Asian Brown Sugar Salmon

Zola Gorgon on Sep 25, 2006

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Oh, Happy Day...

I am writing this on a very special day -- our 22nd wedding anniversary. I am calling it our "golden anniversary" because it is the 22nd anniversary and the 22nd day of September. I know the 50th anniversary is really supposed to be your golden one. I'm just pulling this idea from the concept of a golden birthday. My golden birthday took place when I was 10 but I never heard about the concept until I was about 25, so I missed my chance. I figure this anniversary can make up for that.

I've been married now almost half of my life. That seems like quite an accomplishment. And I have plenty of more years in me. It's been a grand 22 years.

Have you ever noticed how, when you live with someone a long time, your interests and tastes sort of meld together? The foods I like and those my husband likes are very much the same, with a few exceptions. He won't eat fois gras. He won't eat venison. But he will eat Tabasco on his scrambled eggs. He'll put Tabasco on pretty much anything. I don't do Tabasco on eggs. Yuk. But I do like spicy food.

When Chris is in the mood for Asian food, this is his favorite dish: Asian Brown Sugar Salmon. It's easy to make, so it doesn't take much to talk me into making it. I hope you enjoy it too. I'm off now to go to dinner with my favorite dining partner--my husband.

Asian Brown Sugar Salmon

Serves 2 but can be doubled

2 pieces of salmon filet, skin on one side (approx 6 to 8 oz each)
2 tsp fresh, finely grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
2/3 cup soy sauce (Low sodium will work fine.)
3 Tbl brown sugar

Put all ingredients except the salmon in a 9- by 9-inch Pyrex or other ovenproof pan. Stir to mix. Then place the salmon flesh side down on the mixture. Let marinate in your refrigerator 30 minutes while you relax. Don't marinate too long or the fish starts to fall apart.

When ready to make dinner, you are going to grill your salmon. (You can also do this in a sauté pan if you don't have a grill or don't want to use it.) DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE. Spray the pan with olive oil spray. Place the salmon flesh side down to start and grill or sauté on Medium High for 3 minutes. Turn salmon over. Grill on skin side for up to 4 minutes more, or to your liking. My husband likes his salmon cooked through. I use a gauge of 6 to 7 minutes per inch to cook it just past the pink-in-the-middle stage. You can judge your own cooking time based on your taste.

While the salmon is cooking, pour the marinade into a small sauce pan. Heat it on Medium High until it gently boils and starts to cook down. It will get close to a syrup consistency. Don't let it boil over, but you do want a gentle boil to reduce it.

When the salmon is done, serve with a healthy drizzle of the sauce. You can also put extra sauce in a pitcher to serve if someone wants more.

I accompany this dish with a flavored pasta (most recently I found one that's a ginger flavored linguini) and sautéed zucchini. You can also serve it with orzo. There's a great recipe for orzo on my web site at www.dinnerwithzola.com.