Salmon with Brown Rice and Sake Soy Reduction

I'm not sure what it is about salmon, but it seems to calm my need for comfort food while still wanting to keep things healthy.  Normally, when I am in the mood for something that comforts, I reach for a can of beans, diced tomatoes and any spices that are near; but when I don't mind a bit of planning, salmon is what I want.  I was so happy to come across this recipe and have been absolutely dying to try it for ages, and have finally stepped up to the plate, even though there is still a part of me that is hesitant to cook with alcohol- I've no problem drinking it, but cooking with it makes me inexplicably nervous.  This, my take on Nigella Lawson's Salmon and Sake, is the perfect meal to just make on auto-pilot while at the same time looking forward to your eventual end result. 

A bit of marinading, cook a bit of rice, and, if you can be bothered, blanch or steam a bit of broccoli while you're sauteing the fish and you've a lovely meal.  I've never really had the knack for explaining simple things in a simple way (I can make toast sound complicated) but this really is quite simple, and more importantly, delicious.

Marinade:

1T. wasabi paste

2T. Worcestershire sauce

1T.soy sauce

1T. sake

1 salmon fillet, skinned (~5oz.) 

1 cup brown basmati rice

2 cardamom pods

1  head of broccoli

Sauce for salmon:

1/3 cup sake

1T. soy sauce

3/4t. fish sauce

1t. Worcestershire sauce

1t. wasabi paste

Fresh cilantro, chopped

-Measure out the rice, and it's water and toss in some salt and the cardamom pods (that you've slightly crushed with the flat side of your knife) and let this cook. 

-At this point, prepare your broccoli, trimming into sizes that you find appropriate, and put some water in a pot and let it be on it's merry way to a boil.

-Now for the planning bit: the salmon needs about 20 minutes in its sake marinade, so when it's time (keeping the rice in mind), just mix all of the elements of the marinade and the salmon together in a sandwich sized plastic bag and let them mingle for 20 minutes (outside of the icebox, please).

- When the 20 minutes are up, heat a non-stick skillet until piping hot and place your salmon (marinade discarded)  into it to sear for about 60-90 seconds (per side); wrap in heavy duty foil and let it set while you blanch the broccoli (~3 minutes) and then drain and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and to preserve the bright green of the broccoli.

-Prepare your sauce by letting the sake come to a boil, and then adding the rest of the flavours and let this all come to a simmer.

-Unwrap the salmon, slice, and place over a bed of rice and broccoli,  douse in the light sauce, and scatter the confetti of cilantro. (Then, by all means, devour.)

You may notice that there is no salt called for here, and that is mainly because of how much soy sauce is being used.  When I make this, I tend to salt the rice both during and after cooking, but I have a bit of a tragic love of salt (so much so that I carry a small vile of the kosher variety around with me in my purse at all times). 

 If you like your salmon on the rare side, I would recommend 60 seconds per side, and that is using a timer.  I wasn't up to messing about with a timer and just sort of tried to 'eye-ball' it, and while it was not burnt in the least, I do like my salmon a bit more life-like than it was (as grotesque as that may sound). 

Also, I didn't call for any oil but I really don't find it necessary.  I find that the oiliness of the salmon and the brightness of the broccoli seem to take away any acidity that might even hint at being there.



Easy dinner for one

I think that salmon is quite possibly one of my favourite meals to make for just me.  It is affordable, low in fat (albeit, 'good' fats) and calories, a good source of protein, and very easy and quick to prepare.  It can be served with just about anything and has one of my favourite textures for fish.

Here, I just threw a potato in the oven, and came back later to sear the salmon and shake up a vinaigrette.  It took about 45 minutes or so, but considering that there was only about 10 minutes of actually doing anything, then it can hardly be considered to be time consuming.

1 new potato

1 fillet salmon, (3oz.)

salad greens

cherry tomatoes, halved

for lemon dill sauce:

1 oz. Greek yogurt

1T. lemon juice

1/4t. dried dill

dash of salt

for Caesar vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic

1T. lemon juice

1t. olive oil

1/4t. anchovy paste

salt

-For the potato, just leave it be in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on it's size.  I used a new potato here, because I prefer it's creamy texture to the normal russet potatoes, but use which ever potato you prefer.

-For the salmon, I left the skin on, but that is because I was in a bit of a lazy mood that night; by all means, remove it if you must.  Sprinkle one or both sides with salt and black pepper and put into a hot nonstick pan and let griddle for about 90 seconds per side (for medium rare). 

-For the lemon dill sauce, just stir everything to combine.

-For the Caesar vinaigrette, chop the garlic as teensy as you have the patients for (or use a mortar and pestle if you have one, and go ahead and crush the salt with the garlic here),  the put your garlic mash into a small jar along with the remain ingredients and shake to combine.  Toss with greens of your preference and maybe a few cherry tomato halves if you are feeling feisty.

Let it be said that there is plenty of room for more oil in the vinaigrette if you prefer it less astringent, but I love the acidic tang, especially with the oily salmon here.  Also, if these amounts seem meagre for the vinaigrette, then you can certainly make as much as you want and leave it in the fridge, which, I should have done seeing as I have made that vinaigrette at least 3 times since this meal, only substituting the oil for Greek yogurt and pouring over blanched broccoli, lettuce, and just about whatever else I can get my hands on.

So, now for the big question:  do you avoid the anchovy or seek it out?

I, personally, love it.