Thai Salmon
This is one of those dishes (like most Thai dishes in my opinion, that you Just. Can’t. Stop. Eating.
Serving Size: 6
When I was a young cookbook editor, 22-23 years old, two of the first books I was given to work on were by a Thai chef named Vatcherin Bhumchitr (try saying that three time fast….try even saying that once!). They had been published in England, and I was tasked with making them friendly for an American audience. Mostly I changed the word aubergine to eggplant, courgette to zucchini. But it didn’t take long for me to fall head over galangal in love with the flavors and dishes of Thai cooking. The brightest tastes, the smart blending of salty and sour and sweet and spicy, the light hand with number of ingredients in most of the recipes. I was smitten. I cooked my way through his books, and to this day most of what I know about Thai cooking comes from this expert man’s teachings.
This is just a simple combo of classic Thai ingredients, poured over some salmon filets. The marinade turns into a beautiful glaze. It’s one of those dishes (like most Thai dishes in my opinion, that you Just. Can’t. Stop. Eating. But when you’re done, when the salmon is all gone (and it will be, all gone), you feel full but not stuffed, and very satisfied without being saggy.
You can marinate the salmon for up to 2 hours, but longer than that might alter the texture of the fish, making it a bit soft.
Serve this over piles or rice, or quinoa. I served it with a great Thai cucumber salad for a few friends (who were: pescatarians, did not eat shellfish, and gluten-free) and they were very generous with their praise.
Thai Salmon
- Six 8 ounce salmon filets
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- Chopped cilantro for serving (optional)
1.. Place the ginger, lemongrass, lime juice, honey, fish sauce and garlic in a bowl and mix (if you want to make the marinade more blended you can use a blender or a food processor).
2. Pour the marinade in a 9 x 13 baking pan and place the salmon fillet in the pan, turning to coat them well with the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick cooking spray (the parchment paper is optional, but very helpful during clean up).
4. Roast the salmon for 10 minutes, or until it is cooked to your liking, remembering that it will continue to cook a bit after it is removed from the oven. Serve hot.
