I try to cook a fish dish for dinner almost every week. I don’t know too many kids that love fish but I’m hoping that if I keep it on regular rotation in our menu, my kids’ palates will eventually warm up to it or at least get used to it. I think the key to having them actually eat the fish is by adding either a sauce or a topping that they like. In this case, the salmon is glazed with a slightly spicy chipotle sauce. Surprisingly, my girls are starting to enjoy mildly spicy food. To add a little more appeal to the dish, I paired the salmon with pineapple rice. As a topping, I made a mango salsa. My girls may pick out a few items off of the salsa but at least they don’t reject it completely, thanks to the mango.

The way this salmon is cooked in the original recipe* produces a very soft and tender texture, which I love. However, I also love a nice seared crust on my salmon so I modified the recipe a little bit and seared both sides of the salmon before throwing it in the oven. You do lose a bit of the tenderness but that’s a trade I’m willing to make.

Slow-Roasted Chipotle Salmon with Pineapple Rice
4 servings

Ingredients
3 Tablespoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 skinless salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 225°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
3. In a small bowl combine the adobo sauce, sugar, and salt. Place the salmon on the baking sheet and brush the tops with half of the sauce.
4. Roast in the oven for 20 to 40 minutes depending on how thick the salmon is.
5. Adjust the heat to broil, brush the remaining glaze on the salmon, and broil 3 inches from the heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Note: If you’d like to add a crust to the outside of the salmon, sear it on both sides in a pan with olive oil, about 1-2 minutes on each side and then roast in the oven for half the recommended time.

*Original recipe from Cuisine at Home.

Pineapple Cilantro Rice
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup long grain rice
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained (15 oz)
3/4 cup pineapple juice (6 oz)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
1. In a 2 to 3 quart saucepan (with tight fitting lid) saute onion in butte rover medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Stir in rice and saute for one minute more.
2. Add pineapple, pineapple juice, water, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, 25 minutes.
3. Fluff rice with a fork, then stir in cilantro.

Mango Salsa Recipe

Ingredients
2 medium tomato, chopped
2 ripe mangos, chopped
2 bell peppers (yellow and/or red)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped (optional)
sugar to taste (if mangoes are ripe, use less sugar)
1/3 cup of vinegar
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If possible, make ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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