Last winter Reuben and I took a week-long trip to the Sarasota, Florida area. At a little health-focused cafe where we dined on a couple of occasions, they served a peanut salmon salad that was delicious. Not only was the peanut dressing full of flavor, the salmon fillet was also very tasty. This impressed me, because I know from experience how difficult it can be to cook salmon that is not only moist but also flavorful.
I knew I needed to try to recreate that salad at home.
I switched up the ingredients a little from the original so the salad would be easier to make. For example, the salad at the restaurant had crispy fried rice noodles on top. To add that crunch factor, I used toasted almonds and coconut instead.
The peppery flavor of arugula goes well with all these flavors, but feel free to switch it out for spinach or even romaine if you prefer a milder green. A combination of greens, carrots, and cabbage is nice and colorful.
I used sockeye salmon for the vibrant color, but other varieties will work as well.
I like to make my own peanut dressing to go with this salad, but you could definitely sub out a good jarred peanut sauce (perhaps thin it with a bit of water) if you’re pressed for time, or just feeling lazy.
If you go for homemade, you’ll need peanut butter, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, cayenne, and ground ginger.
Note: If you absolutely can’t stand fish sauce (what’s wrong with you? Just kidding—it’s an acquired taste), you can substitute more soy sauce.
Whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together until completely smooth. You may need to add some warm water to thin it out.
Done! That was easy.
Let’s move on to cooking the fish! I learned this method from watching a Gordon Ramsay video, and it makes for an amazing salmon fillet.
First you want to flip the fillet over and score it all along the length. Cut about 1/3 or halfway down the thickness of the fillet.
Next, flip the fillet back over and generously season it with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy with the seasonings!
Preheat a cast iron skillet, add a couple tablespoons of palm oil, and add the fillet once the oil is very hot. Cook until the fillet is cooked about halfway to 2/3 of the way up. Flip and cook until done to your liking, about 2–4 more minutes. Remove to a plate to cool slightly.
I think it works best if you cook one fillet per skillet. You could fry them one at a time, or use two pans at once like I did.
Divide the arugula-cabbage-carrot mixture between salad bowls.
Add a sprinkle of green onions.
Drizzle some peanut dressing on top.
Place the slightly cooled salmon fillet on top.
Sprinkle with toasted almonds and coconut. Drizzle some extra peanut dressing directly on top of the salmon.
To make this a doable weekday lunch, you can prep everything ahead of time: Mix up the dressing, toast the almonds and coconut, toss together the arugula, cabbage, and carrots, slice the green onion, and cook the salmon. Store everything in airtight containers in the refrigerator. This salad really is best when served while the salmon is freshly cooked, but it’s still quite good cold.
Or you can serve this salad as supper! Perfect for warm spring evenings.
NOTES:
- This recipe makes quite a bit of peanut dressing (can you tell that it’s my favorite part?). If you have leftovers, you can use it like you would peanut sauce.
- The flavors of the dressing get even better if it sits in the fridge for a couple of hours before using.
- Again, don’t feel bad about subbing out ingredients. Don’t like cabbage? Leave it out! Can’t stand coconut? Drop it! Use whatever greens you have in your fridge at the moment. Make this recipe your own.
Have you ever tried to recreate a dish that you had at a restaurant?
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