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?

Instant Comfort

After spending a total of 16hrs in the air, 14hrs total waiting to fly in 3 different airports, and 2 connection flights, I was freaking HUNGRY for some homemade cooking that would require as less effort as possible. Egg Sandwich and Cream Corn Soup was the answer.

The soup and sandwich combo. What is there not to love about it. It's the perfect lunch, the perfect breakfast, and the perfect dinner. Add a small side salad and it gets even better. After a long flight, I needed something to help me forget about crappy economy class meals and rip of airport food. Although I did had a pretty good experience with French Macrons at Narita International Airport's Starbucks in Japan, but that's for another post. I need some home cooking, but jet lagged and a knife is not a good idea.



At times like these instant food is the way to go. One of my favorites are instant soups from Knorr. They come in a variety of flavors including spinach, mushroom, squash, potato, corn, and tomato. One small package usually contains 4 servings and each servings are individually wrapped. Just pour out the contents and add 150ml of hot boiling water. Mix and instant comfort! Hmmm...but something was missing and before I started pouring the hot water I knew I needed something else. Egg sandwich! When I was in Japan I was really craving this egg sandwich I had the last time I was there, but sadly I couldn't find it this time around. Usually found in supermarkets or convenient stores, they are wrap up in a package and contain two slices of white crust less bread sandwich between a simple mixture of egg, mayonnaise, and mustard. The slices of bread are somehow press together in a way that the sides are sealed up. Such a simple sandwich and that was exactly what I needed.




Simple Egg Sanwich

Ingredients:
Two eggs
2 slices of crust less white bread
Kewpie mayonnaise
Mustard
Salt

Hard boiled the eggs and let it cool before dicing.
In a bowl add dice eggs, Kewpie mayonnaise, and mustard.
Mix and taste.
Add salt if desire.
Spread mixture onto the white crust less bread.
Put the other piece on top and enjoy.
Makes two sandwiches


I tried to sealed up the slices of bread together but it just didn't work. Need to figure that part out next time. It's a bitter sweet feeling coming back home, and although a sandwich and a soup can't change that, it was good to know simple food can always bring a little comfort. Going to rest up a bit before posting all the amazing food I got to eat while in Japan. Stay tune!



What is your favorite quick comfort food?