Main Course Recipes : Asian Brown Sugar Salmon

Ingredients :

Serves 2 but can be doubled

2 pieces of salmon filet, skin on one side (approx 6 to 8 oz each)
2 tsp fresh, finely grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
2/3 cup soy sauce (Low sodium will work fine.)
3 Tbl brown sugar

Put all ingredients except the salmon in a 9- by 9-inch Pyrex or other ovenproof pan. Stir to mix. Then place the salmon flesh side down on the mixture. Let marinate in your refrigerator 30 minutes while you relax. Don't marinate too long or the fish starts to fall apart.

When ready to make dinner, you are going to grill your salmon. (You can also do this in a sauté pan if you don't have a grill or don't want to use it.) DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE. Spray the pan with olive oil spray. Place the salmon flesh side down to start and grill or sauté on Medium High for 3 minutes. Turn salmon over. Grill on skin side for up to 4 minutes more, or to your liking. I use a gauge of 6 to 7 minutes per inch to cook it just past the pink-in-the-middle stage. You can judge your own cooking time based on your taste.

While the salmon is cooking, pour the marinade into a small sauce pan. Heat it on Medium High until it gently boils and starts to cook down. It will get close to a syrup consistency. Don't let it boil over, but you do want a gentle boil to reduce it.

Tips : When the salmon is done, serve with a healthy drizzle of the sauce. You can also put extra sauce in a pitcher to serve if someone wants more. I accompany this dish with a flavored pasta (most recently I found one that's a ginger flavored linguini) and sautéed zucchini. You can also serve it with orzo