I happen to love salmon. In fact, I think it's my favorite food. As it should be! I mean, I grew up in Portland, and what Portlander would be a true northwesterner without a love for microbrews and Pacific Northwest cuisine?
But if you--like my husband--have been a critic of salmon, let me assure you, I have a salmon recipe that seems to please the masses...even those who say they don't like salmon. But there are a few keys to doing it right.
I've found that the majority of people cook salmon incorrectly. They cook it way too long. I think we have a fish phobia in the US, and forget that there are regions of the world that eat fish mostly raw. Yet we insist on cooking it until all the juices and flavors are gone. Personally, I recommend cooking salmon on a hot grill, using a bowl I craft out of aluminum foil. This keeps the juices from spilling on the bbq and locks flavor in.
Finally, be sure to take the salmon off the grill when the center is still slightly pink (not like cooked pink, but the natural color of raw salmon pink). If your grill is hot enough, it will cinge a crispy outside on the fish, while keeping it juicy and delicious on the inside.
One more thing...did you know that some salmon travel as far as Japan from the Pacific coast before venturing back to the river where they were born? That's a long way to travel, so show them some respect and cook 'em good!
Asian Salmon with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Sesame Green Beans (shown here with different potato)
Ingredients:
Salmon -
Large filet of salmon, skin on
1/4C Olive Oil
1/2C Soy Sauce
1/4C Brown Sugar
2 Packets of Sugar Substitute
Garlic Salt (a dash, to taste)
Potatoes -
4 - 5 Potatoes
Salt and Pepper
2TBSP Butter
1/2C Sour Cream
Wasabi Paste or Powder (to taste, strength varies)
Green Beans -
1Lb of Fresh Green Beans, trimmed
1TSP Sesame Oil
1TSP of Ginger
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2-4TBSP of Soy Sauce
Instructions:
Combine Olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic salt, and sugar substitute in a large, shallow dish. Add fish, and marinate salmon for 1-2 hours.
Once marinated, create a BBQ bowl out of tin foil and add fish and juices to tin bowl. BBQ skin side down in bowl for 5-7 minutes, and rotate. Take off grill when outside is almost crispy but inside is still slightly pink.
Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
For green beans, add sesame oil to pan on high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and finally green beans. Saute over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce and cook until green beans start to change color, but before they get soft.
But if you--like my husband--have been a critic of salmon, let me assure you, I have a salmon recipe that seems to please the masses...even those who say they don't like salmon. But there are a few keys to doing it right.
I've found that the majority of people cook salmon incorrectly. They cook it way too long. I think we have a fish phobia in the US, and forget that there are regions of the world that eat fish mostly raw. Yet we insist on cooking it until all the juices and flavors are gone. Personally, I recommend cooking salmon on a hot grill, using a bowl I craft out of aluminum foil. This keeps the juices from spilling on the bbq and locks flavor in.
Finally, be sure to take the salmon off the grill when the center is still slightly pink (not like cooked pink, but the natural color of raw salmon pink). If your grill is hot enough, it will cinge a crispy outside on the fish, while keeping it juicy and delicious on the inside.
One more thing...did you know that some salmon travel as far as Japan from the Pacific coast before venturing back to the river where they were born? That's a long way to travel, so show them some respect and cook 'em good!
Asian Salmon with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Sesame Green Beans (shown here with different potato)
Ingredients:
Salmon -
Large filet of salmon, skin on
1/4C Olive Oil
1/2C Soy Sauce
1/4C Brown Sugar
2 Packets of Sugar Substitute
Garlic Salt (a dash, to taste)
Potatoes -
4 - 5 Potatoes
Salt and Pepper
2TBSP Butter
1/2C Sour Cream
Wasabi Paste or Powder (to taste, strength varies)
Green Beans -
1Lb of Fresh Green Beans, trimmed
1TSP Sesame Oil
1TSP of Ginger
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2-4TBSP of Soy Sauce
Instructions:
Combine Olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic salt, and sugar substitute in a large, shallow dish. Add fish, and marinate salmon for 1-2 hours.
Once marinated, create a BBQ bowl out of tin foil and add fish and juices to tin bowl. BBQ skin side down in bowl for 5-7 minutes, and rotate. Take off grill when outside is almost crispy but inside is still slightly pink.
Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
For green beans, add sesame oil to pan on high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and finally green beans. Saute over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce and cook until green beans start to change color, but before they get soft.
