ginger

Broiled Hoisin-Glazed Salmon Revisited

~ RoniCooks ~ Leave a comment

I first posted this recipe two years ago when I started writing this blog.  Making it now for the umpteenth time since then, I remembered that the accompanying photo was a repost from a website that sorta looked like what I’d made.

While prepping this for tonight’s dinner, I was reminded of that, and of a few other thoughts about salmon filet in general.  Firstly, I prefer farm-raised salmon to wild-caught – even the expensive king salmon at Whole Foods that sells for $20+ per pound when not on sale.  I find it too dry and, when cooked, too much like the canned Rubenstein’s sockeye salmon my mother use to buy.  That was fine for her salmon croquettes (which I also now make starting with fresh salmon, see blog post from 3/26/15), but as a salmon filet entrée it was wildly disappointing.

Regardless of whether you’re on the same page with me on farm-raised vs. wild-caught salmon, you must insist that your fish seller cut a center-cut piece from the thickest part of whatever filet is in the case.  Do not settle for anything at the narrow end, and resist, if possible, a piece with that skinny flap on the side.  A perfectly cut 1-lb. piece should look like this – no flaps, no skinny parts, a perfect rectangle:

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Now, to revisit the recipe.  If time permits, you can prepare your hoisin-based sauce and garnish in advance and leave it in the fridge until time for broiling.  It’s not necessary, it’s just convenient if you want to then put dinner together quickly later on.

Broiled Hoisin-Glazed Salmon

INGREDIENTS:

2 8-ounce pieces salmon filet

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 T orange juice & a bit of grated rind

2-1/2 t sesame oil divided

1 clove minced garlic

1-1/2 T minced ginger root divided

1/4 tsp Thai chili sauce or Sriracha

3 T thinly slice scallions, divided

1-1/2 t rice wine vinegar

2 t black or white sesame seeds, or a combination

PREPARATION:

Place a cast iron skillet on top rack of oven and preheat broiler. Combine 1/2 T of the ginger,  1 T of the scallions and the sesame seeds in a small bowl for garnish. In a shallow plate, brush the salmon filets all over with about 1/2 t of the sesame oil, then combine all other ingredients for your glaze and pour over the fish.

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Place the salmon on the hot skillet under the broiler, broil about 8-9 minutes, depending on thickness, brushing 2-3 times with the remaining sauce in the plate. Garnish with ginger/scallion/sesame seed blend and serve – goes nicely with jasmine rice and a simple green vegetable.   But if time permits, a salad with Asian dressing or stir-fried veggies make it truly an exceptional meal.

And done…IMG_0759

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Gingery Shrimp Stir Fry with Snow Peas

~ RoniCooks ~ 7 Comments

It’s been a while since Ronicooks has done an Asian dish, and once I saw that a 2 lb bag of frozen 21-25 per pound easy-peel shrimp were on sale for $11.98 at Stop & Shop yesterday – the deal was sealed.

Searching my favorite NYT cooking site for inspiration, I came across a dish called Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger.  However, the recipe called for only 1 paltry tsp of ginger and 2 tbsp of garlic.  Also, not nearly enough sauce, and nothing for a bit of heat.

So I did what I usually do – used it for basic idea and made it better.  I always add way more ginger to any recipe calling for it (the exception being baked goods).  Doubled the sauce, added much more ginger and scallions and way less garlic, and added a bit of heat.

The photo is from the NYT site, since I wanted to serve this piping hot from the wok and not waste time with photography.  The recipe, however, is almost entirely my own.  Please to visualize this with more sauce and presence of slivered scallions, over a bed of jasmine rice:

GINGERY SHRIMP STIR FRY WITH SNOW PEAS 

SERVES 2

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INGREDIENTS:

The shrimp: 24 jumbo shrimp shelled and deveined (1-1.25 lbs), brined for only 5 minutes in 2 cups water with 1 tbsp salt – then rinsed and patted dry

The veggies: 6 ounces snow peas with strings removed and 1/2 cup scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal

Sauce: 2/3 cup chicken broth combined with 1 tbsp lite soy sauce, 4 tsp saki, 1-1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp Chinese chili sauce or Sriracha, and 1 tbsp cornstarch

Aromatics: 1/4 cup minced ginger root and 2 plump garlic cloves minced

Cooking oil: about 3 tbsp peanut oil or other vegetable oil – not olive oil

PREPARATION:

Set up your mise en place.  Prep the shrimp and refrigerate.  Make the sauce in a measuring cup and keep a chopstick in it for stirring up the cornstarch if it settles.  Get your veggies and aromatics prepped.

When ready for cooking – heat a large wok and add 2 tbsp of the oil.  Add the shrimp and stir fry until they’re pink, 2-3 minutes.  Add remaining tbsp oil with the aromatics and stir-fry another few seconds to combine.  Add the snow peas and stir fry until they’re bright green but still al dente, about a minute.  Stir in the sauce mixture, swirling it around the sides of the wok.  Stir fry until it’s thickened, stir in the scallions and serve.  Very nice over a simple jasmine rice.  You wouldn’t find any better at your favorite Chinese restaurant.