Crispy Skin Salmon Fillets - Mexican Style

I am so loving the fresh flavours of Mexican food!  Middle of winter stodge is awesome, however, it is a nice change to have something fresh, light and zesty.  Lime, coriander and chilli are the stars in this little ensemble and some tasty mexican style beans complete the dish and leave you feeling extremely satisfied!

Serves 2

2 x 200gm salmon fillets, skin on
1 tbs of olive oil
1 x 400gm tin of red kidney beans, drained (reserve some of the liquid)
1 red onion, finely diced
1 long red chilli, seeds removed if you are a bit of a girl's blouse ;) and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 cup of water
50gm of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Sea salt and pepper

For the Salsa:

1 punnet of assorted cherry/grape tomatoes (plain red will do, I just like the different colours) quartered and chopped
1 long green chilli, seeds removed if you are a girl's blouse ;) and finely chopped
1/2 a red onion, very finely diced
1/2 an avocado, finely diced
1/2 a bunch of coriander, finely chopped
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
juice of a lime
sea alt and pepper
A couple of coriander sprigs and lime wedges for garnish

Heat a large heavy based pan and add the olive oil.  Lightly fry the onion, garlic and chilli until the onion is soft and then add the cayenne pepper, cumin and ground coriander.  Fry for approximately 1 minute or until fragrant.  Pop in the drained kidney beans and a little of the liquid (2 tablespoons).  Reduce the heat and allow the bean mixture to simmer for away, stirring often.

To prepare the fish, make sure all the scales and bones are removed.  This should already be done by the fishmonger, however, sometimes they miss a few.  Lightly rub a little olive oil in to the skin and flesh sides of the fillets and season with salt and pepper.

Add a little water to the beans and give them a bit of a squish with the back of a spoon so they become nice and chunky but pasty in consistency.  Keep your eye on them and keep adding a little more water if you think they are drying out too much.

To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to combine.   Don't over stir as the avocado will go mushy.  Have a taste and add seasoning, lime juice or a little more oil if you think it needs it.

Heat a heavy based fry pan to really hot and add the salmon fillets, skin side down.  Leave for approximately 3-4 minute before turning and the skin should be lovely and crispy.  Cook for a further 3-4 minutes on the flesh side, remove from the heat and allow to rest while you finish the beans.

Turn the heat up on the beans and add the baby spinach, coriander and lime juice.  Stir continually until the spinach has wilted and season with salt and pepper.  Divide the bean mixture between two serving plates.  Top with the salmon and spoon over the salsa, creating a nice pile on top.  Don't waste the juice, pour it over the salmon and top with coriander sprigs and lime wedges.  Enjoy!!