Taking salmon south of the border

Published 9:47 pm Tuesday, June 29, 2010

You know, some people look at their breakfast, lunch or dinner plates and accept what is placed in front of them. But I, innovator that I am, look at those same plates and say, “Why does it have to be like this?”

It was that very spirit of innovation that led me on my last food adventure — or “foodventure.” This particular foodventure involved a fish I’ve always had a food romance with — salmon. I love it through and through.

But as of late, the love affair I once knew with the pink-meated fish, started to fade to something resembling a bad marriage. Salmon was doing nothing to pique my interests. It was just laying there, no doubt waiting for me to take some initiative and put some excitement back into our relationship.

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My beloved salmon needed spice. It needed some excitement. It needed some salsa-dancing. My beloved salmon needed a trip to Mexico. And, in a flash, the a-ha moment of this foodventure took shape and the answer was revealed to me: invent the salmon burrito.

Now, I know there are those out there who think they’ve made the same journey in their thinking and have made this very same dish once upon a time. But when something like salmon burritos hits you across the taste buds with such force, it feels very much like a new experience.

So great was this moment of culinary inspiration that it moved a good friend of mine — a hard-and-fast traditionalist when it comes to food — to utter the words “Can I have salmon burritos, too?” And in doing so, she and I were treated to a whole new era of appreciation for salmon. The right amount of chili powder, garlic salt and pepper to season the fish while cooking, accompanied by a trifecta of winning toppings — pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole — showed us both a spicy and saucy side of salmon.

It was a dining experience that comes only every once in a while. The chance to make something new out of an old favorite is the type of foodventure that makes me a devoted foodie and an excavator into the depths of flavor.

Thanks to a little innovation on my part, my love affair with a healthy old favorite is restored. Salmon has shown its versatility to me, and I will never neglect it again. This past foodventure has also reminded me to continue to push the boundaries of seafood. Because more often than not, with a little creativity and the right sense of taste, you’ll find that much of your favorite seafood has no boundaries. And the limits they appear to have are only the ones we put on them.

Troy’s salmon burritos

This recipe is purely a “to-taste” recipe. Use the ingredients as much or as little as your tastes desire.

Salmon filets

Chili powder

Garlic salt

Onion powder

Lime juice

Guacamole

Sour cream

Pico de gallo

Flour tortillas (burrito-size) or wraps

Season salmon with all dry ingredients and lime juice.

Pan sear or grill salmon until done to your liking.

Place tortilla or wrap flat on a plate.

Spread about a tablespoon of guacamole as the bottom layer. Place fish on top of guacamole, add sour cream and pico de gallo. Add a few drops of lime juice.

Wrap your burrito and serve.