Tropical Mango Ceviche

Last summer I visited a restaurant in Washington, DC called Oyamel. It's owned by Chef Jose Andres, and I highly, highly recommend you check it out. While I was there, I had the table-side guacamole, Tamal Verde, and Ceviche con Citricos. Lord, everything was so freaking good. I had never tried Ceviche before, but I realized I've been missing out. It was DELICIOUS!! I loved the hint of spice from the habanero. And, the juiciness of the pineapple. It was so good that I went searching for a similar recipe. I came across this one from Rick Bayless, and I decided to give it a try tonight. Wow! It's pretty damn good. Maybe not Oyamel quality, but certainly close. The recipe doesn't call for pineapple, but I added some to it, anyway. I'm glad I did. I love the hint of sweetness and juiciness that pineapple gives when you bite into it. I halved the recipe, and I still have plenty for lunch tomorrow! If you like Ceviche then you should definitely give this recipe a try! You won't be disappointed!!

Ingredients:
1pound “sashimi-quality” skinless meaty ocean fish fillet (halibut, mahi mahi, or bass all work well), cut into ½ inch cubes
1/2cup fresh lime juice
1/2cup fresh orange juice
1small red onion, sliced very thin
1fresh habanero, stemmed and seeds removed, finely diced
2cups (about 12 ounces) cubed mango (we love the honey manila mangos that come from Mexico, usually starting in mid March)

1 cup pineapple (optional)1smallavocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin, diced
About 1/3cup chopped cilantro, plus more whole leaves for garnish

Take out a glass bowl and add the lime and orange juice. Add the chopped habanero and chopped fish. I used Chilean Sea Bass from Whole Foods. Cover and place in the fridge. If you like your fish medium-rare then let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. If you want the fish fully cooked then let sit for 3-4 hours. Once the fish has finished cooking you can either keep the juices and add in the mangoes, pineapples, avocado, and onions. Or, you can drain the juice for a drier ceviche. Garnish with the cilantro, and serve by itself or with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Mango, Avocado and Arugula Salad

This salad is probably more appropriate for the summer months, but it's still quite delicious for the fall months, too. It's a very colorful salad thanks to the mango, avocados, and the red onions. I really enjoyed the spicy dressing, as well. It gave the salad a nice kick to go along with the peppery arugula. I found this recipe from Laylita's Recipes. Give this recipe a try no matter the time of year, and I think you will love it!
Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• For the Salad:
• 6 cups arugula leaves
• 1 mango, peeled and cut into long slices
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• ½ red onion, sliced
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 
  
• Spicy Vinaigrette Dressing:
• 1 tbs champagne vinegar
• 4 tbs orange juice, about ½ orange
• 2 tbs lime juice, about ½ lime
• 4 tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 1 red chili or hot pepper, sliced
• Salt and pepper

First, take out a small bowl and toss in the onions. Add in some warm water, a dash of salt, and the lime juice. Let marinate for 10 minutes. While the onions are marinating; let's make the dressing. Take out a mason jar (or something with a lid) and combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Shake well. Set aside. Next, take out a large bowl, and add the arugula, the sliced mangoes, the sliced avocado, and the red onions. Give the dressing one last good shake and pour over the salad. Give the salad a good toss and serve immediately. 

Mango & Pineapple Salsa

I went to the grocery the other day, and noticed that Mango's were on sale for a $1 each. I believe we are entering Mango season if we aren't already there, and I had this great idea to make Mango Salsa. Several years ago my Aunt made this Mango and Pineapple salsa and it was to die for. We ate it up in a flash. I decided to try and replicate it, so I purchased a pre-cut pineapple core as well. I have to say this Mango and Pineapple salsa is really delicious. It's not quite exactly like my Aunt's because I didn't add a tomato to it, but pretty darn close. The addition of a jalapeno and a Serrano pepper gives it a nice spice. If you like Mangoes and Pineapples then you will love this salsa. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Mangos, diced (about 2 cups)
2 cups diced Pineapple
1 Jalapeno, seeded if you don't want it spicy and diced
1 Serrano, seeded if you don't want it spicy and diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Dash of Salt

Combine all the above ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir well. For optimal taste, place in a fridge, covered, for an hour or so before eating. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips.

