“Fish are friends not food.” Except when they’re food.
Salmon has long been one of my favorite standbys. The days when I was a teenager and refused to eat my mom’s grilled salmon because I thought it smelled terrible are unfathomable to me now. When I had access to a kitchen for the first time in my apartment in college, I remember once buying a whole frozen fillet about 14 inches long, and letting it sit in the freezer for a couple of months because I didn’t know what to do with it. When I finally got around to using it, it was frozen so solid I first tried to break the brick-like fish in half with my bare hands. I don’t know why I thought that would work. I then picked up whatever sharp or heavy object I could find within reach and started hacking away at it until a piece finally chipped off. The result of that labor was a cold, mushy, flavorless mess. I finally learned that you actually need to put something on top of salmon to make it taste good, so I started drowning it in bottled marinade. A little better, but still pretty bad.I’m proud to say that I can now cook some pretty fierce salmon. My favorite go-to preparation in a pinch is to mix some honey and dijon mustard together, pour it on top of some salted and peppered salmon, then cover the sauce with minced onion and dill. When you bake it, the honey caramelizes and is quite scrumptious. I’m always looking for different ways to cook salmon because I get bored very easily. I like honey and I like soy sauce, so I thought I’d give this a try.
Mmmm, fresh herbs.
Another Food Network recipe, Honey Soy Grilled Salmon with Edamame uses a very basic sauce of honey, soy sauce, and lime juice for the glaze. The thing that makes it unique is that the salmon is stuffed with a mixture of fresh herbs. I used the required scallions, ginger, and cilantro and substituted sesame oil for vegetable oil, mostly because I have half a dozen flavored oils I rarely use, so I’m going to start taking advantage of them when I can. I’ve never stuffed salmon before and was a little intimidated at the thought, but it was very simple. Following the instructions, I cut slits halfway through the salmon on the skin side. I was so happy I didn’t cut all the way through the salmon like I thought I would. One thing they don’t tell you in the recipe is to watch for scales. They kept coming off, so I had to dig them out of the slits, then they got stuck all over my hands, so I had piles of scale-covered paper towels surrounding me. Okay, really it was just one paper towel, but it seemed more dramatic at the time.
Now will you grant me wishes?
After stuffing the fish, I put it back in the refrigerator while I did yoga for an hour. I don’t know if this did anything to the fish, but I’m going to pretend that it enhanced the flavor by infusing the herbs in the salmon, thus dispersing the magical properties of the cilantro and ginger that cause the fish to grant me wishes. I mean taste better. You don’t have to let it sit, I just wanted to do yoga before dinner. I broiled the fish because I don’t have a grill pan, and I kind of prefer it broiled anyway. The recipe says to serve it with edamame, so I boiled 1 cup of frozen edamame pods in 2 1/2 cups of salted water for five minutes. I really have no idea why the recipe includes edamame because it has nothing to do with the fish. It’s really just a side item and leaving it out wouldn’t make a difference. I’m not complaining though, it reminded me that I need to start eating more edamame. It’s delicious and has a crazy amount of protein and fiber packed in a small container.
Salmon with edamame and some leftover quinoa.
Oftentimes when I eat something I’ve cooked, I can’t believe I made it. Something I cooked just shouldn’t taste that good. But it does. Taking a bite of this fish with your fork and discovering a pocket of herbs is like opening a present you’ve always wanted but never thought you’d get. It’s moist and juicy and the combination of the bitterness of the scallions corresponds well with the sweetness of the honey. It all melds together in your mouth like a whirlpool of warm spring goodness. If I have any criticism, it’s that the scallions might be a little overpowering if you’re not careful and take a big mouthful of them. Still, this dish provides a balanced mix of flavors, and seems well-suited for the oily texture of the salmon. A 6 ounce serving of the salmon contains 360 calories, 21g fat, 5g carbohydrates, and 35g protein.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
- 2 scallions
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 center cut skin-on wild salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1 1/3 cups cooked edamame
- Lime wedges, optional garnish
Directions
Preheat the grill over medium-high direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Finely chop the cilantro and scallion and mix in the oil and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut two 3-inch long slits through the skin lengthwise on the bottom of the salmon fillets, going about halfway into the salmon. Evenly stuff the slits with the herb mixture. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Stir together the lime juice, soy and honey until smooth. Place the salmon, skin side up, on the grill and cook until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and continue to cook, brushing the tops with the sauce, until the fish is cooked through, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle the tops with the sesame seeds. Serve with edamame and lime wedges.
Broiler directions: Position an oven rack so that a baking sheet set on the rack is about 4-inches below the heat source. Preheat the broiler. Prepare the salmon as above and place the fillets, skin down, on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil, basting 3 to 4 times with the sauce, until just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes.
My Secret Life in the Kitchen 