Grilled Halibut with Fresh Mango Salsa with Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Looking for a light, summery meal that leaves you full without the calories? Then you've come to the right place. This is the perfect dinner for a warm summer night, especially if you have a backyard or roofdeck to enjoy. Whip up this meal, serve with chilled white wine, and then sit back to relax in the nighttime warmth without wilting from the sun. Full of fresh fruit and light sauces, this meal fits summer perfectly.

In addition to the Halibut with Mango Salsa and Strawberry Salad I also whipped up some Zucchini Bread for this meal. I won't detail it below, but search my past posts (where it has been written before) if you want to add this starch component to the meal! The light, sweet, yet veggie-full flavor of the bread pairs perfectly with this meal. And leftover bread is fantastic as a quick breakfast as you run to work, hurrying to get there on time. So are you ready to learn what summer tastes like?

Grilled Halibut with Mango Salsa
Halibut is the epitome of summer fish. It is light, refreshing, and when prepared correctly, so soft and creamy that it will practically melt in your mouth. The only downside (if it can even be called that) is that Halibut is not a particularly flavorful fish on its own. But that is why we have mango salsa! Paired with basically any sauce or topping, this fish is fantastic. It is hard to go wrong. But make sure that unless you are a big fan of bland you don't just cook this fish alone as you can do with blue fish or salmon.

So let's see what this recipe looks like. As you'll see, in true summer fashion, this fish is supposed to be grilled. And if you have easy access to a grill (such as those of you who live in real houses with real yards) that is absolutely what you should do! But more apartment city-folk like me? We use grill pans. And this is where I put mine to use once again.

The mango salsa is delicious, but this recipe, if followed in correct proportions, definitely makes far more salsa than we managed to eat on our fish. And I was generous in my mango servings! The problem was quickly solved: eat it with chips as a salsa or put it in a wrap the next day with some fish or other meat as a yummy burrito or taco.

Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
To pair with the light and almost creamy fish, I prepared a strawberry salad. Because who doesn't love strawberries? When they are big, red, and delicious all summer long it's truly hard not to want to add strawberries to everything. So here is your chance to make them a mainstay of your meal!

Once again, this is a very easy and fast recipe to prepare. Toss together lettuce, strawberries, and nuts. I, of course, didn't follow the instructions very well. Instead of romaine I substituted a more vitamin-rich mesclun mix. A good rule of thumb: the darker the leaves the more nutrition you are getting. Sadly, romaine just doesn't always pack the same punch. I also substituted hazelnuts for the almonds, just because I had fresh hazelnuts on hand that looked delicious, and filled my salad with strawberries. I had 1.5-2 cups rather than the 1 cup called for her. But when is more strawberries ever too many?

Mix up the dressing and toss well. This makes a fair amount of dressing. I added slowly, seeing how the salad tossed, and did not end up using all of it. Even though you try to make it healthier, sugar still contains many calories and LF mayo or FF milk are by no means necessarily healthy even if they are more healthful than the originals. Many salads seem healthy but then pile in the caloric dressing. So if you are happy with less, do it!

The strawberry salad and mango halibut both taste best fresh so if you decide to bake zucchini bread, or another, longer-cooking side, make sure you time your creations correctly. Do not start the fish too early or it will get cold - and the salad soggy. Just glance at your recipes, estimate the time, and plan ahead.

And enjoy the summer evening.