Monday, March 2, 2009

Cornmeal Crusted Mango Salmon

After a combined 18 hours of travel, we've managed to sit in 6 planes, bum around the airport for 8 hours, sit in 1 "Chili's Too" and have miraculously returned from West Palm Beach in one piece. I must say that I did pass out last night at 8pm, and didn't wake up this morning until well after my alarm went off, but it was definitely worth it. A best friend of mine just got married at an absolutely fabulous place, The Sundy House. If you're looking to get married in Florida, this is the place! We were surrounded by palm trees, cute fish ponds and a very romantic, tropical setting.

Cornmeal Crusted Mango SalmonUnlike many wedding receptions, the food was absolutely wonderful. I chose the light Florida grouper entree which was served with.....coconut sweet mashed potatoes! I must try to make this soon.

Though I live in sunny San Diego, Florida just seems more tropical to me. Perhaps it's the balmy temperatures or the ritzy beachside mansions. Or all the Floridians who look a little like this...

George Costanza's parent
In any case, all this tropicalness reminded me of a mango salmon dish I made awhile back. It's a perfect summery dish that can be served in the doldrums of winter to remind you of sunshine and vacation.
Cornmeal Crusted Mango SalmonCheck out Meeta's Monthly Mingle - Caribbean Cooking - for more tropical delights!

Cornmeal Crusted Mango Salmon
courtesy of Sunny Anderson

1 cup mango nectar
1 large mango, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 (6-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets with skin
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring mango nectar and mango to a boil. As mango begins to break down, press down on it with a fork or potato masher, to mash it. Continue cooking until mango cooks down to form a chunky puree, about 15 minutes. Remove half to serve as a sauce. Set the other half aside for dredging.

2. On a large plate, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt.

3. Preheat a large skillet. Season salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper (and a touch of cayenne if you're feeling crazy). Brush glaze over top of salmon, then dredge in cornmeal mixture. I covered the sides of the salmon with the cornmeal mix. Add oil and butter to skillet. Over high heat, sear salmon cornmeal mixture face down until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, flipping halfway through to crisp skin. If you cover all sides with the breading, lightly sear each side until the coating is crisp.

4. Drizzle mango sauce on salmon and serve immediately.

36 comments:

Meandering Eats said...

Yay! I love me some Seinfeld! :)

Snooky doodle said...

this looks so good! Interesting the cornmeal crust :) wow that was surely a tough travelling :0

The Blonde Duck said...

We eat salmon all the time! I'll have to try this!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Looove mango and Seinfeld!! :-D

kat said...

that does sound like a tropical holiday

Sophie said...

I am making this asap! Sounds like that wedding had some awesome food! I could use a bit of tropical, these snowy days are really gettin' to me!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm...yummy. I've got some salmon I need to make this week - this just may be the recipe!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Oh I miss FL! I grew up there and am now stuck way up in the cold. Gosh darn marrying a Canadian!

Dewi said...

Sounds really delicious, I like the crusted cornmeal and mango sauce sounds very tropical. I am sure it delicious.
Cheers,
Elra

Jennifer said...

First you made me drool, then you made me laugh at the seinfed photo.

Laura said...

We had mango the other day (in a savory dish I mean). I agree, it definitely cuts through February like nothing else, lets you pretend it is not. Especially where I live!

Pam said...

Yum. I bet mango is excellent with salmon.

Maggie said...

Yum!! This sounds great!

RecipeGirl said...

I've never really done much in Florida besides Disney... would love to see the more tropical areas. Didn't like the sticky weather much though!

We eat a ton of salmon. This looks like a good one. My kid is crazy about mango so I'll book mark it!

Chef Fresco said...

What a creative dish! And your story really makes me want to go to florida, especially with all this snow!

Unknown said...

oh my gosh, so good, must try!!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great time and the salmon looks awesome!

Maris said...

Yumm..maybe I'll make this and PRETEND i'm in tropical florida or san diego!

MaryBeth said...

I love Seinfeld....your salmon looks so light and refreshing. Fabulous job Sharon!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for visiting Sharon! Your blog is so cute - I'll be sure to try your cornmeal crusted salmon...good texture!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A fantastic combo! That recipe is really mouthwatering!

cheers,

Rosa

CookingCourtney said...

that looks good! i wish my family liked salmon!

grace said...

airplane nightmares, balanced out by a stunning wedding and coconut sweet potatoes and frank and estelle costanza. awesome (except for the travel part). :)

La Bella Cooks said...

I love the combo of these flavors. It looks so healthy! Can't beat that. This actually has me craving salmon right now. Ha! LOVE the Seinfeld pic, such a great show.

vanillasugarblog said...

Florida is soooo steamy humid in the summertime, not like cali at all.
Mango and salmon is a good match, a really good match.

Ashley said...

This looks wonderful!

Hayley said...

I love mango, and I'd love to try this on some tofu. Thanks for sharing!

Mo said...

I'm SOOO making this! Thanks for posting it looks fabulous!

Maria said...

The crust sounds fantastic. I love mango paired with salmon!

Emily said...

Yummy! This sounds killer. I love the sound of coconut sweet potatoes. Mmm.

Welcome back! Glad you had a great time.

Anonymous said...

Yum, I've never seen salmon in a cornmeal crust but looks so good! Glad you had a great trip!

Ana Powell said...

Hi Sharon
Awesome dish you have here.
Your photos are always so beautiful.
I love your work x

test it comm said...

This mango salmon combo sounds great!

Anonymous said...

Oh I just love mango. And I've been looking for a way to cook salmon. This is perfect! ;-)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

sounds like you had a great tip even though it was hectic. i love the dish here it's fruity and yummy! thanks for joining the mingle!

Anonymous said...

MMMMMM...I just love these combinations of flavour & real mango !!!!! MMMMM.... What more can I say?