Strawberry Balsamic Salsa with Grilled Sea Bass

Last night Connor and I cooked together for Mother’s Day, which was a glorious mother’s day present in and of itself. We planned a very simple meal of grilled sea bass, creamy polenta, and grilled asparagus. It really resonated with me that simple is something I don’t do often enough, where the fresh and fabulous flavors of the ingredients shine. Easy clean up, too. 

The gorgeous, sustainable sea bass was from Whole Foods, and we had strawberries that needed to be used. I have fallen in love with macerated strawberries and balsamic vinegar this spring, so we made a balsamic strawberry salsa to serve with the fish. Strawberries and balsamic together are sophisticated and an Italian classic. It may sound strange, but they pair beautifully. The balsamic brings out the sweetness of the berries yet adds a tart bite. Be sure to use your very best aged balsamic. One that I love is from the Mountain Town Olive Oil Company in Park City, Utah, a traditional 18 year Modena balsamic. The other salsa ingredients add a touch of heat and crunch. WOWOWOWOW. After preparing and tasting it, we immediately made another batch because we knew it would not be enough. The salsa and soft goat cheese would also make an easy bruschetta.

A perfect meal for a lovely spring day.

Strawberry Balsamic Salsa with Grilled Sea Bass

1 small lime, zested
1/4 C finely chopped seeded jalapeno
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 T fresh lime juice

1 T aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t cumin

1/2 t kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 C finely chopped strawberries

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and spices. Add the strawberries and combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the sea bass, we combined 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and thinly sliced two cloves of garlic in a pie pan and added the fish to coat and marinated in the refrigerator for about an hour. Just before grilling it, we sprinkled with salt and pepper and Connor grilled it to perfection, and 3 minutes per side.

One of My Go-To Salads: East-West Slaw

Last night I made a salad I’ve prepared for years, a testament to its goodness. The name – East West Slaw – reflects its fusion ingredients – Asian (rice vinegar, gingerroot) with a touch of Southwest flavor (cilantro, jalapenos). It’s more of a salad than a slaw, but with its main ingredient being Napa cabbage, it can technically be called a slaw. The flavors are sweet, sour, salty, and very refreshing. I typically serve it as a side in an Asian meal like we had last night, hoisin-ginger-Sriracha marinated flank steak. Since the dressing has no mayo and a high acid content, it’s excellent picnic or BBQ fare. The slaw also offers a nice contrast in taste and texture atop shredded pork in sandwiches. Similar as it is to kimchi, leftovers are tasty in scrambled eggs, which was my lunch today. Eggs mellow the pronounced vinegar flavor that intensifies with leftovers. And if you’re a Sriracha addict like Connor, feel free to mix in a big, heaping spoonful of hot sauce.

East-West Asian Slaw

Serves 6

1/2 C rice vinegar

1/3 C granulated sugar

2 shallots, minced

1 T minced fresh gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 C minced cilantro leaves

1 small head Napa cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1 C grated carrot

1/2 t – 1 t salt to taste

In a small saucepan, heat and stir the vinegar and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Stir in the shallots, gingerroot, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. Set aside. This can be made in advance and refrigerated.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the carrots. One hour before serving, add the dressing and toss to combine. It’s tasty if you are pressed for time, it’s fine eaten after just being combined.

And There is Yet More Zucchini....

The CSA has indeed challenged us to source even more creative zucchini recipes. This is somewhat exotic – anything with saffron is, right? – yet a very simple tagine, albeit made in a Dutch oven. We had leftover rosemary lamb shanks and appreciated this as a tasty way to reincarnate them – and – of course, with zucchini. It’s super easy and leftovers are even better.


Lamb Zucchini Tagine
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. lamb, cut into 3" pieces – I used leftover lamb shanks, trimmed into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
1 or 2 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
2 t ginger
1 1/2 t salt
1 t turmeric
1/2 t freshly ground pepper or more to taste
1/4 t ground cinnamon
2 T chopped fresh parsley
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 C chicken broth
1/4 t saffron threads, crumbled
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" thick slices

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the lamb, onions, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and spices (except for the saffron). Stir to mix well. Cook over medium to medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, stirring several times.

Add chicken broth and saffron and cover. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the meat is tender. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. When the meat is cooked, add the zucchini and simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked. If necessary, reduce the sauce until thick.

Serve over brown rice.