Broiled Honey Soy Salmon
My absolute favorite way of preparing salmon is broiling. I only recently discovered this method over this past year or so. As my kitchen in my Hong Kong apartment is simply equipped with a hot plate, microwave, and toaster oven, I have really learned some new cooking techniques. For the first 4-6 months I had been living here, I didn't touch the toaster oven. I grew up with a toaster oven but we only really used it for well, toasting things. English Muffins, melting cheese, etc. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that a toaster oven can do everything a real oven can. Bake, roast, broil. It's incredible and the reason why there have been so many toaster oven recipes on the blog this year, lol!
Broiling salmon sounds so...aggressive. However, once you've got the timing down pat, you are in for the flakiest, butteriest (is that a word?), moist, and tender salmon ever. The amount of time needed to broil a piece of salmon simply depends on its size (and thickness). I find that a normal fillet takes between 5-8 minutes. The finished fish will be firm but still bounce back to the touch. Any time I have broiled it beyond 8 minutes, the flesh will lean towards rubbery and over-cooked. Again, play with timing for yourself.
My favorite preparation for salmon is simply salt and pepper, and then served with tons of lemon juice after it's cooked. I feel like simple seasoning allows the real flavor of the fish to come out, especially when it's perfectly cooked. And of course, you need a ton of acid with fish. Today I'm sharing a simple classic marinade for salmon that you can enjoy with brown rice and veggies. Simply whisk it together and marinade the fish for at least half an hour. Of course, the longer the better. When it comes time to cook, prepare everything else in the meal first, since the fish will only take 5-8 minutes. You can prepare more marinade on the side, to warm and thicken for serving if you'd like.
Watch the video below to see how simple the recipe is:
What You Need:
2 (sustainable) salmon fillets
Marinade:
3 tbsp lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
flaky sea salt
optional: lemon juice
baby bok choy
for serving: sesame seeds, green onions, brown rice, soba, or salad
What To Do:
Wash and halve the baby bok choy. Place aside
Whisk together 3 tbsp soy suace, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
Place the salmon fillets in a Ziploc and cover them with 3/4 of the marinade. Pack tightly and let it sit for at least 30 minutes (Place it in the fridge!)
While the salmon marinates, prepare the rest of the meal - salad, soba, brown rice, what have you.
Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place all the bok choy in the pan, and steam-sauté the greens. This basically means to add some liquid (water, broth, splash of oil, or butter) in the pan, cover it and let the veggies cook until the liquid evaporates. The liquid will help to steam the veggies most of the way thru. Once the liquid is gone, uncover the veggies and stir to sauté. You can add other flavors like lemon juice, balsamic, or oyster sauce at this point and wait till the veggies get nicely golden.
Place the bok choy in the pan and add the rest of the marinade. Cover to steam, until the liquid evaporates, and stir to sauté until the bok choy is the desired texture.
Preheat your broiler. Line a pan with parchment (or foil) and place the salmon on the pan. Season with flaky sea salt and broil salmon for 5-8 minutes.
The finished fish should be firm but bounce back to the touch. Serve with sesame seeds, extra reduced marinade, and green onions.
