Grilled Salmon with Sweet Soy Glaze, Coconut Glutineous Rice, and Curried Cauliflower

Salmon  is one of my favorite fish. It has a unique flavor, and a meatier texture than a lot of fish. It is quite versatile; it can be poached, broiled, grilled, sauteed, heck, it's even good raw as sushi, sashimi, or ceviche. I love to grill it. A three ounce fillet cooks in no time on the grill, and takes to a variety of flavors.

This time, I decided to use more Asian flavors. The spouse had purchased a head of cauliflower, with the intent that I make it curried. I wanted to grill the salmon, and made a glaze with sweet soy sauce, regular soy sauce, fish sauce, and lemon grass. The salmon should go on the grill top side down, and at a 45 degree angle to the grill bars. After about three minutes, rotate the fillet 90 degrees. This will give you nice criss crossed grill marks. As soon as you flip it, brush it with the glaze. I brush it with a second coat, just as I pull it off the grill. It will set nicely while the salmon is resting.

The only rice I had was some glutinous rice, so I made that with coconut milk, shredded unsweetened coconut, and ginger. The rice actually went really well with the salmon. It was slightly sweet, but not excessively so, and matched well with the richness of the salmon.

For my curried cauliflower, I saute the cauliflower in a little butter, then add curry powder, a little hot curry paste, and salt. It's important to not overcook the cauliflower. It should be al dente, but not mushy.

Recipes

Sweet Soy Glaze

1/3 cup sweet soy sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. dried lemon grass

Whisk together all ingredients. Let stand for 30 minutes before using.

Coconut Glutinous Rice

1 cup glutinous rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Place all ingredients into a rice cooker. Cook according to machine's instructions.

Curried Cauliflower

1/2 head of cauliflower, separated into small florets
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. hot curry paste
1 tsp. kosher salt

In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add cauliflower, saute until mostly done. Add curries and salt, toss to coat cauliflower evenly.

Happy Eating!

Salmon with Black Current Mustard Sauce

After the rush of the holidays, it was nice to get the chance to just make a simple dinner. I made pan-seared salmon with a black current mustard sauce. To go with it, I made a spinach, apple, and walnut salad with a bacon syrup vinaigrette, and baby Yukon gold potatoes sauteed with garlic.

This gave me the opportunity to use a couple of my Christmas presents. A jar of Trader Jaque's Black Current Mustard was in my stocking, and a friend gave me a bottle of Torani Bacon Syrup. Probably not surprisingly, I got quite a lot of food swag for Christmas.

The mustard sauce was simple, just the some black current mustard, some fresh dill, and a little honey. The potatoes were par-boiled, then sauteed in olive oil with a little garlic and sea salt. The salad was fresh baby spinach, thin sliced gala apple, and walnuts, with a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, bacon syrup, cinnamon, and salt.

I was happy with the meal. I thought it was well balanced.

Recipes

Pan-seared Salmon with Black Current Mustard Sauce

2 4 oz. Salmon fillets
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. black current mustard
1 tbsp. minced fresh dill
2 tsp. honey

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, dill, and honey, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook fillets flesh side down until lightly browned. Flip fillets, and cook until skin is crispy.

Plate fillets, spoon sauce over fish.

Bacon Syrup Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. bacon syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk vigorously, until well emulsified.

Happy Eating!