Barramundi w/ Strawberry Mango Salsa

Doan came in second at Iron Chef Strawberry for her Salmon and Strawberry Mango Salsa. It was deeelicious. I really think she would have won if it weren't for Cara's clever Biscuits with Strawberry and Chipotle jam. I've been wanting to make Doan's Strawberry Salsa ever since, and tonight I finally made it. And, it was just as tasty as I remembered. Doan said she just seasoned her salmon with salt and pepper and seared it in a pan with butter. I'm not a big fan of salmon, so I used the barramundi in my freezer. I ended up using this recipe from Good Taste Foods' blog. It was seriously yummy. Why does butter have to make everything so much better? Sigh. But, I'm definitely going to keep both of these recipes in my pocket. I really think you will enjoy this dish. And, it tasted even better with my strawberry mojito. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Strawberry Salsa:
¾ cup of OJ or half of a fresh orange
1 Jalepeno pepper diced w/ or without seeds depending on your spice level.
2 tablespoons of red onion diced
1 pint of strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons of lime juice or juice of ½ to 1 whole lime.
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1 tablespoon of honey
1 whole fairly ripped mango diced.
1 tablespoon cilantro
Pinch of salt


To make the salsa; mix all the above ingredients in a medium sized bowl. I let it sit in my fridge for about an hour so all the juices absorbed.


Ingredients for Fish:
4 Barramundi fillets
2oz butter
2 teaspoons of Paprika
2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice

Brush both sides of the fish with the butter. Take the paprika and cajun spice and combine in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture on both sides of the fish. The recipe doesn't necessarily call for this, but go ahead and add a couple tablespoons of butter in your sautee pan. Heat the pan to medium. Once the pan is nice and warm, add in your fish. Cook the fish on each side for four minutes or until it's cooked through. Place your fish on a plate and pour some of the strawberry mango salsa on top. Enjoy!


(Click here for printable recipe)

Mango Sorbet

It's March. And, it's warm. This is unusual for this time of the year to be so warm. Not that I'm complaining. I'm from Florida after all, and even though I've lived here in Richmond for 19 years; I still haven't gotten used to the cold. So, I was really craving sorbet. I really wanted watermelon sorbet, but since watermelons aren't in season right now I had to choose something else. I had some frozen mango in my freezer that I had purchased from Trader Joe's. I decided to give mango sorbet a whirl. I found this recipe from Annie's Eats . But, it's actually a David Lebovitz recipe. I ended up purchasing his Perfect Scoop cookbook from amazon, because Annie's Eat highly recommended it. I'm sure you will see more recipes from his cookbook on this blog. Anyway, I thought the frozen mangoes did a good job. The recipe calls for fresh mangoes. The only thing is that it was rather sweet. I probably will cut back on the amount of sugar used next time I make this recipe. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 large, ripe mangoes (about 2 lbs.) (I used a large bag of frozen mangoes from trader joe's)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. dark rum (I used light rum)
Pinch of salt

If you are using fresh mangoes make sure you peel and pit the mangoes. Then dice them. Mix the mangoes, sugar, water, lime juice, salt, and rum in a blender. You may need to adjust the sugar, rum, or lime juice. Pour into a bowl, and cool thoroughly in the fridge. Pour into your ice cream mixer and follow your manufacturer's instructions. Then pour into an air-tight container to freeze.

A little tip that I never knew, according to David; adding a little bit of alcohol to the ice cream or sorbet mixture helps it to stay smooth and to keep ice crystals off of the sorbet. I highly recommend that cookbook. Interesting stuff!

(Click here for printable recipe)