Wasabi Marinade for Salmon

I kicked Salmon butt last night.  I finally figured out a great way to cook salmon… on my cast iron skillet.

Typically, I bake salmon in the oven or grill it in sauce and foil over on our BBQ… but this salmon was really something special.  I was able to get a nice brown crust on both sides of the salmon and most importantly keep an eye on the status of how well-done it was getting.  No more overcooked, dried out salmon in this house!!

Makes enough marinade for 4 (6oz) Salmon Fillets

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Wasabi Powder 

1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon Dark Sesame Oil 

Pinches of Crushed Red Pepper and Ground Black Pepper

4 (6oz) Fillets of Salmon (skin removed)

Directions:

1.  Combine marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag and mix.  Place two salmon fillets at a time in the marinade bag for about five minutes, flipping the bag halfway through to coat.

2.  Prepare your cast iron skillet (or other heavy non-stick pan) over medium heat.  Make sure it is seasoned or pre-oiled.  The pan should start to sizzle a bit in the middle when it is hot.  Place the two salmon fillets towards the center of the skillet.  Cook both sides for 3-5 mintues, flipping very carefully, trying not to break the salmon fillet or have any stick to your pan.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes and remove from the pan when both the top and bottom of the salmon are light pink and the middle is just a tad bit darker.  (removing the salmon a little early will prevent it from drying out!)  Repeat with the other fillets.

Recipe adapted from:  Cooking Light Dec 2003

I was so excited to have zero sticking problems with my cast iron skillet! It cooked the salmon perfectly.

Delicious! Great combination.

I made all four fillets so Dave and I could have a nice hearty lunch- salmon over a salad on our big workout day.

Yahoo!  What a great marinade.  The salmon picks up the flavor in the short five minutes it’s soaking it up.  It isn’t overly gingery, wasabi-ish (not spicy at all actually), or even too salty from using the low-sodium soy.  It’s just sorta… well… perfect!

Dave and I ate this for dinner alongside an entire bag of fresh green beans I sauteed up while the salmon was cooking.  It’s nice to be able to make a quick dinner sometimes so I can actually relax!

Take a minute to look at some of these other seafood recipes I have for ya!

Asian Marinated Sea Scallops

Crabcake Mac & Cheese

Sweet & Spicy Citrus Marinade for Tilapia

Seared Scallops and Shrimp over Creamy Linguine

 

 

 

Wasabi Gouda

Say CHEESE!

My parents have raised me to love GOOD CHEESE!  We love going to DiBruno Bros, the Italian Market, or anywhere really… that has different cheeses.  We love to try new ones, and a great place to do that is Trader Joe’s.  TJ’s Cheese Selection is fantastic.  Their cheeses are at least a few dollars cheaper per pound than anywhere else.  It makes it a lot easier to try new things!

This time, we bought a hunk of Manchego (my fav!!!!!!!) and we tried their new Gouda Cheese w/ Wasabi.

The Wasabi Gouda is delish.  It’s super creamy but you can definitely taste the wasabi in there.  It isn’t very spicy, but it’s really flavorful.  We ate a lot of it on it’s own and the rest on plain Triscuits.  You don’t need much else with such a yummy cheese!