Salmon with pomegranate and orange salsa

I love pomegranates and am so happy to see how popular they are becoming in the US, I have to say though that I think it is so funny that the other day when I bought a pomegranate at the local grocery store there was actually an instruction booklet on how to correctly open a pomegranate- which makes me think also that there are some very good marketing people behind the popularity of the fruit. So, this pomegranate user manual states that the correct way to open the fruit is to make a slice on the top, then quarter it, and remove the seeds - correct names for the seeds is arils – over a bowl of water. While I do slice the top off, I prefer to make a small cut to break it in half and then another small cut on each section, then I use my hands to break it into quarters -doing it over a bowl of water does help a with the mess part though -, I just find the seeds so beautiful and hate cutting them up, I feel like I’m butchering them.

When I was growing up we had pomegranate trees on our farm, my brothers and I loved them and used to fight over them, I remember keeping on eye on the ones that were ripening and waiting for just the right time to pick them before anyone else. After I picked a ripe pomegranate I would find a quiet place to sit, usually perched up on a branch in a tree – another hobby as a kid was to find good trees to climb – and then eat every single pomegranate seed, there is something special about eating those beautiful sparkling red seeds, it is a double pleasure: both for my eyes and my taste buds; as a little girl it felt like I was eating edible rubies.

My family likes fish (a lot) so we eat it at least once a week, salmon is a favorite for my kids and to keep it from getting boring I like to add a little bit of variation and serve it with different salsas. Since my kids also love pomegranates and oranges I decided to make a slightly spicy salsa with these ingredients to go along with the fish. This time I pan seared the salmon fillets, but you can also grill them if you prefer. The pomegranate salsa will go very well with any type of fish, but it is also a great addition to grilled chicken or grilled lamb dishes.

Ingredients:

Pan seared salmon

1 to 1 ½ lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets – can also use halibut, tilapia, cod, red snapper, etc

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground fennel

2 tbs lime juice

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 -3 tbs butter or oil

Pomegranate salsa

1 cup pomegranate seeds or arils, from ½ large pomegranate

3 oranges, peeled and cut into supreme style segments (all the skin/pith/membranes/seeds removed), plus any remaining juice

Juice from 1 lime

½ onion, finely diced

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

2 serrano peppers, seeded and membranes removed, finely diced – replace with jalapenos for milder version

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sides – Quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce, fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains

Preparation:

  1. Mix the crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel, lime juice, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper together to prepare a marinade for the fish.
  2. Let the fish marinate for 1 to 2 hrs.
  3. Meanwhile to prepare the pomegranate salsa, combine the pomegranate arils, orange supreme, any juice squeezed from the orange membranes, lime juice, diced onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Mix the salsa well and let it rest refrigerated until ready to use.
  5. Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add the salmon fillets and cook until browned on each side and cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets.
  6. Serve immediately with the pomegranate salsa on top or on the side.

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