I decided to enter the OXO Cherry Recipe Contest.  So it became my mission to create a recipe using fresh cherries.  Sure, I have done this before with my Cherry Spinach Salad.  But, why would I use something I have already done, there is no fun in that!  I set off for the store and remembered it is also fresh peach season, so I had peaches on the brain when my 10 year old requested Salmon for dinner.  So you guessed it my friends, the stage for this challenge was set!  

After my trip to the store for the ingredients my brainstorming really began as I had cherries (and peaches) to use in a salmon recipe.  I have used a fruit chutney in previous recipes including my Pretzel Crusted Salmon and my most recent Make it Up Monday (MUM)-Rhubarb Pork Chops, so clearly I could make that option work.  But I wanted the use of the fruit to be something different, yet flavorful,  more of a fresh look and taste.  

Did I hear someone say, "But, it's summer why are you not using the grill?"  You must have been reading my mind because, you guessed it I also wanted to try this one on the grill, which is a first for me.  So, throw in one of the hottest days of the year, a recipe contest, one determined blogger and this is what you get, enjoy!!

In my efforts of full disclosure, I must add that I did not use any of my OXO utensils and products in this recipe.  However, I am wishing I had after hand pitting all those cherries.  So, I will be purchasing the OXO Cherry Pitter in the very near future.  I DID however, use the OXO Steel Winged Corkscrew to open my bottle of Riesling, which was a perfect wine for this recipe. 

Ingredients:
2 packages (4 fillets) of Orca Bay Sockeye Salmon, thawed and with skin removed
1-2 cups of fresh cherries, pits removed
3-4 fresh peaches, cut into slices
Fresh Spinach, amount is up to your preference
1/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup of sunflower seeds, roughly chopped (I gently rolled over mine with a rolling pin) 
1/3 cup of oil in a bowl big enough to dip the fish, I used Zoye 100 % Pure Soybean Oil
Aluminum Foil
Grill basket (optional)

Directions:
-Preheat your grill, as you can see below I use a charcoal grill.
-Place cherries and peaches in a foil, I double layered mine just to be safe.  You can see my packet on the left side of the picture below.
-If you are using a grill basket, which I did and left it open faced, line with foil.  I also used a basting brush to lightly grease the foil from the bowl already set aside.
-Combine the Panko and the sunflower seeds onto a plate or shallow dish
-Dip or brush oil on both sides of the salmon fillets
-Coat  both sides of the salmon with the panko and sunflower seed mixture
-Place into the basket
On the Grill:
-Place the Cherries and peaches over an area with lower heat
-Place the Salmon on the grill
-Grill for about 5 minutes per side or until the salmon has an internal temperature of 145 degrees
-Flip the cherries and peaches after about 5 minutes as well.  

(Please note that the large foil packet on the right of the picture above was a summer squash that I was grilling, but not using in the recipe)

Plating:
-Place fresh spinach on the plate
-Top with a salmon fillet
-Finish with the cherries and peaches


As a girl who, in the past, has not a big fan of salmon, and is only beginning to appreciate and choose salmon and other types of fish as a dinner option this was delicious and will make it into a more regular "rotation" in this house.  



Healthy Eatings, 



Rachel