Monday, September 7, 2009

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

I'm back! My absence was due to something very exciting: purchasing and moving into our first house. I'll take pictures of the kitchen once it's a little more set up, but it's got a lot more counter and cabinet space than the house we were renting. The downside is that I'm back to using an electric range instead of gas. We also were without internet for about a week, so I actually had to draw on my cooking magazines and cookbooks for meal planning, which ended up being an unexpected boon and something I hope to do more often.

Cooking Light recently re-designed their magazine, and it looks amazing. I love the changes, and this month's issue has a bunch of recipes that I look forward to trying. This one was very fast and full of flavor. The slaw was quite spicy, and if you are sensitive to spicy foods, decrease the amount of Sriracha. I made the full amount of slaw and served it with the next night's dinner. It makes a lot though.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw
source: Cooking Light, September 2009
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients
  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 (16-ounce) package cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and pepper over salmon fillets. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add salmon, skin-side down, to pan and cook 4 minutes. Turn salmon and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add orange juice to the pan, cooking until it almost evaporates and fish flakes easily with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, combine rice vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add remaining salt, cilantro, and coleslaw, tossing well to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
3. Serve salmon with slaw.