We share with you our recipes, reviews, tips and thoughts on building a happy home together through food.
A co-worker of mine has been pestering me for a couple of years now to try this Japanese restaurant for lunch; she raved about the mixed ‘boxes’ that offered a sampling of all their yummy seafood delicacies – a different sampler being offered every single day. Given that raw seafood is one of the only foods I don’t eat (more a matter of allergies than taste) I’ve steadfastly refused to go despite her constant reassurance that they offered ‘cooked’ items too. I finally relented today, on her last week at work for her going-away lunch, and boy did I realize what I was missing!
We ordered a couple of different samplers, filled with goodies like shrimp tempura, candied ginger, ginger fish with baby mushrooms, a fried pork pocket wrapped around asparagus and a japanese take on green beans. The star of the show was a fresh fillet of salmon bathed in sumptuous sweet and spicy asian barbecue sauce. I felt like ate for an hour but because everything was just light fresh seafood, I didnt feel weighed down – but didnt get hungry for quite a while after either. I realized why fresh fish is constantly pushed as a superstar health food - forget all those healthy omega 3 oils, this is just tasty food that really nourishes without filling you up completely.
Now, it will take me some time to learn some of the more intricate preparations we ate today (challenge accepted – Shrimp Tempura, here I come!) but over the summer I learn to make a simple and easy teriyaki salmon dish that, while not as painstakingly made as the restaurant dish, still yielded a deliciously flavored salmon that harldy took any time to put together. Starting off with pre-made teriyaki sauce (Kikkomans - the horror!) cut down some of the time, but adding a few additional touches helps punch up the flavor. The best part? You can make this in the toaster oven - so in a few mins you can have a tasty and healthy fish dish ready for your weeknight dinner! This makes a great protein dish to serve with rice and boiled vegetables.
THE RECIPE: TERIYAKI SALMON
YOU’LL NEED:
- 1 lb Salmon Fillet (skin on)
- 4 tbsp pre-made Teriyaki Sauce
- 2tsp fresh Lime juice
- 2tsp Chili-Garlic sauce (like Sriracha)
THE METHOD:
- Cut Salmon Fillet (across grain) into small rectangular pieces (3inch by 1inch)
- Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl, and marinate salmon (in bowl or plastic bag) for 10-30mins
- Preheat broiler (can use toaster oven)
- Remove fish pieces from marinade and place on baking sheet with skin side down
- Broil for about 10 mins depending on how you like your salmon – I like mine not to overcook and am ok with it being a little pink in the middle.
- Baste every 2 mins with marinade if you want the fish to not dry out too much.
- Serve over hot white rice with a side of boiled vegetables
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- You can leave the salmon fillet whole, but pre-cutting helps cook the pieces faster.
- Don’t be scared off by the chili-garlic sauce – it just adds a little bit of warmth to the fish, not spiciness.
- Though I normally take leftovers for lunch, be warned that reheating in the microwave brings out the fishy aroma! Best to finish all the fish for dinner or save for a home meal rather than stink up the office lunch room!