Clean Eat Recipe :: Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa

Mangoes are where it's at! (With them in season right now, they are super easy to find as well.) Aside from some of the antioxidant benefits of mangoes, they just taste good and are the perfect sweet treat on a hot summer day.

With the He and She gang getting together on the weekend, it was the perfect time to try out Paleoista's Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa recipe. Although I do not eat Paleo, books like Paleoista have great recipes that are almost always clean! Besides, if you tell me anything about the words "salsa," I'm there - I could eat Mexican food for every meal!

Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa

Paleoista, Nell Stephenson

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 in squares
• 1/2 C fresh minced cilantro
• 1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 C peeled and diced red onion
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 TSP paprika
• 1 TSP ground dried oregano
• 1 TSP ground dried thyme
• 1/8 TSP cayenne pepper
• 1/4 TSP freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 TSP freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 TSP salt-free garlic powder
• 1/2 TSP ground cumin
• Two 6 or 8 ounce skin-on, wild caught salmon fillets (6 for the girls, 8 for the boys)
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 2 slices fresh lemon (optional - for garnish only)

Directions:

1. Combine the mango, cilantro, lime juice, onion, garlic and tomato in a small bowl. Stir, cover and refrigerate.

2. Combine paprika, oregano, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder and cumin in a small bowl, mixing well. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and press the spice mixture on the flesh of the salmon. (He & She Tip: Use the back of the spoon that you mixed the spices together with to press it onto the salmon - this will eliminate an extra utensil to wash!)

3. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Place the fish in the skillet, flesh side down and cook for 2 minutes. Flip over and cook on the skin side for 2 additional minutes. Ensure the internal temperature of the fish is 160 degrees F prior to serving. 

Makes 2 servings.

Mets: (6oz Salmon Fillet, 1/2 of Salsa Mixture)

• Calories - 490
• Fat - 28g
• Protein - 40g
• Carbohydrates - 26g 
• Sugars - 17g
• Sodium - 107mg

If you are anything like me, you may want to consider cooking this dish with the windows open in your house! For some reason, I haven't mastered my cast-iron cookware yet!

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

Clean Eat Education :: Farm Raised vs. Wild Caught Fish

Do you know the difference between farm raised and wild caught fish? Did you even know there was a difference? Check your grocery store's offerings next time you visit the Seafood counter - you will be shocked to see how many varieties are farm raised vs wild caught (warning: the price may shock you too!).

So, what's the BIG deal? Farm raised fish are "farmed" in man-made ponds and pens with thousands upon thousands of other fish, often located near oceans and larger waterways. Instead of eating other fish (as they do in the wild), these fish are fed a diet of fish meal, grains and soy (yes, I said SOY!). The grains they are fed are farmed on land; therefore, you can't be sure that these grains are free from pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Moreover, farm raised fish are susceptible to ingesting PCB's (Polychlorinated biphenyl) and dioxins since they often encounter run-off and harmful chemicals from large manufacturing plants and facilities before their fellow wild fish do. What do the farms do to combat this? They pump your fish full of antibiotics to try and "kill" off any bad bacteria. 

Are all farm raised fish at risk for these conditions and chemicals? No. However, how can you tell? Most packaging doesn't specify. Therefore, when in doubt, I go wild-caught - EVEN for my canned fish (tuna, salmon, etc). 

Have a great day and don't forget to make sure you are buying wild-caught fish at the grocery! 

Sources Used in This Article:

• Scientific American
• CNN