Arkansas strawberry season is fleeting, so now is the time to enjoy this dish. If you don't like salmon, the salsa is equally good over grilled chicken or roasted pork.
Soaking the salmon in a salt-water solution helps prevent the formation of albumin, that white film so often found on cooked salmon. If the film does not bother you, feel free to skip this step.
The salsa can be prepared several hours in advance, but should be served the same day.
Broiled Salmon With Strawberry-Mango Salsa Over Spinach
For the salsa:
Finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 cup diced mango
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
For the salmon:
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Water
2 salmon filets
½ cup mango nectar OR orange juice
2 teaspoons coarse-grain or Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon orange marmalade or apricot jam
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cups baby spinach leaves
In a medium bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients. Set aside.
Combine the teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a shallow dish. Soak salmon in the salted water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the juice, the Dijon, jam, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Drain salmon and pat dry. Place salmon on a foil-lined broiler-safe pan. Spoon some of the juice mixture over the salmon.
Heat broiler with the rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source.
Broil salmon about 8 minutes depending on thickness. Spoon remaining juice mixture over salmon and continue broiling another 6 or so minutes until salmon is just cooked through.
Serve salmon topped with salsa on a bed of baby spinach.
Makes 2 servings.
Recipe adapted from Susan M. Selasky of the Detroit Free Press
Food on 05/21/2014