Asian-Style Wild Salmon on Sesame Spinach

This dish was really great. The finished product (appearance and taste) was like something you'd get in a great restaurant, I was impressed! I think I went a little nuts sprinkling the chopped red peppers & chives as a garnish, but it was fun. I love chives! I could see this recipe as something I'd make once a week or every 2 weeks. The chopping was the most time consuming part, but after making it a few times it should become second nature.

A few of the ingredients (like the toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds and the rice wine vinegar) can be purchased once and used multiple times for this recipe or others, which can make it really affordable. I also really enjoyed how moist the fish was, even though it was baked, as a result of the marinade. The fish retained moisture from the marinade , but it was still light and flaky in the end. The only reservation I had was the amount of vinegar, it was a bit strong at times. I think next time I make this I'll cut the vinegar in half to 1/4 cup and test the results. Overall, this was a good one, a good example of how you can really eat healthfully and not even notice.

Recipe:

Asian-Style Wild Salmon on Sesame Spinach

SERVES 6

Marinade

½ cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup water

6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Juice of 2 small limes

1 knob fresh ginger, about 1 ½ to 2 inches long, peeled and minced

Six 4-ounce wild salmon fillets

Sauce

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Nests

½ teaspoon sunflower or safflower oil

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 garlic clove, minced

2 bunches spinach (each 10 to 12 ounces), washed, stemmed, and chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Garnishes

¼ cup finely sliced chives

¼ cup finely minced red bell pepper

1. To make the marinade, combine the vinegar, water, soy sauce, oil, and lime juice in a blender. Add the ginger and blend on high speed for 2 minutes, or until smooth.

2. Lay the salmon fillets in a shallow glass or ceramic dish and pour half the marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining marinade.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4. Lift the salmon from the marinade and discard the marinade. Lay the fillets in a shallow baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fillets just begin to flake when pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F.

5. Meanwhile, put the reserved marinade in a saucepan, add the shallots, garlic, and ginger, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the shallots and garlic are tender. Stir in the cilantro, cook for a minute or so, and then remove from the heat.

6. To make the nests, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

7. Divide the spinach among 5 plates and top each mound of spinach with a salmon fillet. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and garish with a sprinkling of chives and minced red peppers.

Created by: Steven Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews, Super Foods, RX, New York: HarperCollins, 2004.