Salmon Two ways - Soy Ginger or Chili Rubbed and Spicy Slaw

Mondays always seem to be salmon days for me. I’m not quite sure why but I think mentally I feel like I’m giving myself a great start by eating one of the fishes that is “rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, a great source of protein, high in B vitamins….” the list goes on. Some even say it’ll help retain moisture in your skin, help your hair grow and helps control your weight!

For me, well, I just like it.

When Ben was home last week, he claimed I always served it one way (Chili Rubbed) and that I always had a spicy slaw in the fridge. I honestly don’t remember having the slaw all the time but I do know we did eat salmon most Mondays. When the kids were young I used to serve it up as a taco - isn’t everything’s better on a grilled or toasted taco?

I decided to “go crazy” in this era of Corona and changed it to a marinade this week. I find I am continually craving that umami flavor and have incorporated a lot of Asian influences into my cooking over the past seven weeks of quarantining. Either (rub or marinade) seems to complement the fish perfectly.

With the chili rub I often serve the salmon with tacos, assorted salads or the slaw, pico de gallo, sour cream or greek yogurt, shredded cheese. Use your imagination. With the ginger soy I might serve it with rice or over a salad and slaw. This past week I served it with some sesame spinach (I’ll post that another time).

I love both of them. I make them in large enough quantities so I am always in stock. I put them in a jar, write what it is on the lid with the date and just stick them in the fridge. Both of them can be used on any number of other proteins - chicken, shrimp, white fish, you name it. I even used the marinade as a dipping sauce for what I call my turkey non dumplings (another posting) or use as a simple dressing. While my kids used to make fun of me - saying that I had more things to put on food then actual food they never complained with either of these choices!

Enjoy!

Chili Rub

Multiply the quantities to be as large or as small as you like - The basic rule of thumb is that there are equal parts chili powder, dark brown sugar and cumin. 1/4 part ground coffee. I use a dark roast or espresso for this rub. I’m listing it as Teaspoons but just do the multiplication, throw in a jar, shake and voila!

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Coffee

When I use this rub, I like to accent the smokiness of the chili with lime and sprinkle Kosher salt & Freshly ground black pepper on the salmon

Directions for Salmon

Drizzle Virgin Olive Oil on the piece of Salmon, flesh side up.

Squeeze Lime juice over that, sprinkle Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper on top.

Shake out the rub onto the salmon so the flesh side is covered.

I grill this on the BBQ. The trick for me is to put it on the grill skin side down. After 4 - 5 minutes, I flip the salmon - I can usually separate the skin from the fish by running the spatula underneath the fish so you end up with a very clean / perfectly grilled piece of fish on both sides. Cook the original skinned side flesh for another 3 - 4 minutes.

Ginger Soy Marinade

note: remember I do like things with extra zing so you may want to hold back on the ginger and garlic to begin with

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Ginger Root - about 2 inches, finely minced

Red chili pepper - if you have whole dried ones on hand, use them and chop them finely. If not just use red chili pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup Soy Sauce (I use low sodium or gluten free tamari most of the time)

2 Tablespoons Honey

1-2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

I recommend the Zyliss Easy Pull Food Chopper for making fast work of the garlic and ginger and it’s great for mixing the marinades. I love this little contraption so much that I’m including a photo of it. I bought it either off Amazon or at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It is incredibly satisfying to pull the string and get minced herbs and spices. Once you’ve minced up your garlic & ginger you can just add the liquids and pull to mix.

I usually double this recipe and keep it in a jar in the fridge. Trust me, it never goes to waste.

Salmon

Salmon filets - you can make as many as you want or just one with this. I usually get 1/3 pound for myself and that often leaves me enough for the next day’s lunch!

To make the salmon, just put the salmon, skin side facing up in a glass or ceramic container and let it sit in the marinade for anywhere from 1/2 hour to a few hours.

To cook it I like baking it in the oven at 325 degrees in a ceramic baker with aluminum foil over the dish so that it doesn’t lose all the moisture. I typically with marinate the fish in the same container that I’m going to cook it in. Depending on the thickness of your fish it may take a little longer but it usually is fully cooked in 20 minutes. I check it after 15 minutes. It really depends on your oven and the thickness of the fish. You can grill it but I think sometimes that dries out the fish. You can always just pour more marinade on top if you make extra.

Spicy Slaw

Ingredients

1/2 head of cabbage - red or white - I mostly go for the red cabbage but have made it with both.

1 - 2 Jalapenos, seeded, diced finely (again, the Zyliss Easy Pull Food Chopper is great for this

1 - 2 Shallots or 1/2 Onion

4 - 6 cloves of garlic

Virgin Olive Oil

Rice Vinegar

Cumin - to taste

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions

Using the shredder blade in a food processor, shred the cabbage. You may want to play around with the width size of the shredder. You are looking for a fine shred that an still hold up when it’s dressed. If it’s cut too finely it seems to “melt” into the salad. You want it to retain a crunch. Use a bowl that’s big enough to hold the cabbage so you can mix it. The cabbage will wilt a little bit after you add the vinegar and oil.

Using either the zyliss chopper, food processor or your knife skills, mince the onion, garlic and jalapenos. Be careful when touching the pepper. The oils stay on your hands and if you scratch your eyes after it will burn! This also applies to other types of pepper. Toss all of this into bowl with the cabbage.

Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper

Drizzle with the Virgin Olive Oil and Rice Vinegar. Stir. Taste. I tend to like my food with a higher acidity content than most so, depending on your preference adjust all the seasonings and the amount of Oil and Vinegar. You really don’t need a lot of either. If I had to guesstimate I would say about 2 Tablespoons of the oil and 1/3 cup of the rice wine vinegar. Stir and taste until you like it. Cover and stick in fridge until ready to serve. It tastes better if it’s allowed to rest for an hour or so.