Recipe: Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Mango Habanero Salsa and Spicy Ginger Green Beans

Chef Ricky knows his way around a grill, and writing a good recipe! As the weather warms up and the days get longer, enjoy this delicious salmon on the grill.

Warm weather means it’s time to break out the barbecue. You don’t have to wait until summer to grill; you can do it now. One of his favorite things to grill is fish. Salmon is versatile and it holds up very well when grilling. Just make sure your grill is nice and hot, and clean, otherwise it will stick and fall apart when trying to flip it.

A mango salsa is fresh and the habanero just adds the right amount of kick to it, so be careful not to overdo it. Green beans are an easy side dish and they pair well with the ginger and the other ingredients in the salsa. It’s a very healthy dish overall as well.

Ingredients:

For the Salmon

4, 6 oz. portions of skinless Atlantic salmon
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Italian parsley
Salt and pepper

For the Mango Salsa

2 medium size mangos
1 red bell pepper
2 tbsp diced shallot
4-5 scallions (just the green part)
4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 habanero (seriously!)
Zest and juice from one orange
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper

For the Green Beans

1 lb of cleaned green beans
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Start off by making the salsa. It’s better if it sits for a few minutes so that all the flavors have a chance to blend. Peel and dice the mangos in small portions. Dice the red bell pepper and shallot. Finely, slice the scallions. Chop the cilantro. I actually use more of a slicing action with cilantro because it bruises and turns black otherwise. Now dice the habanero, and make sure to remove the seeds otherwise it may be too spicy. Put everything in a bowl then add the zest and juice from one orange. Add one tbsp of white balsamic vinegar, one tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the two tbsp of brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make sure you preheat your grill before slapping the salmon on there. A cold grill will make your fish stick to it and you’ll have a hard time flipping it. Also, give it a good cleaning with your brush. I like to spray the grill with a little cooking spray when it’s nice and hot as an added measure to keep the salmon from sticking. Follow all these instructions and you’ll end up with a perfectly cooked piece of salmon with nice grill marks. Now, finely chop the parsley and brush both sides of the salmon with some of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and the chopped parsley. Start the salmon on the grill with the side that had the skin facing up because you want those grill marks on the opposite side. Give it two minutes then reach for your tongs and carefully grab it, using a pinching action from the sides; lift and turn it 90 degrees then set it back down. That will give you those really cool grill marks that you always see. Two minutes later grab the tongs once again and now flip your salmon. It will only take about another two or three minutes on that side, and you should have perfectly cooked salmon. The flesh should be firm, but not hard, don’t over cook it otherwise, it will dry out. Take it off the grill and put it on your plate.

The green beans are super easy. Set a pot with water on the stove and add about a tablespoon of kosher salt to it. Wait for the water to boil then add your green beans. They only need about three minutes in there otherwise they’ll over cook and turn mushy and brown. Drain the green beans, and let them sit for about a minute or two. In the meantime peel and mince the ginger. Preheat a sauté pan on the stove. Add the two tbsp of olive oil, the red pepper flakes and the ginger to the pan once it’s nice and hot. Now toss in your green beans. You want to make sure they’re dry otherwise the oil in the pan will jump out at you. Sauté for about two minutes and season with salt and pepper. I like my green beans to be a little crisp. They should still have a little bite to them. I hate soft, over cooked green beans.

Now, to finish off the plate grab your tongs and place the green beans next to the salmon. Spoon the salsa over the fish. Be generous, it’s delicious. Garnish with a sprig of the parsley if you want. The flavors are very vibrant. You get sweetness from the mango, tangy from the citrus and the vinegar, spicy from the habanero, but the brown sugar helps even things out. This is also a very colorful dish. Reminds me of spring. Enjoy!