Wasabe Furikake Grilled Salmon

These gorgeous, lazy days of summer are perfect for fast simple grilling - like a quick salmon fillet.  Season easily with something as simple as dill weed, or a richer mix like cajun seasoning, or as here, Japanese wasabe furikake seasoning.

A nice mix of sesame seeds, seaweed, dried shrimp and wasabe, furikake is not only Japan's favorite rice seasoning, it's gotta be my favorite salmon seasoning.
12-oz salmon fillet with skin, center cut
1 Tbsp wasabe furikake Japanese spice mix
kosher salt
red pepper flakes

Heat grill to high. Oil the skin side of the fillet generously with canola oil. Flip and season with furikake, salt and pepper flakes.

When grill is very hot, place fish skin-side down on the grill.

Close grill and grill on high for about 8 minutes, watching every 2-3 minutes. The fish should grill quietly for most of 8 minutes or so.

But after that as fat renders, flames can begin to lap up around the fillet. I love this because it really chars the skin and gives a good grilled flavor.

 But you might want to temper the flames with a water mister if they get too aggressive. Cook for a total of about 10 minutes per inch of thickness - I like my salmon slightly on the medium side, not overcooked and dry. Cook to your liking.

Gently remove the fish from the grill with a sharp metal spatula; you may need to coax it off the grill a bit if the char was boss. Slice and serve with salsa verde yogurt tartar sauce, if desired.

Serves 2-3.

Salsa Verde Yogurt Tartar sauce
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp good real mayonnaise
2 tsp pickle relish
1 Tbsp salsa verde
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp favorite hot sauce (I used Texas Pete’s)

Stir ingredients together in a bowl.

Grilled Sesame Steak with Wasabe Chipotle Crema

Umami and grilled beef - what more are you looking for?
2 1/2-lb petite sirloin steaks

Marinade:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp mild seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp pale dry sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, minced
dash red pepper flakes, or hot sauce

1 recipe Wasabe Chipotle Crema
1 lime, sliced

Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Marinate the steaks in a ziplock bag or a wide shallow dish. Marinate for at least an hour, or ideally overnight.

Prepare wasabe chipotle crema.

Heat grill to high. Grill steaks for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and cover steaks for 5 minutes. Slice steaks on a bias and serve with wasabe chipotle sauce and sliced limes.

Serves 4.

Maple Beef Teriyaki

Returning to the Mid-Atlantic from a recent trip to Boston makes me realize I have absolutely no excuse to complain about winter.  So I won't express the longing I have for grilling outdoors (at least comfortably), and will turn attention instead to the handy grill pan.

Too cold to grill?  Break out your grill pan.  Don't got one?  Get one.

It not only makes a great presentation, but like your grill, applies high heat to very localized strips of your food.  This caramelizes and adds flavor, while the remaining bulk of the food cooks at a nice even pace.  Grill meat, veggies, fish or tofu all winter long.  And veggie burgers - nice; they can't fall through the grill!

Even still, at the very first sign of snowmelt you'll see me out on the back patio grilling again.
1-1/4 lb petit sirloin steak, 1/2-inch thick
2 red peppers, sliced into 1-1/2 inch wedges
4 cups broccoli floweretts

Marinade:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Nam Pla, Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp maple syrup, or honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Whisk together the marinade in a wide, shallow container and marinate the steak for at least one hour, turning several times.

Heat a grill pan to medium-high and roast the red peppers with a spray of oil and some salt and pepper.

Allow the peppers to char slightly, so don’t flip them too often. After about 15 minutes, they should be cooked.

Set peppers aside on a plate to keep warm. Meanwhile set a quart of salted water to boil in a medium pot.

Return the grill pan to high heat and lay on the steaks. Cook for 3 minutes per side without touching them. They should sizzle and smoke a bit, so turning on your exhaust fan may be a good idea.

Flip the steaks once and cook another 3 minutes on the second side. Each side should have nice grill marks. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil for 5 minutes.

Toss the broccoli into the boiling water and stir. Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes - only enough to heat the broccoli through to crisp-tender. Drain the broccoli.

Slice the steak on a bias and serve with the roasted peppers and the broccoli.

Serves 4.

Cook's note:  I'm a huge fan of maple syrup, but you can substitute honey if you prefer.  You can also choose to reduce the carbs and serve the steak, either hot or at room temperature, over a nice salad.

Tamari Salmon Rice Bowl

A subtle serving of rice and fish, accompanied by steamed and pickled veggies, warmed in a pool of hot, flavored broth.  Great as the weather turns colder.  Warm up!
4 servings salmon fillet, about 1 lb
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
1 quart chicken broth
1 Tbsp Nam Pla, Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce

2 cups broccoli flowerettes
1 cup pickled vegetables
1 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
2 green onions, minced

4 cups cooked rice, about 1-1/2 cups raw

Heat a bit of canola oil in a large, high-sided pan. Sauté the ginger, garlic and jalapeño for about 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the broth, fish sauce and tamari and bring to a boil.  Place the salmon into the broth, cover, and cook about 3 minutes.

Scatter the broccoli into the broth around the fish and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the fish and broccoli from the broth onto a plate. Gently skin the fish.

