Friday, August 22, 2008

SUMMER SIMPLICITY ~ GRILLED SWORDFISH with AVOCADO & TOMATO SALSA / CUCUMBER SALAD


"The daisy's for simplicity and unaffected air. "
~ Robert Burns
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GRILLED SWORDFISH with AVOCADO & TOMATO SALSA

~ Simple summer dining, perfect when tomatoes are at their peek

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4 6-oz. swordfish (Halibut or salmon) steaks

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt & cracked pepper to taste

2-3 peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped tomatoes

1/2 diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 diced yellow or orange pepper

1/2 chopped small red onion

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

juice and zest of 1 large lime

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 minced clove garlic

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

dashes of Tabasco to taste

1 peeled, seeded, and diced avocado

  • Combine chopped tomatoes, diced peppers, red onion, olive oil, lime juice, zest, vinegar, garlic and chopped fresh herbs. Add a dash or dashes of Tabasco, according to taste. Set aside. (Can be made several hours ahead.)
  • Preheat grill. Massage olive oil into steaks and season with salt & pepper. Grill swordfish until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
  • Fold avocado into salsa and serve over grilled fish. Great with fresh grilled or steamed corn on the cob and a cucumber salad. (4 servings)

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CUCUMBER SALAD

Pare and thinly slice 4 cucumbers. Add 1/2 chopped sweet onion. Season with coarse salt and let rest several minutes. Drain and pat dry. Toss with 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar and freshly cracked pepper. Combine 1 cup sour cream and 1 tsp. dill. Toss sauce with cucumbers and re-season.



"We meet thee, like a pleasant thought,

When such are wanted."

~ William Wordsworth

16 comments:

Jane O' said...

This avocado and tomato combination sounds great. But more impressive is the flower collages you always come up with or just a simple daisy. It is always a treat to visit your blog.

RURAL said...

That mosaic is stunning!!!!
One of the best examples of that type of collage I have ever seen. Like always, you inspire!
Jen

beckie said...

Joey, what a lovely daisy-as said so simple but oh so summer. I don't have any late blooming ones and that's a shame because they are so stunning in their simplicity. I should remedy that. :) The avacodo and salsa sounds great and would make a wonderfuly fresh and pretty veggie dip.
Have a great weekend and give those boys an extra hug.

A wildlife gardener said...

Love the daisy photo and the daisy mosaic, Joey :) You are such a talented lady :)The 'daisy' is named after the 'day's eye'...clever, don't you think...for it opens its eye at the start of the day and closes it when the sun goes down :)

Anonymous said...

And..she also said...Pair and thinly slice...even your wording matches the photos!! We notice. Hugs and thanks for the yummies. I forget to put my dishes in the sink. Do forgive me.

joey said...

Thanks Jane Marie, as is your site always a treat. We share many hobbies in common besides living in our beautiful state ... family, food, music, and our gardens.

A lovely compliment coming from your gifted eye, Jen. You are an inspiration also. Isn't it wonderful finding 'newfound' friends? Sharing is what life is all about.

Dear Beckie ... dip and enjoy the salsa! Who does not love the simple daisy? (a fun shot with new camera.) After a delightful 'grandboy' day yesterday and this AM, we fought weekend traffic and am posting from the lake (awesome sunset). Back Sunday with the 'grandboys' on Monday & Tuesday (zoo day).

Always a wealth of wonderful information, Wildlife, I thank you. Visiting your 'Piece of Paradise' is a most treasured time. It has been 'God's gift' meeting you ... He speaks through your talented eye.

joey said...

Dear Anna .. what do I enjoy most about you? It's hard to say ... your creative mind, tenacity, or possibly God's greatest gift ... a sense of humor!

Anonymous said...

Hi Joey,
I hope you are enjoying your summer and particularly your lovely lake home. I sure am!!!!, but it's going way too fast, unfortunatley. But, who knew I love the fall maybe a wee bit more. Oh, heck, I love every season in Michigan!!

Anyways, I was searching your site for salsa recipes and came upon a posting on Devil's Nite which refer to Diary of a Ho-Hum Housewife; what is that?

joey said...

... and there you are, Ann! Hi ... funny thing, I'm at the lake watching whitecaps roll in, hoping to hop on the boat and just ran in for shelter (if you're at your cottage, I do believe you sent the storm our way ... thanks ;) One of the things I love most about lake living, how the weather changes every 5 minutes ~ I do believe I see a ray of southern sunlight peeking through dark thunder clouds.

Happy waning summer ;( Let's enjoy what remains. I do love brilliant Michigan autumns also, although spring is my favorite. Indeed we're blessed living in this beautiful state.

Diary of a Ho-Hum Housewife is my novel in progress, written and in the editing phase, the hardest part. Thanks for asking ;)

Anonymous said...

Yes Joey, the weather is very changeable and quite dramatic over the water. Love watching storms roll in.

CONGRATS on your novel!!!!! I'm sure it will be wonderful given your beautiful creative mind. I look forward to reading it soon.

Thanks for all you do,
Ann

joey said...

You are most kind, Ann. (Back home tending 'grandboys'.) Love watching storms roll in also with an awesome view since our cottage faces west, high on a hill, thus named 'Wa-gi-daa-king' (bonus with fabulous sunsets). I would say we are both blessed :) Anxious to 'kick my book' out the door but life has has taken me in other directions lately. Hopefully, this winter for sure!

Catherine said...

Awww...sounds yummy! I am trying the cucumber salad tomorrow~I have cucumber's coming out of my ears~well seems like it! :)
That Daisy collage is fantastic Joey~ you are so creative and clever, I hadn't thought of trying a mosaic collage with a multi exposer of a single flower~what a beautiful one you created! :)
Worthy of a frame~it would look pretty on my inspiration board!:)
Have a beautiful evening Bloggin Sis!
Cat

joey said...

I can't imagine anything you have not projected on your beautiful site, Cat! Thanks and hugs. (The cucumber salad, eaten for years, was my Mother's simply way of 'sprucing up' a simple cucumber (that we called 'pickles' growing up in the home of 'The National Piclke Festival').

joey said...

I can't imagine anything you have not projected on your beautiful site, Cat! Thanks and hugs. (The cucumber salad, eaten for years, was my Mother's simply way of 'sprucing up' a simple cucumber (that we called 'pickles' growing up in the home of 'The National Piclke Festival').

Kylee Baumle said...

That last composition of the daisy is very unique! Before I was a gardener, I always said white daisies were my favorite flower and it still ranks up there with other new favorites. They just make me smile!!

joey said...

Thanks Kylee ... seems like everyone adores a simple daisy :)