My sweetheart will be here later this evening and I have promised him a candlelit dinner tomorrow night. The problem is that RickQ likes plain food–no tomatoes, no cheese, no garlic, no onions, and very few sauces or spices. He loves salmon, as do I, so that is a an easy choice for the main dish. I want to do something a bit more exciting than just baking it plain. Does anyone have any ideas for a simple but yummy way to fix salmon steaks? BTW, I don’t have an outdoor grill, so that is out. I do have a George Foreman grill, but I think it gets a bit dry with that.
Any ideas, dopers? I know we have some good cooks…
Pan-fried salmon always works for me, it’s plain and simple, you can fry it just as it is with no marinade or sauce, although I like a pinch of garlic salt on mine. Or just broil it in your oven.
I’m sure Zenster will arrive soon with some suggestions…
Hmmm…the sushi idea is a good one, but we are planning to go out for sushi. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
In thinking about it more, I think I am looking for a simple, not too spicy, glaze recipe. Maybe a honey glaze? That sounds good to me, but I have no idea how to do it.
You mean I’ve been doing it wrong by sneaking out at night and catching them out of season?
There are three ways I cook salmon: Poaching, baking and broiling. To poach, put some water in a pan. Put the fish in. Cover and steam. You may or may not want to put a little tarragon on top. (I like tarragon with my salmon.) To bake, wrap the salmon in aluminum foil with a little margarine, tarragon, salt, and lemon slices. Bake at 375º until it’s done. To broil, make a little pan out of aluminum foil. Put the salmon in and put margarine on top, plus some salt and tarragon. Cook it in the broiler.
I don’t have a BBQ grille, so I haven’t tried that yet. My favourite way of eating salmon is when it’s freshly smoked. That’s a treat that is hard to find in So. Cal., so I have freshly smoked salmon when I visit Washington.
Don’t bring it to a full boil, just to barely-below-simmer.
Especially for fish, a full boil will be too much, and the water shouldn’t be much deeper than necessary to cover the fish.
I’d spike the poaching liquid with soy sauce and rice vinegar.
"To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point when the liquid’s surface is beginning to show some quivering movement. The amount and temperature of the liquid used depends on the food being poached. Meats and poultry are usually simmered in stock, fish in COURT-BOUILLON and eggs in lightly salted water, often with a little vinegar added. Fruit is often poached in a light SUGAR SYRUP. Poaching produces a delicate flavor in foods, while imparting some of the liquid’s flavor to the ingredient being poached. "
Listen to this castaway, for the truth doth verily be spoken.
I recommend a bit of dill, butter, a lemon slice, minced green onion and the barest trace of garlic (i.e., less than one half of a small minced clove per steak). Afterwards, a sprinkle of capers and some more butter (to quote Cajun Man; There is no disaster in the kitchen that more butter can’t cure).
Best Wishes From Taiwan,
Chris
PS: Poach with a cour bullion of half water and half melted butter (or whatever your diet can stand). Feel free to substitute fresh or tinned chicken stock for the water.
My suggestion is to grill it, a bit of salt, lemon, and white pepper to taste (black pepper can be too strong), and avoid sauces I bet he dislikes sauces.
You could make a honey-mustard glaze, using more honey than mustard. I like 1 1/2 tablespoons each honey, dijon mustard, and lemon juice, which isn’t too spicy. Dip the fish in this, then in a mix of cornmeal or bread crumbs with a little dried thyme and a couple shakes of salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick the pieces of fish are. Mmmmm…
Cajun Man didn’t say that. I did (actually , it goes like this: there’s nothing that can go wrong in the kitchen that you can’t fix with more butter). It’s my official catchphrase.
and I recently made great salmon by marinating it in soy, honey, ginger, and garlic, then broiling it while basting with more marinade.
Honey-pecan glaze. Heat 1/2 c honey, add 2T butter, 1/2 c toasted pecans, throw it over your salmon, cover with foil, bake for 1/2 hour. It’s great and easy. I cook a lot of fancy seafood, but this is my husband’s favorite.
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