My body is not built to live in the South.

I was born here. I was raised here. I’ll probably die here. And yet, every summer, I get hit with the overwhelming feeling that my frame was built for the high 70s and low 80s.

It’s too hot, y’all. Even with June just beginning, I’m already sweating. And when I sweat, my face turns red. It’s not fun for anyone to witness.

The only solution I’ve found for it so far is to dunk myself in a pool from time to time.

So, this past week, my friends and I went on a girls’ quest. The question: where is the nearest body of water we can get to legally after work?

There is one public pool in Starkville, and it closes at 6 p.m. most days. Even breaking several traffic laws, it would be nearly impossible for me to make it from The Dispatch offices and into that pool before closing time. And I don’t intend to end up in jail for the sake of a pool.

When it comes to private pools, none of my friends live at an apartment complex with a pool, or own one themselves. So, we knew we would have to call in favors to get access to any body of water in the surrounding area.

It took some doing, let me tell you. But after a few days of us all grumbling and complaining to each other, we found a local acquaintance-now-turned-friend with a gate code and a key fob to take us to their local pool.

And it was pure bliss. I mean, floating on your back and staring at the sky bliss. For the first time in the past few weeks, I felt like my body temperature was regulated.

I was so enthralled by this post-work pool quest that I forgot all about the fact that I had to eat later that evening. And I forgot all about the fact that my husband would also want to eat.

When I got back home after finishing my quest, I knew I would need to come up with something to eat and quickly. Thankfully, I already had some salmon on hand, along with some avocados left over after my guacamole-making last week.

I threw the words “salmon” and “avocado” into a search engine and found this on Healthy Seasonal Recipes, which was just what I needed. All of the ingredients were already in my pantry, and I could have dinner ready within just a few minutes.

I didn’t expect much more than an edible meal, to be honest, but I was surprised by how much I liked the method of cooking the fish that this recipe offered. Honestly, it was a great way to get a perfect cook on the salmon with a whole lot less labor than almost any other recipe I’ve tried.

All that to say, this recipe helped me to make a delicious and light meal for the summer without having to even go to the grocery store or actively cook for more than about five minutes.

I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a pool to enjoy it next to. Because it’s about to get even hotter, and I’m going to have to start living in whatever puddle is closest to me.

SKILLET SALMON WITH AVOCADO AND BASIL

(adapted from Healthy Seasonal Recipes)

Ingredients
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless salmon filet, skin removed
1 avocado (large)
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions
■ Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt, Italian seasonings, crushed red pepper and black pepper in a bowl and then sprinkle all over the salmon.
■ Lay salmon filet skinned side up in the hot oil. Let cook, undisturbed until browned and crispy along the bottom edge, and the flesh is opaque about half way up the side of the filet, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness.
■ Flip salmon over and remove skillet from heat. Allow salmon to remain in hot skillet to allow the carry-over heat to continue cooking the other side to desired doneness, about 4 minutes more.
■ Meanwhile, peel, pit and mash avocado in a bowl (I used the spoon method by cutting the avocado in half, then running a spoon under the peel to remove the fruit.) Add basil, and lime juice. Combine, then slowly stir in remaining salt, tasting for flavor (can get salty quickly).