Meet Miss Jones

I did a lot of relaxing this Labor Day weekend, and it was so very verry nice. It definitely threw off my schedule though, because by the time Monday rolled around it felt like Saturday again. Meaning getting up this morning for work was not what my body wanted to do.

In the midst of all my relaxing, I managed to do something I’d never done before–I caught fish out of the ocean! Not just one, but three fish! Okay, so one of them fell while we were taking it off the hook and headed back to his saltwater home, but the other two went right into the bucket. My father-in-law cleaned them for me and I had grilled Bluefish for lunch (along with the rest of our spread). You really can’t get closer to real food than that.

I tell ya, fishing is a lot more fun once you’ve actually caught something (the only other time I’ve caught a fish was at a fish farm, which doesn’t really count and is also a little depressing).

Ok, back to the work grind for now, but watch out for a simple, three ingredient end-of-summer recipe tomorrow!

To celebrate being back in sunny Florida, I decided to make something a little colorful tonight. Mixed with a little something from the sea.

I’ve been wanting to make fruit salsa ever since I ate Mango Mango’s Mahi Mahi (which has some of the best fruit salsa on the planet). If you’re ever in St. Augustine, you definitely have to try it. Or really, anything from Mango Mango’s. It’s all amazing.

I threw this recipe together from looking at a couple of recipes online, modifying it with what I had on hand. My secret to making it quickly was to grab a carton of fresh tropical mixed fruit while I was at Publix. It had chunks of pineapple, some strawberries, and kiwi. I only used half of it, and now I have enough left to make a green smoothie tomorrow morning.

Blackened Mahi Mahi with Fruit Salsa

Salsa
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 kiwi, sliced
• a few strawberries (optional)
• two green onions, white and light green parts, sliced
• pinch of fresh ginger
• 1/2 bell pepper (I used orange), sliced
• 1 small tomato
• juice of one lime
• small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
• a few sprigs of cilantro

Fish
• 2 Mahi Mahi fillets
• salt and pepper
• Cajun seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Combine all the salsa ingredients in a food processor (you can also just chop/dice them finely and combine in a bowl). Pulse briefly until the salsa is well combined/chopped, but not soupy. A few quick pulses should do it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the fish with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Swirl a tablespoon of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or any skillet that you can place in the oven) over medium heat. Sear the fish for a minute and a half on each side, then place the skillet in the oven for 6 minutes. Top with salsa and add a fruity drink (especially if you have any of those fun umbrellas)!