Lures Bar and Grille Mahi-Mahi with mango salsa.
Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa
By Lures Bar and Grille
1397 Generals Highway
Crownsville, MD 21032
410-923-1606
Luresbarandgrille.com
The month of May is quite special for this very special restaurant. Lures Bar and Grille celebrates its one-year anniversary. Opened by Chuck and Jill Soja in May 2008, the restaurant has quickly established itself as a local’s favorite and is a great locale for any celebration with its fantastic décor and outdoor beer garden. What better way to kick off the month than with a bright, colorful, and flavorful dish? Chef Jose Alberto Rosales Cruz gives us the step-by-step know-how to easily prepare Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa and offers a little background perspective.
What’s Up?: Are there special techniques that you try to incorporate into your cooking?
JC: All of my dishes are made with love. Lots and lots of love.
What’s Up?: How did you come to work at and/or open this restaurant?
JC: I started working at Lures when it first opened in May 2008.
WU: What do you enjoy most about your job?
JC: The thing I like most about my job is inventing and creating new dishes. I love the freedom to come up with the daily specials, soups, and any other specials.
What’s Up?: What makes this dish special to you?
JC: I like the contrasts of the spicy jalapeno and the sweet mango puree. I also love to cook with fresh ingredients. You can always tell when a dish is freshly prepared using the freshest ingredients.
What’s Up?: Are there any special ingredients used in this dish?
JC: In Acapulco we love to cook with a lot of jalapenos, and especially fresh fish. The mango puree is a little twist on the recipe.
What’s Up?: Is there a particular wine or drink that pairs well with the dish?
JC: At the restaurant we sell a lot of Bogle Chardonnay with this particular entree, and any white wine would go well with this refreshing light dish.
RECIPE
Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa
4 servings
Ingredients
Mango Salsa
1/2 ripe mango
1/2 red pepper
1/2 red onion
1 tomato
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cilantro
2 fresh jalapenos (deseeded)
Mango Puree
1/2 mango
2 oz. white wine
1 tbsp. sugar
1 small shallot
Mahi-Mahi
2 lbs. fresh Mahi-Mahi
1/2 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
1 bag fresh baby spinach
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tbsp. butter
Preparation
1 & 2) For Mango Salsa. Dice the mango, red onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and tomato. Toss together in bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and add to the mixture along with the lemon juice.
For Mango Puree. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
3 & 4) For Mahi-Mahi. Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides and place on hot grill. Turn a quarter turn after two minutes. This will make the diamond grill marks. Flip the fish and repeat. After the fish has grilled for four minutes per side, place on an ovenproof dish or pan, and into a 350-degree oven for two minutes to finish off.
5) While fish is in oven, sauté the spinach in butter for two minutes, being careful not to overcook.
6) To plate. Place 1/4 of the spinach in the middle of each dinner plate. Place Mahi-Mahi on top of spinach. Top fish with 1/4 of the salsa mixture, and top that with 2-3 oz. jumbo lump crabmeat. Drizzle mango puree over top of the entire plate. Lures serves the Mahi-Mahi with roasted rosemary red potatoes.