Pan Grilled Salmon with Spanish Tomato Salsa

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Still inspired by Baguio produce, tried this simple recipe last Sunday. I saw these interesting looking fruit in the wet market. Asked the lady what it is and told me these are Spanish Tomatoes - something I haven't heard of before. She told me these needed to be peeled and are sweet and sour, which can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups or stews (of course she told me these in Tagalog). Got a kilo for Php 50 to take home. :)

The Spanish Tomatoes are not like your regular tomatoes (from Spain) haha Tasting them raw, it's like a cross between a native tomato and guava.

Another interesting thing is that the seeds are bloody red and gives off a pink color (just like how blood oranges give the dish a rosy blush). More tart than sweet, I like it better to complement savory dishes than create desserts out of it.

Here is the recipe.

PAN GRILLED SALMON WITH SPANISH TOMATO SALSA

Ingredients:

1 kilo - 3/4 inch thick salmon steaks (great if you get Norwegian but found some Japanese salmon which are a smaller, less fatty species but works ok)
1/2 cup Korean Soju or Chinese Rice Wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
sesame oil for pan frying

Salsa:
1/2 kilo Spanish Tomatoes (regular vine ripened tomatoes may be substituted)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 lemon
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
salt to taste

Procedure:

Marinate salmon in Soju, soy sauce and honey for at least 30 minutes. Set aside.

Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and keep in the fridge.

Added 1 chopped salted egg to give it a more Asian feel (optional).

On a smoking pan over medium heat, add some sesame oil to cover bottom of the pan and place salmon steaks.

After no more than 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes until you get caramelization.

Serve salmon with the salsa on top. Look how nice the pink tomato juice looks on the plate.

If I get more Spanish Tomatoes, maybe I will make a sinigang out of it (substituting guava in the recipe) or maybe some homemade jam. :)

Muffins Made from Fresh Baguio Fruits

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First time time drive 6 hours to the Summer Capital, Baguio last week. Bummer we got there in the middle of monsoon rains so didn't really get to go around and eat out. :(

Went to the wet market near Session Road and bought a lot of produce. Been wanting to go strawberry picking in Benguet but then again, weather was really bad. Even the strawberries at the market were not as good - not sweet enough, and easily bruised. But then still shopped around and here are my finds which I will use for recipes in my succeeding posts.

Clockwise from top: Avocado, Chico (Sapodilla), Big Eggplants , Spanish Tomatoes

Really excited to cook with those. Let's start with muffins using the fresh strawberries and avocados. :)

FRESH STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 cup crushed strawberries (with juice)
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and line muffin pans.

2. Cream together butter and sugar with a wire whisk.

3. Beat together with eggs, adding each one at a time.

4. With a spatula, fold in dry ingredients with the milk in 2 portions (for easier handling). Do not over mix.

5. Add in the strawberries and mix until well distributed.

6. Scoop onto muffin pans, 3/4 full to allow rising. Bake inside the oven for 18-20 minutes (regular sized muffins) or 35 minutes (large muffins).

Here is the finished product. Nice browning to give it a country style look. Each bite is filled with fresh strawberry goodness with bits or fruit in the crumbly cake. Good for breakfast or snacking. Makes 6 really large ones or 18 regular sized muffins.

FRESH AVOCADO CUSTARD CAKE
(Practically the same recipe but yields slightly different results)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 cup mashed avocados
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and line muffin pans.

2. Mash avocados together with the vinegar (to preserve the green color and help the cake to rise)

3. Cream the sugar and butter with a whisk.

4. Add eggs one at a time until well blended.

5. Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients and fold until incorporated in the batter.

6. Add avocado and mix until well distributed. Do not overbeat.

7. Scoop onto muffin pans, 3/4 full to allow rising. Bake inside the oven for 20-22 minutes (regular sized muffins) or 40 minutes (large muffins). These take slightly longer to brown and rise. Test for doneness using a toothpick - should come out clean when inserted at the center.

The creaminess of the avocado makes it a dense cake (that's why me changing the name from a muffin to a custard cake). At first, it seems weird to have avocado in cake but the bright green flavor (almost like green tea latte) of the avocado and its creamy texture is something worth trying. Maybe next time, since the flavors are very mellow, I will top it off with a chocolate ganache or add dark chocolate chips in the batter. That would be a nice contrast.

Thinking of breakfast today, try these out and bring the freshness of Baguio to the table! :)