Lemongrass baked salmon with a spicy-sweet Thai glaze.

Lemongrass Salmon

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Some of my favorite kinds of foods are Thai inspired. Things like red curry or pad thai, with the spicy yet complex flavors.  I learned early on to balance the flavorings within: hot, sour, salty and sweet. And I do in this simple baked fish recipe as well.

For something to serve with this, I often like to have a simple stir-fry of something like zucchini chopped with some carrots and onions.  Maybe mushrooms if I have them.  Just a little drizzle of oyster sauce usually does the trick, although playing around with tamari, fish sauce and a bit of ginger and garlic can be fun, especially if I drop a few thin slivers of hot Thai chillies into the pan. On occasion, my zealous nature with the hot spices has driven folks not only out of the kitchen, but almost out of the house. But as I get older, that does tend to happen less.

On prepping the fish- I can’t say this enough as people  mention it often. Don’t remove the skin from the fish. Put it skin side down on the pan- it helps to protect the fish from drying out and adds a little flavor. Once it is cooked, it should easily slide away. Sometimes the edge needs  a knife slit to get it started,  but it’s no problem. I usually work a spatula under it easily and lift it away. If not,  you can leave it on the plate when you eat, as the fish doesn’t stick to the skin if you fork it right.

Tomorrow I am  offering my recipe for Persian Khoreshe Bajemjan if I find where I misplaced the recipe. It’s supposed to be in the stack of recipes I have written out that I have made, but I didn’t see it last night. I’ll search again and if I have misplaced it,  I’ll just post something else until I find it. But I hope I do- I have been making khoreshe for over 35 years and it’s pretty good. It’s something I know how to do by pinch and grab by heart, but I won’t share a photo without telling you the exact amounts I used,  etc. I’m funny that way. And I do hope you appreciate that! So until tomorrow- keep your fingers crossed that I find it!

~Sue

Lemongrass Salmon

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 25mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh salmon fillets
• 1/2 cup  orange juice
• 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown  sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil paste
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  toasted sesame oil
• For serving and garnishes: steamed rice, lime or lemon slices, herbs such as cilantro and basil, thinly sliced scallions, thinly sliced fresh Thai hot peppers, pickled carrots and daikon radishes (all optional)

Method:

1. Mix orange juice, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, lemongrass paste, basil paste, ginger, garlic and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
2. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for a few minutes until it thickens somewhat.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F./broil.
4. Place salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet and brush with sauce.
5. Broil salmon about 6 inches away from the element for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes (depending on thickness).
6. Serve with rice and  garnishes of choice.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com