Grilled Fish with Pineapple Salsa

Growing up I ate a decent amount of fish. Most of it was in the form of canned tuna, but we also fished during the summer and I had trout or various other wild caught fish. But living in Arizona, we really did not see a lot of things like Mahi-Mahi, snapper, or tuna steaks, the only exception being when someone brought back fish from a deep sea fishing trip. That's how I came across the original recipe for this (from Emeril), one of my first external recipes I tried outside of my parents cooking. Over the years I have scaled back the overkill of the preparation for this dish, and I am really quite happy with it now. It's perfect for a warm evening to grill outside.  It's also wonderfully healthy.

Now I can often find decent fish in the local grocery store or at North Shore (which has much better fish if you are willing to pay a little extra). This can be made with most whitefish fillets such as Mahi, flounder, or snapper. If you can, try to avoid getting fish from outside the US (namely China). They are usually raised in a pretty poor environment, are not sustainable, and are just somewhat all around icky. A few dollars goes a long way in terms of fish quality, trust me.

Grilled Fish with Pineapple Salsa
Serves 4

For the Fish
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ red (or white) onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pound fish filets

For the Salsa
1 pineapple, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 2-3 cups)
1 avocado, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Cooked white rice

To marinate the fish, add the first seven ingredients to a zip-top bag, mix well, and then drop in the fish. Marinate for about 45 minutes.

To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well, and season to taste with a little salt. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat your grill to high. Scrape down the grates and oil them with a paper towel and a little bit of canola oil (don’t skip this or the fish can stick). Reduce grill heat to medium-high, remove fish from marinade, and place fish directly on heat. Cover and grill for 3 minutes or until crisp on one side (will depend on the thickness of your filets), flip and repeat. You will know when the fish is done by it being lightly flaky but firm to the touch. Remove from grill and let rest about 3 minutes. Serve with salsa on top or on the side. Serve with rice. Enjoy.