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At Camille Styles, our love for delicious, nutritious food is longstanding. In person and on Slack, our conversations inevitably focus on the food we’re currently cooking in kitchens across the country. From our best taco recipes to comfort-season soups to our enduring passion for sweet potatoes—food is an endless conversation piece. What about the dishes that are on constant rotation in my kitchen right now? Sara Forte’s Blackened Salmon Recipe and Tropical Pico Recipe from Her New Cookbook, Around Our Table: Healthy Recipes for Your Family and Friends.
As the founder of healthy cooking website Sprouted Kitchen, Sara is an expert at delivering fresh, delicious dishes to an ever-expanding audience. Her recipes combine creativity with honesty—an acknowledgment that, despite our wishes, our time in the kitchen is limited. Sara sees food as a core principle in the pursuit of health. While this translates into nutrition, nutrition also takes into account the possibilities of the resources we have.
What’s more, food is also a way to connect. This is the basis for spending intimate time with family and friends. Sarah’s latest recipes, around our table, creates space for this holistic understanding of food. This is a cookbook that evolves with you. Rather than focusing on changing food trends, it serves as a guide to how food can support your life—no matter the season.
We sat down with Sara to discuss the intentions behind her latest release. Sarah’s passion for integrating food into a fulfilling life is evident as she reflects. Her recipes are instant-friendly, bringing color and creativity to the table while keeping things simple and streamlined.
Tropical Pico Blackened Salmon
“This is salmon for a crowd,” Sara writes in her recipe. While other salmon recipes forego flavor for simplicity, Sara relies on fresh, heavy-duty ingredients to simplify preparation and deliver delicious meals every time.
We also love that this salmon and its accompanying smolt can be eaten in a variety of ways. Sara sprinkles fish tacos with pico or tops salsa with a splash of avocado for a stand-alone appetizer. (And of course, crunchy, salty potato chips.)
Salmon eating tips abound. She enjoys the most”[…] Richly seasoned and served with some tangy pineapple pico and avocado. (That is, the exact recipe you get below.) “I serve it with coconut rice, but it would also be easy wrapped in a burrito or even served with veggies. This dish makes a great lunch leftover dish, so don’t overthink the recommended portion sizes.
Contrary to popular belief, salmon is not a year-round dish. Sarah points out that you’ll find the freshest fish between May and September. While frozen fillets can be useful in a pinch, she recommends staying away from “thin, fragile tail pieces.”
With these expert tips in mind, read on for Sara’s tropical pico blackened salmon recipe. and be sure to pick it up around our table More recipes to keep in your daily arsenal.
Excerpted with permission from Sara Forte from Around Our Table, published by Hardie Grant Publishing, April 2024. Suggested retail price: $40.00 hardcover.
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This Blackened Salmon with Tropical Pico is a popular dish you can make in a pinch, making it the perfect summer recipe.
For Tropical Pico:
- 2 cups / 330 g chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 Ripe mango, cut into small cubes
- 1 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- 1 Serrano, seeded and chopped to taste
- 1 Lime, zest and juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- some freshly ground pepper
- a pinch of sugar
For the salmon:
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil + other oil for pan
- 2 pound / 900 G salmon center cut
For the blackened seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon chili
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- a little chili
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the coconut rice:
- 1 cup / 200 g short grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 cup / 240 ml water
- 1 cup / 240 ml coconut milk
- a pinch of sugar
- Passionate 1 Lyme
- sea salt
- 2 Large avocado, cut into cubes
- Fresh cilantro and microgreens
For Tropical Pico:
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use.
For the blackened salmon:
- Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with baking paper. Spray or rub oil on. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and place on oiled parchment paper.
- Mix together all the blackening seasonings. Stir in oil and rub lightly over salmon flesh.
- Start cooking. Mix together the washed rice, water, coconut milk, sugar, lime zest and salt. Stir to combine. Bring the rice to a boil and then simmer. Cover and cook until cooked through and tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
- While rice is cooking, grill salmon. Bake for 15 minutes, then increase the heat to high and cook for a few more minutes, until the top begins to char. The time will vary depending on the oven, but assume it’s around 2 minutes. The salmon should be cooked to medium-rare at this point; add an extra 5 minutes to the first sear if you prefer it done. Take it off and rest.
- Place the salmon fillet on the plate over the rice, slice it into thin slices with a fork, and place the avocado and pico on top. Garnish with cilantro and microgreens.
