As the old saying goes, “It is not about the size of your lure, it is all in the presentation.”
The reason I was thinking along these lines is that summertime is the season for my buddy Steve to spend upwards of $5,OOO US per pound of fresh lake trout.
This year, however, my buddy Donny has one-upped my buddy Steve by spending over $10,000 US per pound to wrestle a fishy-smelling and unsuspecting halibut from its comfortable home on the ocean floor.
Now that we are tired of making barbecued plank salmon with focaccia, and grilled vegetables or goat cheese gnocchi with pepper cocilis, all day, it is time to try something new.
According to the National Mango Board, the agreeable mango comes loaded with 20 different vitamins and minerals.
Apparently the mango scored 93 out of a possible 100 points on the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System, a scale being developed in the U.S. (values will possibly be turning up on items in our grocery stores in the future).
Just try to imagine what might be left undiscovered were it not for the National Mango Board.
For example, the actual mango itself originated in India and Southeast Asia around 4,000 BC and was cultivated by Buddhist monks. It is considered a sacred fruit in the region and it is believed Buddha himself occasionally enjoyed meditating under a mango tree, especially if the mosquitoes were not too bad.
While the Buddha sat there meditating under the mango tree, on a bug-free day, he must have had some mighty deep thoughts such as, Is there life after death? or, more probably, How do I make a nice halibut sandwich with a zesty mango barbecue sauce?
After countless individuals canvassed me for ways to barbecue a mango and I was so inspired by how much money my buddy Donny paid for his halibut, something simply had to be done to try to combine the events.
I like to call it “The $10,000 Sandwich”.
To make the zesty mango barbecue sauce, combine three skinned and seeded ripe Roma tomatoes, one large peeled and chopped mango, one-quarter chopped red onion, one minced clove of garlic, one-half seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper, one-half cup of cider vinegar, one-half cup of brown sugar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of ground cumin, one teaspoon of dry thyme leaves, two-thirds cup of orange juice and salt and pepper to taste, in a medium saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for 15 to 30 minutes until thickened, puree in a blender until smooth and let it cool.
Prepare the mighty grill and carefully place two five-ounce skinless and boneless halibut fillets. Cook four to five minutes on each side, basting with the mango sauce. If you are not a big fan of sauces with a lot of sugar in them, cook for only the last minute per side with the sauce on the fillets.
Heat two bread rolls and spread with mayonnaise (lemon mayo, if possible), then decorate with lettuce and sliced tomatoes before slapping on the grilled halibut.
Now that is a sandwich the Buddha could be proud of.
Back to my buddy Steve … he catches deformed fish – the heads are always too close to the tail.
Remember to buy lots of local produce when you can.
