Salmon with Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto
Hubby and I love all sorts of seafood. Well everything except squid sushi. Tried it once – gross! Anyways, we always just grab whatever seafood is on sale that week and either use it right away or freeze it for later. Our store has been having salmon on sale a lot recently. We usually just bake it or pan sear it with some spices, but tonight I wanted to dress it up a bit more.
I went to Penzey’s this afternoon since there’s a store in the Boston area and I hadn’t been yet. I ended up with twice as many things as were on my list, but that’s ok. It was a fun shopping trip! One of the things I grabbed was some smoked paprika. You have to try this. It smells amazing. I think it’ll be great in the crockpot pulled pork that we already love. I decided the smoked paprika would be a great way to dress up our salmon and set out to find a recipe.
This recipe is amazing. It combines many of our favorite flavors. I LOVE cilantro, Hubby loves garlic, and we both love our new smoked paprika. Hubby and I agreed this was the best fish I had ever made. You need to try this.
Barbecued Mahi-Mahi with Yellow Pepper-Cilantro Pesto – from Bobby Flay via Ezra Pound Cake
Barbecue Rub
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika – I used smoked Paprika
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chile de arbol powder – I used more chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Yellow Pepper-Cilantro Pesto
2 large yellow bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and chopped – we don’t have a grill, so I just cooked them for a few minutes on our griddle
1 clove garlic, chopped – I used 2
2 tablespoons pine nuts – I omitted since we didn’t have any
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves – I used a whole bunch from the store, came out to about 1 1/3 cups
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan – I omitted to make it dairy free
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated pepper
Mahi-Mahi4 Mahi-mahi fillets, 8 ounces each – I used salmon fillet
4 teaspoons olive oil
“Barbecue” Rub
Cilantro leaves
Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Place peppers, garlic, pine nuts, cilantro and cheese in a food processor and process until combined. With the motor running, add the oil and process until emulsified and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Heat grill to high. Brush each fillet on both sides with oil. Rub 1 side of each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the barbecue rub and place on the grill rub side down and cook until slightly charred and a crust has formed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and grill for 3 to 4 minutes longer or until cooked to medium doneness. Top each fillet with a few tablespoons of the pesto and garnish with cilantro leaves.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m guessing you’ve tried Manchego? It’s my favorite sheep’s milk cheese.
I’m lactose intolerant too, and cheese is what I miss most. I’m curious about the goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese; according to what I’ve read, goats’ milk and sheep’s milk have almost the same amount of lactose as cows’ milk. How is it that the cheese doesn’t have lactose? I’d be interested in any resources you could pass on because I’d love to be able to eat some cheese again!
I’m lactose-tolerant, but according to a Good Eats episode on cheese, most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process, so that’s why most lactose-intolerant people can eat it. My g/f is Asian and very lactose-intolerant, but she can eat cheese with no problem. Ice cream (which she will eat when she gets the craving) does her no good at all, but cheese is usually fine.
That’s interesting. I know lactose intolerance is different for each person. Unfortunately for me, eating cheese (and ice cream) is like a death-wish, but I have read that cheese that’s made traditionally, aged 2 yrs., has nearly no lactose in it. That’s hard to find though. I haven’t heard that goat cheese and sheep cheese have less lactose. But perhaps most goat and sheep cheese are aged?
I actually have the GE episode on my TiVo (Cheese: Good Milk Gone Bad) and he says that cheeses that have a little age on them have had their lactose consumed by the bacteria so there’s little if any lactose left. I just replayed that portion for the exactish quote.
I think goat/sheep cheese is similar to cow in that it can be fresh or aged. I think Manchego has fresh and aged varieties. If you have a good cheese source nearby, you should be able to find well-aged (2+ years) varieties of cheddar at the very least. A Canadian, English, Irish, or Austrailian. All are very good.
I truly feel sorry for you, as I love a nice extra sharp cheddar, Parma Reggiano, etc.
And really, it’s not my intention to torture you. 🙂
Thanks for looking that up for me! I’ll have to test the waters the next time I’m feeling brave…:) I would LOVE it if I could eat some cheese again!
The only reason I eat goat and sheep milk cheese is because when my doctor told me I was LI, she said I could eat those. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I am very sensative to all cow dairy, but haven’t ever had problems with the goat or sheep cheese…
I haven’t tried Machego… I’ll have to look for it.
I first had Manchego at a tapas place near Phoenix on a cheese and fruit plate. I had no idea what I was missing. 🙂
oh my gosh! a fellow cheese junkie! haha
So I’ve been lactose intolerant since I went away to college… but I still enjoy most of my favorites. Lactaid works wonders!!! I carry the pills around with me all the time and enjoy most of the foods I love. Regarding the different milks, goats milk does indeed have lactose, it is just less than traditional cows milk so more people can tolerate it. I’m sure different processes in which you make cheese, etc could effect it, and everyone’s sensitivity is different as well. I adjusted quickly to Lactaid milk, and they have cottage cheese, ice cream (but i stick to the good ol’ stuff), and some other products I have yet to try. I urge fellow LI folks not to give up your (and my!!) favorite foods!!!
I found this website of sheeps cheese and it appears it is good for people with LI.
http://www.sheepscheese.com/
Yep! Sheep cheese is my friend for sure.
I am severely lactose intolerant but love food and cooking, so this has been a difficult adjustment for me as well. Parmigiana Reggiano is lactose free as well as; Grana Padano, all Finlandia cheeses including Muenster and Lappi. I use Lappi as a substitute for Mozzarella as it has similar texture and flavour. Muenster has worked well as a substitute for many cheeses as it has great flavour. There are some cheeses that I cannot tolerate such as mozzarella. Goat cheese does have lactose, but also has a protein in it that is different from that in cow’s milk. This makes it much more easily digestible and is great for those with lactose intolerance. Hope this is helpful! p.s. – I make my own ice cream by making creme anglaise with lactose free 2% milk.