pineapple glazed salmon with pineapple & jalapeno salsa

I have never cooked fish much. It's on the expensive side and something that seems intimidating. Undercooked is not an option and overcooked is rubbery or just plain inedible. Before I met Mike I had actually only cooked it once on my own (and countless times with my mothers guidance/direction for Christmas eve).

I tried a few methods...covered it in butter sauce. Crisped pancetta on top. And he had a few bites and would then default to the backup chicken I made for him...

But, these last few months we have been making a conscious effort to eat healthier, have more protein and vitamin-packed foods and there is no better option than fish.

[I have to note here that I believe in the "everything in moderation" approach and can't imagine I will ever stray. I mean, in a week I ate s'mores two ways. But they were small portions. And the rest of my day was balancing that as best I could. This is not going to turn into a health blog and I will never claim to know more than I do, but these are the small changes we are making in our household.]

Theres a local fish market near our place so I walked in one day and picked out some wild Alaskan salmon, as well as these gorgeous giant prawns. Then I spent the whole way home and most of the day trying to figure out how to get Mike to eat it.

I came up with a pineapple and jalapeno salsa with bulgar on the side and then Mike suggested I glaze the salmon with some juice from the pineapple...which is a genius idea. He was actually willing to eat it and I didn't even make back-up chicken!

So here's how I did it:

pineapple glazed salmon with pineapple & jalapeno salsa
2 salmon fillets, each about 4 oz
1/2 cup pineapple, diced finely
1 jalapeno, minced (I removed the seeds & ribs from half to minimize spiciness. leave them in for full spice, or take then out all together for a milder taste)
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp pineapple juice (I got this from cutting the pineapple/squeezing a few pieces. you can also buy canned, just try to find the natural ones, no added sugar, etc.)
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 tbsp butter

• preheat oven safe pan on medium heat, add butter
• preheat oven to 375
• season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper
• once butter has melted, add salmon skin side down
• I let it cook for 3 mins per side, then flipped it back to skin side down, drizzled the pineapple juice on it and put it in the oven for another 4-5

tip: the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cut and the fish market was able to guide me on cooking times

• I was looking for the pineapple glaze to get a little bubbly and once it did, I pulled it out of the oven and served it with the salsa on top

to make the salsa:

• mix the diced pineapple, jalapeno, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a bowl, cover and let sit in the fridge

Let me know what you guys think!