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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Warning-This Dish is Not Pretty but Yummy!!

In my day job we put up yellow tape with black writing that says "caution police line do not cross,"this is usually an indicator that whatever is behind that tape is just not well pretty.  The title of this blog is the equivalent to that tape...there is nothing pretty about this blog or this recipe...but damn it tastes good. And I will be honest I don't know if this recipe was a pretty failure due to my lack of aesthetic skill or if this just isn't a pretty food. But sometimes I suppose we have to trade off what is pretty on the outside for what is pretty on the inside...and this recipe is a flavor explosion in your mouth.  And like you haven't heard this before...yay it is easy!!! Woot woot!!!



 So tonight I made Bon Appetit's Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Green Cabbage and Shiitakes. Let me start by sharing the things I learned through this recipe:

  • Pre-heating your pan in the oven prior to cooking on it allows you to use less fat in the recipe thus making it healthier for you
  • Shiitake mushrooms are spelled with two (2) I's
  • Grating garlic is a great way to get the garlic taste especially in a sauce without it being overpowering  
  • I love wasabi paste and you can find it in any grocery store in the Asian food section 
  • My best friend finds shiitake mushrooms kind of icky and slimey
  • Most people either like wild salmon or farm raised salmon they don't like both...this was a discussion I had with the man who was working at the fish counter. He told me he was super disappointed when he brought wild salmon to his brother-in-laws house and he hated the taste of it. However, since I am a Nor Cal Girl I was thrilled to find wild salmon at the fish market...better flavor in my opinion. And yes I know I talk to random people way too often...and I love it!! I will use farm raised fish if I have to, but I just find the flavors of wild fish more authentic.

So this recipe is started by making the sauce which consists of wasabi paste, mayonnaise (I used light but I don't think it matters), grated ginger and grated garlic.

While you are making the sauce pre-heat the oven at 450 degrees and then pre-heat your pan for 15 minutes. 

Season your salmon with salt and pepper. The recipe called for skinless salmon, but I just couldn't find it. I used salmon with skin and it turned out fine and I am positive the skin is not the reason for the ugly photos. Once you cook fish the skin is usually very easy to peel off and this recipe was no different in that area. 


Put the bok choy, cabbage and mushrooms in a bowl. Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and the rest of the grated garlic and ginger. 



Put the vegetables on half of the pan and the salmon on the other half of the pan and cook for 12-15 minutes. I used 2 pans because I didn't read the instructions very well...yes I believe in honest food blogging...so there is the truth.  Serve the salmon/vegetables with the wasabi sauce. And as Emeril says "Bam!!""

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish paste)
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (preferably wild)
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound baby bok choy, halved
  • 2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage (about 5 ounces)
  • 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced if large
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • ingredient info:

    Wasabi paste is available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Japanese markets.

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 450°. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and wasabi in a small bowl. Stir in half of ginger and half of garlic; set aside. Season fish all over with salt and pepper. Place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.
  • Scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet. Arrange salmon on other side. Roast, stirring vegetables occasionally, until salmon is cooked through, 12–15 minutes. Divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon. Serve wasabi mayonnaise alongside.


This recipe really has great flavors...between the ginger and garlic on the vegetables, the wasabi in the sauce and the salt in the mayo...it is a flavor explosion! I also had this dish with a red wine but I think it would be best with a sauvignon blanc or a pinot grigio so this is one of those cases where I recommend that you do as I say not as I do. 

Now for some randomness, does anyone else find that when you cook you feed the floor? I swear more crap ends up on the floor than ends up in my bowl, cutting board, pot, etc. What is it about Chefs that make some super neat and clean and others a kitchen tornado? I definitely fall into the kitchen tornado category and the more I cook the more disastrous I become. Cheers my friends!!

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