This colorful plate was as good as it looks. The real stars were the mango salsa and the perfectly cooked salmon.

John brined the salmon in 1 quart of water with 2 tablespoon of salt that was stirred thoroughly to dissolve it. He sprinkled the bottom of a non-stick skillet with kosher salt and ground pepper. Next he dried the fish and put it in the pan skin side down on medium low. John cooked the salmon without moving it for 8 minutes (depends on the thickness of the fish) and then turned it over and cooked it for two minutes more. Before serving he removed the skin which slid off easily.

I made the mango salsa. It consisted of two mangoes, peeled and chopped up, the zest and juice of one lime., 1/4 chopped red onion, 1/4 cup chopped mint, and a half of a jalapeño, minced. It came out great!

John made the rice in his painstaking manner which includes a lot of steps that I never bother with. I am a put it in the pot with some salt and maybe oil, boil it for 20 minutes, and the end product is cooked rice. But John’s rice turns out great and he likes to do it so I am all okay with that.

I cooked the asparagus in a little water probably too long. I guess I thought the fish would be quicker. I added a teaspoon of butter at the end and the stalks tasted good but could have used a little texture.

In other news, yesterday was cookie making day with our daughter as baker. She is having a get-together with her friends to celebrate Christmas that everyone was home-bound for due to the pandemic. Our kitchen is awash with cookies that she gives as gifts. I can resist them when I just look at them but the aroma is too tantalizing for me to pass up. I ate too many cookies yesterday which is no good for my diet!