Salmon To My Rescue.

I'm exhausted. Last week, I felt like I had one of those weeks where it was great one minute but next it turned into crap. It's times like these when I find the most comfort in cooking. It clears my head and forces me to focus on something else. This week more than ever I just needed to cook. What to make though to lighten my spirits? Althought this wasn't the first thing that popped in my mind, but when it did it brought a smile on my face. It must be something sweet right? Nope. Maybe it's a rich and meaty dish I'm craving? Nope. The key to my happiness is salmon! In this post: Miso Gouchijan Salmon with Almond Shredded Napa Cabbage Salad and Miso Shitaki Mushroom Soup.



While salmon is a popular fish and is a staple on many restaurant menus, I don't think it gets much respect. I feel it ends up being the dish you order when you don't know what to get. I hardly order salmon when I go out to eat anymore. It has broken my heart way too many times. It either comes out too dry and flavorless, or smutter in some heavy sauce, or even wrost, rolled up and stuff with some sort of over powering cheese mixture. Whatever it is, it over kills the taste and texture of the fish. Salmon is a simple fish. It just wants to be love and appreciated. There's no need to hide it with flashy sauces or over stuffing.




My favorite method of cooking salmon is in my toaster oven. It's easy and clean up is a breeze. I usually set it between 350 degrees to 400 degrees for about 20 minutes to 30 minutes for a quarter pound fillet. A few summers back I would have salmon at least once a week. Flavored with just lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and served along with a pickled cucumber dill and tomatoes salad, it was the perfect light summer lunch.

Usually I look forward to grocery shopping, but last week I was just feeling very sluggish. I usually do my fresh grocery shopping at the Reading Terminal Market, since it's only a few blocks from where I live. I love this place and all the local vendors, but this time I didn't feel like lingering around the market, picking and inspecting vegetables, or dealing with the crowd. I just wanted to dash in and out, grab my salmon, and head straight home. The only drawback with that is you only get to work with what you have. What to marinate the salmon with? I would have been happy with just kosher salt and black pepper, but a quick look in the fridge reveal a pleasant surprise, miso and gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste).



Miso Kochujang Salmon
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 quarter pound pieces of salmon
1 tablespoon of miso
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1/2 tablespoon of rice wine
1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce


Directions:
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse and pat salmon pieces dry and set aside.

In a bowl, combine miso, sesame oil, gochujang, rice wine, and soy sauce. Adjust the amount of kochujang to your taste.

Spread the mixture all over the salmon pieces, but save about 1 tablespoon of it. Marinate for no less then 30 minutes.

After it marinates, place salmon in the oven skin sided up and spread reserved mixture on top of the skin.

Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes.



I served my salmon with a side of Almond Shredded Napa Cabbage Salad (more on that recipe in the next post , and a simple Miso soup with Shitaki Mushrooms. Next time I would marinate the salmon longer, but since I was short on time I was only able to marinate it for 30 minutes. I was afraid the gochujang might have been too spicy for my taste, but the miso, the soy, and the rice wine mellow it down and it gave a nice kick to the salmon. Definitely would be making this again.





What's your favorite way of cooking salmon?