Swordfish with Ginger-Asparagus Rice and Mango Salsa (Another Help! I've Got Leftover Take-out Rice and Don't Know What To Do With It)

I'm likely to decide on what's for Sunday supper as I sit at Sunday lunch.  Often there are leftovers, soup in the freezer, or a nice piece of cheese that only needs a nice glass of wine to balance out all of my food groups.  Whatever happens, I rarely cook.  Sunday's a work day for me and Sunday evening is one I like to spend with my best guy, the dogs, and a tv tray.



Yesterday, though, I remembered there was cold rice and some cryovac frozen  swordfish ($8.50 for two pieces at Whole Foods) that needed to be used.  On the way home from a restaurant lunch, I stopped and picked up a pound of asparagus, mango, jalapeno, ginger, and cilantro.  I'd make a salsa and grill the fish while sauteing the asparagus with an onion and mixing it with the cold rice. While sort of a no-brainer recipe-wise, it happened to be something I hadn't done in a long time.  Any sturdy fish would do, and while I know there are a lot of salmon and mango salsa recipes out there, I think white fish or even tuna shows off the fresh salsa to its best advantage.  Here's how:

swordfish with asparagus rice and mango salsa
2 servings                             7 Weight Watchers' Points Plus*

Remove fish from cryovac plastic and place in a gallon resealable bag in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.  In the meantime, first make the  

MANGO SALSA:   Mix together in a small bowl:  1 peeled, seeded, and chopped mango with 1 tablespoon each minced red onion and jalapeno pepper (no seeds or veins), 1/2 cup chopped, peeled cucumber, 1/4 cup each chopped red bell pepper and fresh cilantro, pinch of crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Set aside.

 

 Next, chop trimmed asparagus (generally cut off bottom three inches) into one-inch pieces along with an onion (medium dice) and sauté in one teaspoon oil for ten minutes or so until tender. ( Spoon in a little water if vegetables become too dry.)  Add a minced clove of garlic and a teaspoon of grated ginger, along with a good sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.   Stir in 1 cup--or more-- of cold, leftover rice  (Your own or take-out) and cook until hot.  Top with sliced almonds and serve hot or warm under fish.  (If need be, turn off and reheat when fish is almost done.)

 While asparagus and onions cook, heat grill pan or heavy sauté pan until very hot.  Drizzle fish with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, and grill fish for 3-4 minutes until very brown grill marks show; turn and grill until fish is just barely done--nearly opaque, but juicy--another two minutes or so depending on the weight of the fish.  Note:  Leave skin on to cook, but remove for eating. 

Remove fish from griddle or sauté pan and place on top of rice mixture.  Top with salsa. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the entire meal.   Serve hot or at room temperature.  (When cool, place second serving in storage container for tomorrow's lunch or dinner.  This is good hot or cold.)

I like an unoaked Chardonnay with this, but a Viognier would also drink nicely!

Read about swordfish here.

*Approximate WW value, depending on size of fish fillet, amount of oil used with vegetables, etc.
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IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN SALAD WITH MANGO

Source: moretimeatthetable.blogspot.com via Alyce on Pinterest

And then, just for fun:  What people around the world eat in ONE WEEK: 

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce