Well, here in London it was a grey, cold, windy and absolutely lashing rain kind of a Saturday.
And I had salmon in the fridge so was definitely going to make it into something for dinner - hate food waste, so that’s it, if there’s salmon and it needs eating, that’s what I’ll have.
I usually like to cook salmon on the griddle so it’s crispy on both sides and have it like this with a spicy sour sauce.
But something about the rainswept day just made me want something softer somehow.
So I made this and it was soft and it was good with rice and the sauce was enveloping and warm and just right.
You don’t need to wait for a day indoors though, I think this would be lovely almost any evening for dinner - perhaps with a salad if the weather is a little cheerier though.
I made this just for me but actually the sauce would have probably just about been enough for two, so add and subtract as you choose for your perfect quantity and for your taste - you really can’t mess it up or get it wrong, it’s always going to taste good!
Get the salmon fillet out of the fridge and if you like to take the skin off, then do so now.
Personally, I like to take most of it off but leave about an inch at the end as a treat for when it’s all crispy and crackly … but, I forgot it wouldn’t go like that if baked so I’d probably remove the whole of the skin next time. Up to you!
For the sauce, you’ll need:
1-2 teaspoons runny honey
1-2 teaspoons coconut oil (but you could use another oil instead)
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, squashed and minced
a small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon or so of sesame seeds
1/2-1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 a juicy lime
OK, I know this is where it starts looking like too much hard work to be bothered to do but I PROMISE it takes only a minute or two to do the heating/saucepan-y bit.
You just put the honey, oil and soy sauce into a little pan and heat gently until it’s melted, and then add a slosh of water and mix it all together and then take it off the heat.
THAT’S IT. Hard part done.
Then add all the other sauce ingredients to the sauce - either in its pan or mixed together in a different bowl - and stir to combine.
I couldn’t resist a little taste too - so good.
And next, just a dish for the salmon to go in, lined with a big piece of foil.
Tip most of the sauce onto the salmon, keeping just a little back.
Then fold up the foil so the salmon is in a little parcel with enough space for the sauce and fish to steam - don’t wrap it up tight, let it have room.
Put the salmon parcel in its dish into a medium oven - I have a gas oven and it was on Gas Mark 6 - for about twenty minutes.
I then tipped the salmon and sauce out of the foil into the dish to put under the grill for a further five minutes.
I take it out of the foil as the foil could catch alight. Also keep an eye on it while under the grill as that sweet, sticky sauce could potentially catch too.
What I was after was for it to all just cook a bit more and maybe even caramelise a little.
Pour over that last remaining bit of the original sauce - I just love that there’s a fresh kick somehow by adding this to the beautiful marinated cooked flavours.
Serve with rice and finished with some chopped spring onion and fresh coriander leaves, if liked.
