A Tropical Dish for a Summer-y Evening

I went to Whole Foods with a list of ingredients needed for the menu using lamb from the current list. I came home with swordfish and mango salsa. Let me explain. The current menu is chock full of meals for fall! I planned to fill our bellies with warming meals including heavy, stew-like dishes, and hearty meats because it's getting colder outside, but it was 80 degrees today! Originally, I was going to make lamb anyway, because everything to do with that menu sounds delicious, and it's a weekend, which means I can take my time with a meal that will take a few hours to prepare...but lamb shoulders are crazy-expensive right now at Whole Foods, so I scanned the weekly specials for a back-up plan. Swordfish is on sale for $9.99 a pound, for a savings of 50%!? Okay...let's start with that! When I think of swordfish, I think of mango salsa - I don't know why exactly, but I always associate the two, so after getting my fish packaged, I headed to the produce department. Alas, the mangoes were the opposite of ripe, so I then made a beeline for the salsa and chips aisle, where I picked up a jar of shelf-stable mango salsa. I know, I normally don't buy packaged items like this, but...this was an emergency! :)

I also grabbed a bottle of Caribbean mango marinade from the seafood department, and some berries and Mascarpone for a dessert I was contemplating. The rest of the ingredients...well, I had those already. Once I arrived home, I placed the swordfish steaks into a dish and coated each one with marinade, turning it a few times. I covered the dish with plastic wrap and threw it in the refrigerator to marinate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I pulled out some baby greens with herbs salad mix, some baby arugula and a giant red pepper that I bought at the farmer's market last week. Voila! Side dish - accomplished.

I used another bottled product here, because I love these salad dressings! Cindy's Kitchen makes a line of refrigerated, all-natural dressings with some wonderful varieties, and while I usually only have one bottle at a time in the fridge, they come in very handy for quick salads! My husband found this new variety last time he came with me to the grocery store, and we both love it! The Fresh Avocado Vinaigrette has great flavor, coats the greens in a salad very nicely, and is a really cool green color too! It's delicious, and I highly recommend it...or any of the other flavors offered by Cindy's Kitchen!

When my broiler was preheated, I took the swordfish out of the fridge and placed it on a broiler pan. Into the oven it went, for about 4 minutes. When the timer went off, I took the pan out of the oven, flipped the swordfish steaks, and basted them with a bit more marinade before returning them to the oven for another 4 minutes. At that point, the steaks weren't completely cooked, so I put them in for another minute...and...perfecto! If you cut into the fish, you'll see that it's flaky, and can remain a bit pink in the very center. You don't want to overcook it! I served the fish with mango salsa on the side, although the marinade was very flavorful and it didn't need much in the way of extra sauce!

After we'd both enjoyed our meal, I went back into the kitchen to whip up a quick dessert. I had bought some fresh berries, and some Mascarpone. I added lemon zest and some confectioners' sugar to it, and stirred it all together...that part's done! I poured the berries into a pot with some more confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of limoncello (because dessert is always better with a little liquor!) After allowing that to cook down and macerate for about 10 minutes, I removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool for a bit before using some of our water glasses to assemble a very pretty sort of trifle. I layered the Mascarpone mixture with the berry mixture, and it made for a delicious, albeit very quick, dessert. I think the berries are at the end of their season though - they were a bit tart. It may be 80 degrees outside, but the effects of Fall can be tasted in most ingredients that are not native to this time of year. It must be time to move on to apples, and other fall-ripened fruits!