Mango-Jalapeno Trout and Cilantro-Tomato Corn Salad

Both of these turned out so good! I will definitely be making both again.  Also, they work well together in a meal as each uses 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, and 1/2 a lime.  Keep that in mind if you make both together.


Mango-Jalapeno Trout
2 whole trout, cleaned, and pat dry
1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
4 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 lime, squeezed for juice
garlic salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
This can be done on the grill over medium heat, or in the oven, at 350; either way, preheat.  In a bowl, mix together everything but the fish.  Lay out squares of foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Lay your fish in diagonally, then stuff each with 1/2 of the mixture.  If it all does not fit, you can put the remainder on the outside of the fish if you wish.  Bring together opposite corners of the foil to form a packet, making sure it is fully sealed.  For oven cooking, place the packets on a cookie sheet, and cook for 30 minutes. For grill cooking, place the foil pack directly on the grill, turning once, for a total of 20 minutes. 

Serves 2, 352.5 calories per serving (assumes 8.5oz fish pre-cooked, skin, head and tail not eaten)

Cilantro-Tomato Corn Salad
2 c. corn kernels (fresh is best, frozen if you must)
1 TBS olive oil
4 Campari tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno, de-seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
S&P to taste

Mix everything together and call it a day.

Makes about 3 1-cup servings, 85 calories per serving.

Eric dinner: Pasta Roni, Alfredo

As an aside, I had a "moment" with my fish last night as I was prepping.  I guess this is sort of peculiar, and frankly I feel a little funny about putting it out there for everyone to read, but it was kind of a neat feeling.

I was washing and patting my trout dry when I noticed the rainbow sheen glinting off of his scales, and I thought that it looked really lovely.  Then I looked into his clear eyes (this fish was FRESH) and noticed tiny little teeth in his mouth. It occurred to me that it is so easy to forget that the food we eat, which is generally presented as heaping mounds of neatly shaped flesh on colorful plastic trays and wrapped in slick plastic, was once a creature that was alive going about his business.

Don't get me wrong, I am fully cognizant of the fact that humans are the top of the food-chain and we have evolved to find sustenance off of other animals.  I felt no guilt or sadness when pondering the fish.  This was just a moment where I sent my heartfelt thanks out into the cosmos for the life that was given in order to sustain mine.