When you find yourself alone with the love of your life--or a contender for that role, and you want to serve up an amazingly delicious, yet light seduction meal, this salmon dish will do the trick. Another hit from one of my favorite cookbooks, Mod Mex; this easy dish is made to impress.

The presentation begins when you plate the dish with a coating of Pipian Verde, a simple mole sauce (pronounced MOH-lay) made from roasted tomatillo, garlic, jalepeno peppers, and onions, thickened with toasted pumpkin seeds. Place the pumpkin seed-crusted salmon over the mole sauce, and pour two glasses of a light, crisp white wine. Lift your glasses and toast to your good fortune. Place a forkful of the salmon with the pipian verde into your mouth. Your eyes will slowly close to fully experience the vibrant sensations: the soft crunch of the toasted pumpkin seeds, the silky texture of the salmon complimented by the fresh flavors of the pipian verde. Just divine!

 
pumpkin seed-crusted salmon with pipian verde sauce
Serves 6

basic salsa verde
6 large tomatillos, husked
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 to 3 jalapeno or serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes until lightly browned and soft, or you can grill them until charred. Combine all ingredients in the jar of an electric blender. Add chiles, cilantro, vinegar, salt and pepper, and puree until the desired consistency; either chunky-smooth or completely smooth. This sauce will last for about a week stored in the refrigerator in a nonreactive container.

pumpkin seeds, salmon and pipian verde sauce
2 cups pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups salsa verde (see below)
6 skinless salmon fillets
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

If you are cooking for 2 - 4 just use less salmon fillets and 1 egg white
I would make all of the pipian verde. You can use this for other dishes, even a dip with chips or crudite.
Note: You will need a large, oven-safe nonstick skillet to finish this dish off in the oven.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the pumpkin seeds in 2 tablespoons of the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread evenly on a baking sheet to lightly brown and become crisp, 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the pumpkin seeds and turn the oven up to 375 degrees F.

In the jar of an electric blender, pulse the pumpkin seeds until just coarsely ground. Do not over blend. Remove half of the seeds and set them aside in a flat dish or pie plate. Save a few pumpkin seeds to garnish each dish.  Pour the salsa verde into the jar with the remaining seeds and puree until smooth.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and brush the top side of each fillet lightly with egg white. Carefully press the egg-coated side into the ground pumpkin seeds

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add the fillets, crusted side down, and transfer the pan to the oven for 3 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and crispy. Using a spatula or tongs, turn the fish, return the pan to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes, cook the fish to medium. Add 1 more minute of cooking if you prefer your fish more well done.

While the fish is cooking, in a small saucepan, heat the Pipian Verde sauce over medium heat until hot.

Coat each dinner plate with about 1/3 cup of the sauce, lay a fillet on top, garnish with a few toasted pumpkin seeds, and serve.

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Walking along Park Avenue I came upon one of my all time favorite contemporary Mexican restaurants--Dos Caminos. I was immediately drawn to a brightly colored book in the window-- Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home by Executive Chef Scott Linquist. Needless to say, I rushed in to purchase my very own copy. 

If you love Mexican food this is a must-have cookbook for your collection.There are over 125 recipes that highlight food from the regions of the Yucatan to Oaxaca with the creative flair Scott Linquist is famous for. I knew this book would be a keeper for my Seduction Meal library.

Flipping through the pages there were so many recipes I wanted to try. For my Mexican Seduction Meal I chose to serve "el amor de mi vida" Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos, Guacamole and chips, and Pico de Gallo. Served with a chilled glass of beer and a wedge of lime...let the fiesta begin!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos + Guacamole
served with Salsa Pasilla and Queso Fresco




For this meal I break the prep into 4 tasks. First I made the Mushrooms which need to marinate for at least one hour. Next I made the Salsa Pasilla; this salsa is pure heaven. The tomatoes, garlic and onions are roasted and then pureed with a blend of mesmerizing flavors. You will love it!  Next I made the Pico de Gallo and ended with the Guacamole. Note: The first three tasks call for refrigeration for at least one hour, so be sure to make this 1-2 hours before your meal. If you prefer, you can make everything but the guacamole the day before.

Ingredients and Tasks

Tacos
12 six inch corn tortillas, purchased or home made (I bought mine and had to use flour tortillas)
1 cup very thin sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup of crumbed queso fresco (I had to substitute a mild goat cheese)

Mushroom
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 serrano chile, stemmed and chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chile, salt, and pepper. Add the mushrooms, turn to coat evenly, and let stand for at least 1 hour. I had to add a bit more olive oil to coat them all.

Salsa Pasilla  (this sauce is heaven!)
4 medium whole plum tomatoes
1 small yellow onion, quartered
3 cloves of garlic
6 pasilla chiles
2 chipotle chiles
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the onion is slightly brown. Toast and rehydrate the pasilla and chipotle chile. In a jar of an electric blender, and working in batches if you need to, add the drained rehydrated chiles, roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic along with the remaining salsa ingredients, except the salt, and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Pico de Gallo
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small cubes
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 to 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together. Season with about 1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste), and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Basic Guacamole

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp minces jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeds and membranes removed, if desired
Kosher or coarse salt
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 small plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp freshy squeezed lime juice
Warm tortilla chips for serving

Mash together 1 Tbsp of the cilantro, 1 tsp of the onion, 1 tsp of the chile and 1/2 tsp of salt in the bottom of a Molcajete (a lava-stone mixing/serving bowl) or a medium sized-bowl. Add the avocados and gently mash with a fork until chunky smooth. Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture. Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips. Make this just before you are going to serve it, but before preparing the tacos so the flavors can settle in.

Preparing the Tacos
Heat a barbecue or gas grill until hot. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and put them on the grill to warm. Lift the mushrooms from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place them individually on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes, and then turn and cook the second side for the same amount of time. Remove and but the mushrooms into 1/2 inch wide strips.

Serve 3-4 strips of mushrooms to each tortilla and top with a generous pinch of lettuce, 2 tablespoons of Pico de Gallo, 1 tablespoon of Queso Fresco, and 2 tablespoons of the absolutely delicious Salsa Pasilla. Fold in half and serve 2 tacos on each plate.

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I am enjoying a new love affair with another Australian culinary hit. First Donna Hay (to me a queen of seduction meals), and now delicious. magazine. As per their site,  "delicious. celebrates food and the people who produce it, from celebrity chefs to passionate foodies from around Australia and the rest of the world. So whether you want a simple but scrumptious midweek meal or an impressive dinner-party menu, we've got the recipes you need."

In Volume 4 Issue 7 you will find the recipe for Kickass Barbeque Sauce. I chose to try this recipe because it uses a mix of spices that I wanted to explore: coriander, cumin, allspice and cayenne pepper. The resut was truly kickass as I used way too much cayanne pepper the first go around--having missread 1/2 teaspoon as 1 teaspoon. Let me tell you, tears were shed...but the taste was awesome. Not to worry, the measurement below is the right recipe, although I did increase the ketchup from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.

delicious. kickass barbecue sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tspn ground coriander

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tspn ground allspice

1/2 tspn cayenne pepper

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of water

2 sprigs of onions, finely chopped for garnish (optional)

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