Chinook Salmon
By Cat, Jan, 2008 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
See also: 1. Fish and Seafood Menu; 2. Asian Menu;
I’ve not tried this yet, mainly because when fresh-caught wild salmon is available, it’s too hot to use my oven, especially at 450°F.
Use only wild-caught salmon, as always. My favorite is from the Bristol Bay fishery in Alaska, but Copper River is good also, if overpriced.
Asian Roast Salmon
This Japanese-style recipe is adapted from Better Nutrition, February 2009 (1), and serves 2 or 3. The original recipe uses soya sauce in the marinade, but I prefer to use Tamari, which is fermented soy sauce and far more healthful (plus I have a food sensitivity to unfermented soy). See Soy: Friend or Foe? for more.
You can use a re-sealable plastic bag to marinate the salmon (as in original recipe), but I prefer not to use plastic in my kitchen. Instead, select a narrow baking pan, such as a bread pan, large enough to hold the filets but small enough that the marinade will cover.
I don’t recommend lining your baking sheet with aluminum foil, as the aluminum could leach into the fish via the acidic marinade. Instead, I grease the pan with ghee or coconut oil (see Good Fats for Cooking for more about these fats/oils).
Ingredients & Equipment:
- 12 oz salmon fillets, skin on
- 2 Tbsp Organic Tamari sauce
- 2 Tbsp sake (or white wine)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger root
- 1 Tbsp minced green onion
- 1 tsp Organic, cold-pressed sesame oil
- ghee or coconut oil
- Equipment
- small bowl
- narrow baking dish or re-sealable plastic bag, for marinating.
- baking sheet
Method
- Rinse and dry salmon filets; place in plastic bag, or in narrow baking dish (so that marinade will cover the fish)
- Marinade: mince green onion and ginger root, and place in a small bowl. Add Tamari, sake, honey, and sesame oil, and whisk well. Pour over salmon. If using baking dish, cover with waxed paper, or place the dish in a plastic bag. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Grease baking sheet with ghee or coconut oil. Place filets, skin-side down, on baking sheet. Roast 13 – 17 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Slide spatula between salmon and skin, then lift to serving dish.
Assembly or Serving Suggestions
Garlic Scape
Photo, left, from Wikimedia Commons
- Garnish with wedges of lime, and scallions, trimmed of all but about 3 inches of green, then cut in half lengthwise.
- Serve with steamed brown rice in a cup, and long asparagus spears or green beans, steamed or seared.
- If serving in late June/early July, you could serve with sauteed fresh garlic scapes (pictured, left). Leave them whole and looped, or cut into 4″ lengths.
References:
- Better Nutrition, February 2009 (can’t find link to this recipe on betternutrition.com)
