Not everything I cook is a soaring success and mostly I blog about the successes. My first try with salmon this week wasn't my greatest creation ever but I'll write about it anyway because I think there is hope for the sauce.
I recently bought a container of herbs from Trader Joe's. The pot includes mint, oregano and thyme. The mint is growing like mad, so I wanted some ideas and turned to the web. I found a recipe for cilantro mint sauce and decided to try it. It consists of 2 cups cilantro leaves, a dozen or so mint leaves, a Serrano pepper, some oil, a little water and salt. Just blend it all together to make a spicy, minty sauce. The result was not bad at all. I decided to marinate some salmon in the sauce and then bake the salmon, which I wrapped in aluminum foil. The final product was fine but not great. I served it up with some lentils & feta and a few slices of avocado. A decent meal. I have some of the sauce left over and I'm trying to decide where it might be more successful.
The next attempt at salmon was a spectacular success. I love the sweet chili salmon that Whole Foods sells in the prepared foods department. I don't love the cost though - $23.00/lb. I decided I could make something just as good for about half the cost. I travelled around the web a bit and found a recipe for
Chili-Garlic Glazed Salmon. I didn't have green onions but I did happen to have sweet chili garlic sauce that I add to many, many things for a little heat in the event I don't use sriracha. I also have some orange marmalade. Both should be staples in your kitchen. And of course, I always have soy sauce. I did not measure, I just mixed things in until I liked the taste. Then I broiled the salmon as suggested - a little longer in my case. The salmon was so moist and sweet and spicy. I outdid Whole Foods and will never spend $23/lb again.
I served my salmon with some homemade cucumber salad. I marinated the cucumbers in a mix of rice vinegar, water and sugar. I think the original recipe called for equal parts of all but I use a little more vinegar and a little less sugar. You can add salt to taste and garlic if you like. I heat the mixture to melt the sugar and make a more syrupy consistency. I slice the cucumber very, very thin. Think mandoline. Wait for the liquid to cool, cover the cucumbers and let them sit at least an hour in the refrigerator. I can eat them plain, but I love them with salmon.
That concludes my salmon update for the week. If you have thoughts about how I can use the mint & cilantro sauce, speak up.
P.S. I did buy the salmon at Whole Foods in the seafood department (much less than $23/lb), so they do deserve some of the credit.
