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Chef Lisa Schroeder, Mother's Bistro & Bar/Mama Mia Trattoria, Portland, OR
Makes 8 servings
Salmon:
1/4 cup Soy sauce
2 T Rice wine vinegar
1 T Vegetable oil
2 T Honey or packed brown sugar
1 tsp Grated fresh ginger
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 T Sesame oil
6 (6 ounce) Salmon fillets (about 2 ½ pounds)
½ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for grilling
Noodles:
1 clove Garlic
1/2 cup Peanut butter (any kind will do, but natural is best)
¼ cup Tahini (sesame paste) (See Note 1)
2 T Soy sauce
2 T Rice wine vinegar
1 T Honey
2 T Toasted sesame oil (See Note 2)
1 tsp Sambal olek chile paste (See Note 3)
1/2 cup Brewed and cooled Chinese or English breakfast black tea (use 1 tea bag)
1/2 tsp Salt, plus more to cook the pasta
1 pound Linguine or lo mein noodles
1 cup Blanched peas, optional
Garnish:
3/4 cup Thinly sliced green onions
1 cup Shredded carrots (1 carrot)
2 T Sesame seeds, toasted (See Note 4)
To Prepare Salmon:
In a bowl or baking dish, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey or brown sugar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Add salmon, turn to coat, and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
To Prepare Noodles:
- Place garlic in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until chopped. Add the peanut butter, sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, chile paste, tea and salt. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt (it should taste like the sea) and add the linguine. Cook, according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and run under cold water until cold. Or, cook lo mein noodles according to package directions. (You can cook the noodles up to 1 day ahead, but be sure not to overcook them because they’ll get mushy the longer they sit. Toss the noodles in a little oil after draining to keep them from sticking. Don’t combine them with the sauce until just before serving.)
- Combine sauce, noodles and blanched peas (if using) in a large bowl, mixing well with tongs or clean hands. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To Cook and Serve:
- Preheat the grill to medium heat (you should be able to hold your hand just above the grate for only 3 seconds) and brush with vegetable oil or spray with non-stick pan spray (if using spray, take the grate off the fire so you don’t end up spraying oil at the flames).
- Season salmon with pepper (it shouldn’t need salt because of the soy sauce in the marinade) and place it diagonally on the grill as if it’s facing 10 o’clock (skin-side up). After a few minutes, when it starts to look opaque, use a spatula to lift the salmon and turn it clockwise a quarter turn so it now faces 1 o’clock. This will give a nice cross-hatch pattern on the fish.
- Cook another 3 minutes and flip the salmon over, continuing to grill until salmon is opaque throughout and flakes easily, about 8 minutes total (or until it registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer). Use a spatula to remove from heat.
Note: Alternatively, you can cook the salmon on the stove: Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat for several minutes. When hot add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat until shimmering. Add the salmon “presentation” (the side that didn’t have skin) side down first and cook about 4 minutes per side (the rule is 10 minutes per inch of thickness at the thickest part of the fillet), until fish is opaque and flakes easily.
- To serve, pile the noodles high in the center of each plate. Lean the grilled salmon against the pile of noodles. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons carrots and 1 tablespoon green onion and sprinkle with a scant teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds.
Note 1: Chinese sesame paste is made from roasted un-shelled sesame seeds, so it has a stronger flavor than tahini, which is made from raw or lightly toasted sesame seeds (without the shell). They’re essentially interchangeable, but Chinese sesame paste can be hard to find and much more expensive, so don’t be afraid to use tahini for this recipe even though it’s typically a Middle Eastern ingredient.
Note 2: Toasted sesame oil is brown and has a much stronger, nuttier flavor than untoasted oil. Because it’s so flavorful, it should be used sparingly and used more like a condiment – drizzled or stirred into finished dishes and sauces.
Note 3: There are all sorts of spicy condiments on the market, but my favorite is the bright red chili sauce called sambal oelek. The chunky condiment comes from Indonesia but it’s used all over Southeast Asia. It gets its spicy-sour taste from ground chilies, vinegar and garlic. Sambal olek has many uses, and once you have it in your kitchen, you’ll find yourself adding it to noodle soups, stir-fries, vegetable dishes … even mayonnaise.
Note 4: To toast sesame seeds, place in a dry skillet over low heat. Stir occasionally until seeds become fragrant and turn golden brown. (Watch carefully because they go from toasted to burned in seconds.) If you’re oven is already on for another purpose (but not hotter than 375°F), you can place the seeds on a baking sheet and bake until golden (the time varies according to the temperature of your oven, but 7 minutes at 350°F works well).
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