Sticky Salmon with Lemongrass, Ginger, Coriander and Soy. Herbed Lemon Rice and Cucumber Salsa
This is my take on a Jamie Oliver recipe I recently made for friends. The original recipe is here. I made it a tad differently from his, as I found it odd to think a kilo of salmon could cook under a hot grill in 10 minutes without being raw in the middle and over-grilled on the outside. So I baked mine in the oven and then grilled it after I added the honey.
For this recipe, I am using individual salmon DARNES; however, when I made it for friends, I did use one large 750g piece, which was a perfect amount for four people and looks great served on a platter with chopped chilli and spring onion and coriander leaves.
I also served it with my Cucumber, Red Onion, Chili, Mint, and Peanut Salsa (see recipe here) and herbed rice, and I found that everyone ended up mixing everything into one big salad-style meal. So, for this recipe, I have excluded adding the extra chillis and too much coriander leaves to the fish when serving as there are plenty of sliced chilli in the salsa, and I didn't want to go overkill on the heat.
SERVES 4
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FOR THE HERBED LEMON RICE
400g (1 cup) basmati rice
Olive oil
2 large shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tbsp squeezy garlic or 3 cloves, peel and minced
Half a bunch of the following herbs: coriander, dill, mint, flat-leaf parsley
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALMON
4 salmon darnes, skin OFF
Fine salt
RUNNY HONEY
FOR THE MARINADE
1 bunch coriander
1 tbsp squeezy lemongrass
1 tbsp squeezy ginger
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
125ml (1/2 cup) soy sauce
TO SERVE
LIME WEDGES
Cucumber, Red Onion, Chilli, Mint and Peanut Salsa - see recipe here
TO MAKE THE HERBED RICE
Boil a kettle of water.
Finely chop all your herb leaves together and set aside.
Add rice to a metal sieve, rinse well under cold running water, and drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick saucepan. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and continue to fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Tip in your rinsed and drained rice and, using a wooden spoon, combine well with the onion/garlic. Fry the rice for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, scraping up the rice as it sticks to the bottom of the pan. The aim here is to lightly toast the rice before adding the water.
Season the dry rice with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, then pour over the boiling water. It will all bubble and boil up, so allow it to while stirring all the rice into the water. Add only enough water to cover the rice by 2cm. Cover the pot and immediately turn the heat down as low as possible. Set a timer for 10 minutes and allow the rice to cook away - note: do not touch/stir it.
After 10 mins, using a fork, check in the centre of the rice if there is any water left under the rice; there should be none; if there is, continue to cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit for 10 minutes untouched. Then, after this time, fluff the rice up with a fork, check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if you think it requires it.
Add the chopped herbs and lemon zest and stir to combine thoroughly.
Cover and keep warm.
TO PREPARE THE SALMON
Remove the leaves from the coriander bunch and set them aside in a bowl of iced water. Take the stalks, bunch them together, and very finely chop them. Add them to a mixing bowl along with the lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Combine and pour over your salmon darnes. Chill covered in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 180˚C.
Line a baking tray with tin foil and fold up the edges to form a tray for the salmon to sit in with the sauce. This will prevent the marinade from spilling all over the tray while cooking.
Add the salmon and marinade, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until the centre of the salmon is cooked.
Remove from oven, set aside momentarily whilst you turn off the oven and turn your grill to high.
Drizzle the top of each salmon piece with a tablespoon of runny honey. Grill the salmon until the honey starts to bubble and the entire top of the salmon is sticky and caramelised.
Serve with herbed rice, Cucumber, Red Onion, Chilli, Mint and Peanut Salsa - see recipe here, chilli oil (optional), some reserved coriander leaves and fresh lime wedges.