Grilled Blue Marlin with Strawberry Nectarine Salsa

Details

The rich flavor of blue marlin is highlighted by a sweet strawberry-nectarine salsa in this recipe from The Eat-Clean Diet® Cookbook 2. Blue Marlin meat is considered a delicacy, especially valued in Japan for sashimi.

Ingredients:

Salsa

• 1 cup / 240 ml fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered
• 2 nectarines, pits removed and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 red chili pepper (red jalapeño), seeded and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml finely chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml chopped fresh cilantro
• Scant pinch sea salt
• Scant pinch black pepper

Marlin

• 4 x 5-oz / 140 g wild-caught Hawaiian blue marlin* steaks (can substitute swordfish or tuna)
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml fresh lime juice
• Eat-Clean Cooking Spray
• 1 tsp / 5 ml sea salt, divided
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper, divided

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine salsa ingredients and place in refrigerator to allow flavors to combine while you prepare marlin.
2. Place marlin steaks in a shallow dish and squeeze lime juice over top, lifting up edges of steaks to allow juice to reach underside. Let marlin marinate in lime juice for 5 minutes.
   
3. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and spray with Eat-Clean Cooking Spray.  Spray top of marlin steaks and season with half of salt and half of pepper. Place on grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn, spray with more Eat-Clean Cooking Spray and season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook until desired doneness, about 2 more minutes for medium rare. This fish is better undercooked than overcooked.
4. Remove marlin steaks to a serving plate and spoon salsa over top.

*Though imported blue marlin is overfished and therefore not a sustainable option, Hawaiian wild-caught blue marlin is a good alternative. Other sustainable options include North Atlantic swordfish and US Albacore or Yellowfin tuna.