We all know red cherries are delicious on their own, but have you tried adding them to savory dishes? We asked our friends at Northwest Cherry Growers, a collective of passionate farmers, for a few of their favorite recipes.
Pro tip: if you don’t have a cherry pitter, grab a chopstick or reusable straw. Push your chosen utensil at the point where the stem meets the fruit and push the pit straight through into a bowl. You can also use a paring knife to slice through the fruit (avoiding the seed) and pop out the pit.
Ingredients
Quick Cherry Salsa
1 pound white fish fillets (such as halibut, cod or tilapia)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper ground
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pitted and halved Northwest fresh sweet cherries
1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onion
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper* chopped
8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup diced avocados
Directions
-
Prepare Quick Cherry Salsa: combine 1 cup prepared salsa with 1 cup chopped cherries, 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion and 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper* in a bowl; mix thoroughly. Let stand at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Makes 2 cups.
-
For the fish tacos, cut fish into 3/4-inch cubes.
-
Combine flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
-
Sprinkle seasoned flour over fish cubes and toss to coat pieces.
-
Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and sauté fish until lightly browned and cooked.
-
Add cherries, green onion, cilantro and jalapeño pepper; sauté about 1 minute or until cherries are thoroughly heated. If desired, wrap tortillas in microwave-safe plastic wrap and microwave at HIGH 1-1 1/2 minutes.
-
Divide fish and cherry mixture in 8; spoon each portion to one side of each tortilla.
-
Top with 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tablespoons diced avocados. Fold tortilla in half or roll into cone shape.
-
Serve with Quick Cherry Salsa.
-
* For milder salsa, substitute jalapeño with Anaheim chili peppers