Summer Eats: Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Cherry Salsa

I recently joined my neighborhood CSA, meaning I bought a "share" of a local farm and in return, get fresh fruits and veggies! It makes me feel very earthy and very grown up. 

When I returned from Indiana last week, Walter's cat-sitter Katie left me a gift in the refrigerator - a carton of fresh bing cherries. Then, when I picked up my CSA share on Tuesday, I was faced with yet another carton of fresh cherries. With all these cherries on my hands, I was forced to get creative (and by "get creative", I mean "google" cherry recipes).

The blog Iowa Girl Eats turned up a winner. But instead of chicken, I decided to adapt the recipe a bit and use fish, as I was craving some of those good-for-you omega-3's!

But enough about fish, let's talk bing cherries. 

Rumor has it that this cherry variety was named after the Chinese foreman Ah Bing who lived and worked on the Lewelling family fruit orchards in Oregon for 35 years in the late 1800's. Besides being sinfully sweet, bing cherries have amazing health benefits...

SUPER SNOOZIN' - Cherries are one of the few foods to contain melatonin, which helps regulate your sleep cycle.

BRAIN FEEDIN' - Eating cherries helps prevent memory loss and aids in overall brain health.

INFLAMMATION REDUCIN' - The antioxidants in cherries are famous for reducing inflammation, especially the inflammation linked to arthritis and gout.

CANCER FIGHTIN' - Cherries are packed with the flavonoid queritrin, which is considered one of the most potent anticancer agents. Queritrin helps your body fight off cancerous cells.

MIGRAINE ELIMINATIN' - The bioflavonoid compounds in cherries are known to eliminate migraine headaches by working in a way similar to aspirin or ibuprofen (which is ironic because I had a migraine the night I made this dish and woke up completely cured!).

Now let's get to the good part, the fresh cherry salsa...

Just look at those juicy little buggers!

Score a handful of cherries into fourths. I used enough to top 2 fish filets...

...then remove the pits.

They should look like this when you're done.

The original recipe calls for a red onion, but I say use what you have. For 2 servings, dice half of a small onion and add to the cherries in a mixing bowl.

Add the juice of half a lemon.

Now add a handful of chopped fresh basil...

... along with 1 tsp. of honey and a dash of sea salt.

Pour in 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Mix well and chill in the fridge so the flavors can combine while you cook the fish!!

Now for the fish...

Drizzle a light coat of coconut oil (or oil of your choice) on the top side of the filets. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Heat 2-3 Tbs. of coconut oil (or other oil) on a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mahi-mahi, skin side down. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. When you flip, the skin should peel off fairly easily. Add the juice of half a lemon for extra flavor. Allow the fish to cool for 5 minutes before topping with the salsa.

Look at that colorful, nutrition-packed dinner!

I know we're done here, but what's one more picture? It was just so beautiful!!

This dish is perfect for a light summer dinner, and it's guaranteed to impress!