I adore meals that are easy to fix. Along with 98% of the population. (The other 2% are unusuals that either love cooking intricate and complicated meals or who plan on eating out, and thus are not concerned with the effort that went into preparation.)
One of the quickest and easiest meals at my house is salmon. I love the no fuss nature of both prep and execution. I admit that the fishy odor that lingers in the house the next day is NOT my favorite part, and if anyone has a chemical free remedy for that I'd be happy to listen.
Wait! It's summer! My wonderful husband realized that salmon the the grill is the perfect way to avoid perfuming the house with essence de salmon. What a good man. In fact, he went a step farther and skewered the salmon before grilling it. Oooo la la! Why is this genius? Because in my house the children will eat twice a much of anything that is on a skewer. It magnifies the fun factor exponentially, so that even my pickiest eater will actually put a serving of skewered food in her belly before realizing that she does not, in fact, actually like it. Yes, there are prizes for presentation.
Given that they ate wonderfully, I was lucky to have a bit of leftover salmon that I tucked into the fridge. Perfect for lunch the next day. Almost. There were two small servings of salmon left, and I needed to feed four people. How to stretch it? Salmon salad.
This is a perfect summer recipe, bursting with fresh flavors inspired by a recent Pampered Chef party I attended. You know the type, where they make homemade salsa and everyone is excessively impressed at how delightful salsa tastes when it is made fresh rather than from a jar, and how insanely easy it actually is to whip up a batch. Yep. That inspired this dish. Mango salsa.
Perfect for summer I say. Light, cool, easy. Only two of the three kids ate it, but that's only because it can't be served on a skewer.
Salmon Salad
6 oz cooked salmon (I use leftover, when we have it.)
1/4 c finely chopped mango
1/4 c finely chopped red pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
juice of one small lime
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1/2 tsp kosher salt- to taste
dash of pepper- to taste
dash of garlic- to taste
Flake salmon into a medium bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Let stand 10 minutes for flavors to blend, and serve with Way Better Sweet Potato or Black Bean chips for scooping. Or serve in a lettuce wrap to enhance the summer feel.
All amounts in this recipe can be adjusted to suit your personal tastes. The above represent an estimate of what I actually threw in, because I rarely measure. It is very much like making mango salsa and adding salmon. You could use fresh pineapple in place of the mango, or tuna in place of the salmon, and still get tasty results.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, corn free, soy free, and hassle free. Enjoy!