Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

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.