calypso salmon salad: grilled salmon salad with tropical fruit salsa, pineapple mango vinaigrette and cinnamon sugar croutons

this is a delicious light summer dinner. it's got a big name, but really this salad is very simple and comes together in minutes. if you prepare the fruit salsa early in the day, you can have this on the table in under 20 minutes. (and it's only 20 minutes because of the bake time for the croutons. literally this would take 10 minutes.) it's sooo yummy. the creation story: i was making salmon fillets and wanted a fruit salsa with them , then i started getting the idea of morphing it into a salad instead, and came up with a sweet-tangy dressing. the cinnamon sugar croutons put it over-the-top! lots of the components have a sweet flavor to them- but the sweet really pops on top of the bitter greens with the salmon. it's a delicious combination. be sure to work quickly, or your family will eat all the croutons up by dinnertime! (been there.)

calypso salmon salad: grilled salmon salad with tropical fruit salsa, pineapple-mango vinaigrette and cinnamon sugar croutons

an original recipe by rachelle

4 salmon fillets, seasoned (see bottom for tips)

salad greens for four

1 recipe tropical fruit salsa

1 recipe pineapple mango vinaigrette

1 recipe cinnamon sugar croutons

tropical fruit salsa:

1 cup pineapple, diced

1/2 cup mango, diced

1/2 banana, diced

1/3 cup red onion, diced

2 Tablespoons coconut

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon apricot jam

2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice

combine all and stir well. refrigerate until ready to make vinaigrette.

pineapple mango vinaigrette:

1/3 cup tropical fruit salsa

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

pinch sugar

dash salt and pepper

combine all in a mini prep food processor or blender. process until smooth.

cinnamon sugar croutons:

2 cups bread, cubed- big 1 inch square cubes

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar

on a cookie sheet, pour melted butter over bread cubes. toss until cubes are evenly coated. sprinkle cinnamon sugar over all, stirring and coating cubes evenly. use more or less cinnamon sugar, but be sure to coat all sides of the bread. bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes or so.

*if your loved ones need a little "oomph" on their salad (big appetites,) add a layer of cooked brown rice, rye, barley, or quinoa under the salmon. it will give texture and a bit more heaviness if that is what you need for your family. also you can stretch the salmon this way-- only serve a half fillet and serve over the grains. i buy individually packaged frozen salmon fillets from costco and sams. sams are pre seasoned but have the skin on. i cook the salmon on my george foreman for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the skin from the bottom while nobody's looking. if i buy costco fillets, i season them liberally before grilling.