Japanese Style Salmon Food

STICKY ASIAN-STYLE SALMON WITH BROCCOLI, QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBER & RICE

Steps:

• Cook the rice in a large sauce pan of boiling salted water for 25 minutes, or until tender.
• Place a colander over the pan and cover with a lid. Chop the broccoli into 3cm chunks and add to the colander to steam for the last 8 minutes.
• Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then finely slice into half-moons and place into a small bowl. Drizzle with ½ a tablespoon of soy sauce and squeeze over the juice from half a lime, scrunch and toss together, then leave to pickle.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, or until golden, keeping them moving in the pan. Tip into a small bowl.
• Place the pan back on the heat, turn the heat down to medium-low and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil, add the salmon fillets, skin-side down, then cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Peel and finely grate the ginger. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and add the whites to a bowl with most of the ginger. Add the remaining soy sauce, honey and the juice from 1 lime, then mix well to make a glaze.
• Pour over the salmon, turning to coat, then cook with the lid off for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until beautifully glazed and just cooked through.
• Drain the rice and tip back into the pan with the broccoli and ginger. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lime half, season to taste and stir.
• Divide the rice and salmon between your plates, spooning over any extra glaze from the pan. Drain and add the quick pickle, then serve scattered with the toasted sesame seeds and remaining spring onion.

JAPANESE BAKED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove pin bones from salmon if needed.
• Mix together marinade ingredients. Pour over salmon and marinate at least 15 minutes to overnight.
• Remove salmon from marinade and wipe off excess ginger and garlic. Put onto oiled baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-20 minutes depending on thickness of the salmon. The salmon should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

JAPANESE SALMON WITH MIRIN AND SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the oil in a ziplock bag, remove as much air as possible and marinade overnight (or minimum 3 hours).
• Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium heat.
• Add salmon skin side down, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy. Check the skin to ensure it isn't cooking too quickly - if it is, then turn down the heat and/or remove the pan from the stove briefly to allow the temperature to decrease.
• Drizzle over remaining marinade in the ziplock bag over the flesh side. Flip and cook the flesh side for 2 minutes, or to your liking. I like salmon medium rare so the inside is very moist and just cooked.
• Rest for a couple of minutes, remembering that the salmon will continue to cook while resting, then serve.

JAPANESE SALMON OVER LINGUINE

Steps:

• Put oil in a pan. Put the salmon filets in and flip to coat. Rub with garlic and ginger. Mix together remaining ingredients, except broth, in a separate bowl. Pour half of the mixture over the salmon. Cook over medium heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn salmon and add the rest of the mixture. If it needs more liquid, add broth 1/4 cup at a time. When salmon is opaque all the way through, remove from heat. Remove salmon from skin. Pour liquid over linguini then place chunks of salmon on top. Garnish with slivered pickled ginger.
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network?s kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.

CRISPY ASIAN SALMON WITH STIR-FRIED NOODLES, PAK CHOI & SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Steps:

• Make the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients. Place the salmon fillets in a small bowl and spoon over the marinade, turning the fish so that it's nicely coated. Cover with cling film and leave to sit for 10 mins (or longer if you have time).
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles following pack instructions, then drain and sit them in a bowl of cold water.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add the salmon fillets, skin-side down, and leave for 3 mins. When the fish is slightly crispy, flip over and cook for a further 3 mins on the other side. Just before you remove the fish from the pan, add any remaining marinade and let it sizzle for 10 secs. Place 2 of the fillets, skin-side up, with their juices on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the other 2 fillets on another plate if using for Flaked salmon salad (see 'goes well with'), cover with foil, leave to cool, then chill.
• In a frying pan or wok, heat the rapeseed and sesame oils over a high heat. Add the spring onion, garlic, chilli and ginger, and stir constantly for about 1 min. Add the sugar snap peas, pak choi and pepper, and stir for another 1-2 mins, then add the cooked noodles. Toss well, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice, and mix until well combined and the pan is sizzling.
• Remove from the heat and divide between 2 bowls. Top each with a salmon fillet and drizzle over any juices. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.

ASIAN GLAZED SALMON

Steps:

• Combine the Marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl. Add salmon and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
• Heat grill/broiler on high. Place the rack 25 cm / 10" from the heat source.
• Place salmon on baking tray (no oil required). Scrape all the excess glaze from the bowl onto the salmon.
• Grill/broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the top of the salmon is beautifully caramelised. Be careful not to overcook the salmon!
• Serve salmon sprinkled with sesame seeds, scallions/shallots with rice and steamed Asian greens on the side.

JOOLS' ASIAN-STYLE SALMON

Steps:

• For the marinade, peel and crush the garlic into a shallow bowl. Peel and finely grate in the ginger, followed by the zest of half the lime.
• Next, add the soy, juice from half the lime, the honey and oil and mix together well.
• Preheat the grill to medium and line a baking tray with tin foil.
• Check that there aren't any stray bones lurking in the salmon fillets, then cut them up into 2.5cm cubes. Toss them in the marinade and leave for around 10 minutes to absorb the flavour.
• Thread the salmon onto 2 large or 4 small skewers (soak them first, if wooden), but don't push the pieces too tightly together, then place onto the tray.
• Grill for around 8 to 10 minutes, or until beautifully glazed and cooked through, turning regularly and brushing with leftover marinade.
• Toast the sesame seeds (if using) in a dry non-stick frying pan until golden, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool.
• Once cooked, transfer the skewers to a plate and sprinkle with the toasted same seeds (if using), dunking the cubes of salmon in any that escape onto the plate.
• Cut the remaining lime into wedges for squeezing over. Delicious served with plenty of greens and brown rice or noodles.