Assemble the rice bowl by placing about a cup of rice on one half of the bowl. Lade on one cup of broth into the bowl, including some of the garlic, ginger and pepper. Bisect the rice with a salmon fillet and place broccoli on one side and pickled veggies on the other. Scatter with sesame seeds and green onion, and serve.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note:  I love to eat rice bowls for breakfast when traveling in Asia.  Most hotels have the fixings, and the Japanese always have such great pickled vegetables!  I used my own pickled veggies and used about 1/2 cup per serving - more than just a condiment.  Pickled veggies give such a great tangy contrast to the subtle flavors of the rice bowl.  You could use many a pickled veggie from a jar - check the Italian section of your grocer. Melissa Clark - I agree with you that pickles add a zing to a rice bowl!

Pickled Veggies

These veggies are awesome - very slightly pickled and with just a tip of red pepper heat.  I learned this technique from a Chinese cooking teacher years ago and it is my go-to recipe for tangy condiments to tang-up so many a subtle savory dish, such as a rice bowl.  I top my salads with them, or eat them as is, as a slaw.  And raw veggies - so good for you.
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 cups cold water

2 cups chopped red cabbage
2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, coarsely diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water in a large bowl. Add the vinegar and cold water. Immerse the veggies into the brine.

Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Drain when ready to use.

Makes 6 cups of veggies.

Cook's Note:  You could use any king of veggies you like to eat raw, such as cauliflower, fennel, or broccoli.  The red cabbage gives it a fun color (no food coloring, here), but you could use green cabbage as well.

Sushi Rolls

Making sushi rolls is easy once you get the hang of it.  The most important rule is: don't overfill.  Keep a zen minimalistic approach, so everything rolls up and seals nicely.  Less is more with sushi rolls.

2 cups short grain rice
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

3 eggs
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 oz smoked salmon
6 peeled and cooked shrimp, thinly sliced
1/3 cup julienned carrots
1/2 english cucumber, cut into matchsticks
4 green onions cut in half and thinly sliced, vertically
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

8 nori seaweed sheets

Dipping Sauce:
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 Tbsp water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a pot and add the rice. Return to a boil, stir, and lower to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Or cook rice in water and salt in an automatic rice cooker. Let rice cool off a bit and fluff it into a large rimmed baking sheet. Allow to cool. When completely cool, sprinkle with the rice vinegar, tossing together well.

Beat the eggs together in a bowl with the soy sauce. Heat a large non-stick skillet and spray with oil. Tip the eggs into the pan and swirl to spread the eggs out in a thin, even layer. Let eggs set a bit for about a minute, until you can flip the whole thin omelet. Cook through on other side just until eggs are cooked.

Remove to a cutting board to cool. When cool, cut into thin strips.

Whisk together the dipping sauce ingredients.

Lay out a nori sheet on a bamboo sushi roll mat. Cover nori with a thin layer of rice, leaving about 1-inch border at the end farthest away from you. I find it best to use my wet hands - the rice is sticky! Lay out a strip of your favorite fillings about one third of the way down, being careful not to pile up too much - or it will be difficult to roll!

Keep everything horizontal across the short dimension.

Using the mat or a piece of wax or parchment paper as a guide, firmly roll up the sushi roll and press the nori together as you roll.  Wet the border at the far end to make it stick and close up as you finish rolling. Carefully slice into five rolls, cutting about every inch, and turn rolls on their side. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with dipping sauce.

Makes 40 sushi rolls, serving about 6.

Cook's Note:  Almost anything can go into a sushi roll - I'm thinking buffalo chicken and blue cheese, or maybe beans, chorizo and fresh salsa, or salami, Monterrey jack and sliced cornichon pickles.  Or tofu, pickled ginger and wasabi paste.

Seriously, you could do almost anything, so long as the ingredients are either cooked, or absolutely, positively sushi-grade - that is, can be eaten raw.  And adjust the dipping sauce accordingly!

Maple Teriyaki Salmon on Dumplings

Memorial Day is a traditional day for grilling - so grill... fish.  And salmon is one of the best fish for grilling, so long as you are willing to lay it on the grill and walk away for a bit.  Don't mess around with it as it cooks or it will break apart.  It'll take a good 4-5 minutes before it's ready to release from the grill and be flipped.  Patience, Luke.
1.5 lb skinless salmon fillets, cut into four portions
2 dozen frozen pot sticker dumplings, vegetable or shrimp filled
About 4 cups baby spinach, or 1 cup frozen
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp nam pla, Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp chopped chives

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pale dry sherry
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (e.g. Marukan)

Whisk together the marinade and marinate the salmon for an hour.  A zip-lock bag works the best because it envelops the fillets with marinade, but a shallow dish, just big enough to hold the salmon will work as well.  Turn the fillets often.

Heat a grill.  Meanwhile, sauté the pot stickers in a non-stick skillet, in a bit of oil to brown them slightly.  Set them aside and add the spinach to the same skillet.  Wilt the spinach and let it release all its water.  Add the garlic and allow to cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the nam pla and return the pot stickers to the skillet.  Reheat the stickers, mixing well with the spinach.

Now grill the salmon, over a medium-high heat.  Spray or otherwise brush oil on the fillets and lay them down on the grill.  Allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes on one side without moving or disturbing them.  Trying to move salmon on a grill before it has seared the side can result in a crumbly disaster!  Oil the top side of the fillets.  When the salmon releases naturally and easily from the grill, flip the fillets and cook the other side another minute or two, until just cooked through.

Serve the salmon atop some pot stickers, and sprinkle with chives.  Serves 4.

Cook's Note:  If you would like a sauce, you can microwave the marinade, mixed with about 1/4 cup water in the microwave.  Be sure to bring to a full boil, to make sure the sauce has cooked through, since it had the raw fish in it.  Otherwise, you can make a second batch of marinade with the added water and heat that up.