This glorious meal, which highlights Mexican cuisine in all it’s beauty, can be made in stages if it seems like a lot for one meal.
The Salsa Macha can be made up to a month in advance and is wonderful just to have around for drizzling onto fried eggs or as a dip for grainy bread. This oil-based salsa from Veracruz it is slightly spicy with a kick of vinegar and crunch from peanuts. If you have a peanut allergy, substitute an equal amount of sunflower seeds instead.
The rice and beans can be made an hour or so ahead of time and kept warm, and then simply broil the salmon right before you’re ready to serve.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Salsa Macha:
1 ounce dried morita chiles
1 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
¼ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
¼ cup raisins
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
For the Green Poblano Rice:
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 poblano peppers, stem and seeds removed
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, tough stems removed
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups jasmine rice
For the Black Beans:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped (seeds removed if you’d like it less spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1 15-ounce can black beans
For the Salmon:
1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 (4 ounce) pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
kosher salt, for seasoning
Instructions
For the Salsa Macha: Stem chiles, remove seeds and cut into ¼-inch pieces. Combine oil, garlic, and peanuts in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Remove oil mixture from the heat and add chiles, raisins, and sesame seeds. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add vinegar, salt, and dried oregano and pulse 9-10 one-second pulses. The peanuts should be broken up but not in a paste. There will be a few largish pieces left.
For the Green Poblano Rice: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add poblanos, onions, and garlic and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly then transfer to a blender. Add the cilantro, broth, and salt and blend until smooth.
In the same frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add rice and toast, stirring frequently, in the oil until the grains go from translucent to opaque, about 4 minutes. Add the pepper purée, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
For the Black Beans: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and jalapeños and season with salt and pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, coriander, and dried oregano. Cook, stirring to toast the spices 1 minute more. Add black beans, juice and all, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Mash a bit with a potato masher to make them nice and creamy. You don’t want to make a purée, just break some up to thicken the beans.
For the Salmon: Heat broiler to high. Lay salmon pieces on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with the lime zest, and season generously with salt. Squeeze the lime juice over the pieces then rub to coat pieces in the lime mixture on all sides. Broil directly under the broiler until salmon is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces.
To Serve: Serve salmon with rice and beans, drizzling salsa over everything. Pass more salsa at the table.
Kate Ramos develops Mexican recipes for her food blog, ¡Hola! Jalapeño, and is the author of the cookbook, Plant Powered Mexican, coming out this fall.