BAKED ASIAN STYLE SALMON

Steps:

• Add Tinfoil to baking dish, place Salmon in baking dish.
• Mix all other ingredients in a bowl.
• Pour ingredients over Salmon and fridge/marindate for 20 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 425.
• Cook Salmon, uncovered for 12-15 minutes, basting the fish with the sauce at least once.
• Serve hot.

JAPANESE STYLE SALMON

Steps:

• Mix the mirin, xylitol and soy sauce in a shallow dish and marinate the salmon in it for a few mins each side.
• Heat a large non stick frying pan over the hob.
• Cook the salmon in the pan for a couple of minutes then turn it over, add the marinade and cook for another few mins.
• Remove salmon to a serving plate, add the rice vinegar to the pan and heat through.
• Pour the glaze over the salmon and top with spring onion strips and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

JAPANESE SALTED SALMON (SHIOJAKE/SHIOZAKE)

Steps:

• If your salmon is not cut into Japanese-style fillets, follow these instructions. Place the salmon skin side down with the narrow tail end to your left (the head end is wider). Next, cut off the tail's narrowest part, which is too small for Japanese-style fillets. Tilt your knife back about 30 degrees and diagonally slice the salmon toward the tail end. You can read my detailed instructions on How to Cut Salmon into Japanese-Style Fillets.
• This 1.3 lb (600 g) side of Sockeye salmon yielded 8 Japanese-style fillets and 3 additional odd-sized pieces.
• Evenly distribute the sake on the salmon fillets and coat well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, pat dry the salmon with a paper towel.
• First, sprinkle and apply the salt on the skin. Then, sprinkle the remaining salt on both sides of the fillets.
• If you have any leftover salt, use it on the skin. Press the salt onto the skin.
• Line the bottom of an airtight container with a paper towel. This will absorb the moisture that the salt will draw out from the fish. Place a few of the salted fillets in the container in a single layer and lay another sheet of paper towel on top of the fillets.
• Repeat for the second and third layers of fillets, as needed.
• Lay a final sheet of paper towel on top. Cover with the lid and keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• Open the container after 2 days and you'll see that the salt has drawn out the moisture from the salmon. The fillets are darker in color and firmer in texture. Discard the wet paper towels.
• Gently pat dry the fillets with a paper towel to get rid of any excess moisture. The salted salmon fillets are now ready to use.
• If you don't plan on cooking the salmon right away, wrap the individual pieces in plastic. I usually wrap two fillets together, as I often need two fillets for a bento box or four fillets for a family meal. When you wrap the two fillets, make sure they are separated by a layer of plastic so they don't fuse together in the freezer. This is helpful when you need to separate and take out just one frozen fillet.
• Set one fillet on top of the plastic wrap and fold over one edge to completely cover the salmon. Then, put the second fillet next to the first piece, making sure they're separated by a layer of plastic film. Continue to wrap the salmon fillets tightly.
• Repeat wrapping the remaining fillets. Put them in a freezer bag. You can store the salmon in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Defrost the fillets completely in the refrigerator overnight. It is a good idea to let the salmon sit out for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking so that it can warm to room temperature. Do not let it sit out for too long. Here, I will cook two fillets.
• Preheat the oven setting to Broil High* (550ºF/288ºC) for 5 minutes and keep the oven rack placed in the center position or 9 inches* (23 cm) away from the top heating element. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up and grease it with (spray) cooking oil. Place the salmon on the foil, skin side up (for crispy skin). Tip: When broiling, you don't control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It's similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill.
• Broil the salmon for 8-10 minutes. Please remember that the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish and the distance between the broiler and the food. Japanese salted salmon is cooked until well done (more dry and flaky). You do not need to flip it.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with a rack placed in the center and bake the salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Japanese salted salmon is cooked until well done (more dry and flaky).
• Peel the skin of the daikon and grate it (I use this grater). Gently squeeze most of the liquid out but keep the grated daikon moist.
• Serve the broiled Japanese salted salmon and with the grated daikon on the side. I also served Tamagoyaki (Japanese Sweet Rolled Omelet) and Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing in this meal.

JAPANESE-STYLE SALMON

Steps:

• On a plate, mix the flour and wasabi powder together.
• Dip the salmon pieces into the flour until lightly coated all over.
• Heat a wok until hot; add in the oil, then add half of the salmon and sear it, without moving, for 1 minute.
• Turn and sear the other side for 1 minute.
• Remove from wok and keep warm; repeat with the remaining salmon.
• Add garlic, soy sauce, mirin, apple juice, spinach, and water to the wok; stir-fry until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Return fish to wok; stir to coat in the sauce, then cook 1-2 minutes.
• Serve over rice with the scallions and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

JAPANESE STYLE GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• This approach with salmon works equally well on fresh halibut or sea bass. We serve the resulting fish hot or at room temperature either as the center of the plate or as part of a salad. If you're using salmon, try marinating and grilling the skin separately to use as a garnish.
• Season salmon with salt and set aside.
• Combine marinade ingredients, except lemon slices, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add lemon and pour cooled marinade over fish and marinate refrigerated for 2 to 4 hours. Turn fish occasionally.
• To serve: Grill or broil on both sides until just done, approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook. Salmon should still be translucent in the center. Serve with Soba Noodle Salad on the side.