Tuesday, March 17, 2009

My One and Only: Salmon with Soy-Honey and Wasabi Sauces

Dear readers: please come see us at the Newer, Awesomer Pithy and Cleaver. Click here to see this salmon on the new site!



There are plenty of foods I'll experiment with. I'll tinker with tomato sauce, I'll riff on risotto. But for me, no salmon recipe can unseat this one as my favorite. (I'll admit, I haven't yet tried Shiv's Seduction Salmon with Honey Mustard.)

Before we moved to Oregon and became flannel-wearing Northwesterners, I don't remember eating much salmon. As soon as we got settled, though, my mother was grilling it up (in the rain) with the best of them.

This recipe, for me, is the taste of home. It reminds me of my parents' dinner parties, during which our little dachshund would attempt to steal a napkin from some unsuspecting guest's lap and shred it to bits. (And then eat it, which was a pretty bad idea.) The salmon was served with a big salad and crusty loaves of bread, sometimes a dish of couscous with raisins alongside. Giant, thick filets of fish were consumed—even those who didn't plan to take seconds always did. It's hard to keep from licking up any remaining sweet soy-honey sauce from the plate. Whenever Matt and I travel west to see my folks, this is the dinner we request.


My mom has actually moved on to a new recipe, and that's fine, but this is the one for me. If you have a grill, you can cook the fish quickly outside, but if you only have a broiler, that works just as well. It isn't too smelly, I promise. Just be sure to leave it quite rare, like true Northwesterners do.


Salmon with Soy-Honey and Wasabi Sauces
Gourmet, May 2001
Serves 4.
If you're only serving 2, I would still make all the sauce, since it's delicious.


For salmon
1/2 cup sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 6 to 8 oz piece thick salmon fillet per person

For sauces
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use reduced-sodium)
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 tablespoon water

Lime wedges for serving

Briefly marinate salmon:
Stir together mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger in a shallow dish. Add fish, skin sides up, and marinate, covered, at room temperature 10 minutes. Preheat broiler.

Make sauces: Boil soy sauce, honey, and lime juice in a small saucepan, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 4 minutes. For wasabi sauce, stir together wasabi powder and water in a small bowl.

Broil fish, skin sides down, on oiled rack of a broiler pan 5 to 7 inches from heat until fish is still pink inside, 5-6 minutes. Do not overcook! Serve salmon drizzled with sauces, with lime wedges for squeezing.

Soy-honey and wasabi sauces can be made 2 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. Salmon is good with lightly steamed/sauteed vegetables (pea shoots, asparagus, shitake mushrooms) tossed with a tablespoon of hoisin.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

that looks ridiculously fabulous. right up my alley. have you ever tried miso-crusted salmon? you HAVE to- if you love this recipe, it's pretty similar. mix up miso, sesame oil, mirin and a splash of soy sauce and chilie sauce and spread it over the salmon and broil it. gawd it's good.

but back to your post- can't wait to try it! :)

Phoo-D said...

We have a similar fondness for salmon. I will try this out the next time we get fresh fish. It looks wonderful!

Maggie said...

I forgot to note, this is also good with arctic char, if that's what's available freshest near you.

Chef Fresco said...

We love salmon, soy and wasabi. Sake and honey are great additions! Random question, but how do you like oregon?

Christina Kim said...

I am a big fan of Asian-inspired anything, so this looks right up my alley! I love the sweetness that comes out of the sugars caramelizing, not to mention the beautiful crust and color. This looks delightful!

Maggie said...

Chef Fresco--Oregon is great, though I must say, you have to be ready for a long gray season. Depressing. Now that I live in New York I really do appreciate those Northwest summers without humidity, though!

brandin + kari said...

Do you have a type of salmon that you prefer for this dish?

Maggie said...

Whatever type of salmon you like! I am not a big fan of sockeye...but otherwise just buy whatever the fishmonger says is freshest.

Lo said...

Laying aside all jealousy about the availability of fresh salmon in the PNW, I've got to tell you that this looks absolutely delicious.

I tend to experiment with salmon, so this is definitely going on my "to try" list.

Heather said...

It's my taste of home, too. :)

Ari (Baking and Books) said...

This looks delicious. I don't eat salmon very often but next time I make it I'm going to give this recipe a whirl!

Ulla said...

That looks like the perfect almost spring dish!

tomatokumato said...

I found this recipe on epicurious a few years ago and have loved it ever since! You're right about cooking it rare... and it's incredible with wasabi-green onion mashed potatoes to soak up all the lovely sauce!

LAMommies.com said...

Looks so good. I'm going to have to try this recipe. Thx for sharing. :)