals the person’s culture, their background and their perception of themselves. The very famous Jean Brillat-Savarin once said ‘Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are”. Nobody said ‘Baked beans on toast’ (no English bachelor present ;-))

Most of my friends would have me be something sweet. Well, that’s what I thought at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought how I like things with a kick and came up with this feisty little number. Make sure to use a sweet smelling juicy mango. The best ones I’ve ever eaten were from India. In Hindu mythology the mango is known as a ‘food of the gods’. Not so sure about the godly qualities in this dish but it’s definetly tasty.

A feisty sweet & spicy salmon salad

2 bunches of coriander
1 ripe mango, chopped
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced into strips
½ red onion, sliced thinly
300g salmon filet, skinned

Marinade/Dressing

2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp chilli oil or more (if you like things with a bit more a kick, like me)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime

A couple of lime wedges

Serves 2 as a starter

Soak the sliced red onion in a bowl of water. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Add the salmon filet. Leave to marinade for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile chop all the other ingredients. Drain the water from the onion and add it to the chopped ingredients. Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot. Add salmon filet to the pan. Cook about 2 ½ minutes on each side if you want it a bit pink otherwise 4 minutes. Break the salmon filet into flakes mix with salad. To serve, drizzle the rest of the marinade over the salad and add a couple of lime wedges on the side.