The Kitchenless Cook
Season in the sun
By Bill Knutson

As the end of summer nears, I sit here contemplating what makes it such a special season. Walking around the house barefoot, wearing shorts well past midnight, cooking lavish dinners on the grill while my family sips margaritas on the beach at Clearlake, and driving around with the windows down and the radio loud enough that no one has to listen to me singing along.

Summer also makes me appreciate the seasonality of food more than any other time of the year. Cherries just don’t taste right except for two to three very special weeks in July. And the staggering variety of plums, apricots and nectarines is almost overwhelming. I can’t forget about the melons. Each summer I commence a quest for the perfect cantaloupe. You know the one – its aroma gently slaps you in the face as you walk by and says, “Buy me.” But, when it really comes down to it, the one fruit that really says summer to me is the old-fashioned peach.

For this month’s recipe, I wanted to feature the peach in a savory dish, so in keeping it a truly seasonal dish to celebrate the end of summer, I paired it up with salmon. Every year I look forward to the local salmon season, which to me marks the unofficial start of summer. Because of the moratorium placed on salmon fishing in California this year, I had to wait until late summer for the Alaskan catch to come in for fresh salmon. I had prepared to go without this year, because a farmed salmon is like a peach in December; a major disappointment.

Cheers,
Bill

Grilled Peach Salsa

3 ripe peaches
2 tomatoes
2 Serrano peppers
3 green onions
2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped
cilantro
1 tablespoon white balsamic
vinegar
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
powder

Halve the peaches and remove pits. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the cut side of each peach. Grill peaches skin side down over medium heat about 10 minutes. Turn over and grill additional 10 minutes. Grill green onions and peppers until slightly charred. Peel peaches and chop. Slice onions, dice tomatoes and chop cilantro. Dice peppers after removing seeds. Combine all ingredients and juice of the remaining limes in a bowl. Stir well and let sit for at least an hour.

Salmon Tacos

1½ pounds of salmon filet
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
powder
½ teaspoon ground oregano
Corn tortillas
Avocado
Baby romaine lettuce
Limes

Rub olive oil on both sides of salmon. Combine spices and sprinkle on meat side. Grill skin side down indirectly over medium low heat until fish starts to flake (approximately 15 to 20 minutes). Heat tortillas on hot grill until soft, turning frequently. Break up salmon. Fill tortillas with salmon, lettuce, avocado, peach salsa and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy.

E-mail: bill@northsidesf.com