This recipe from the previously maligned Modern Indian Cooking was for salmon with a sort of cucumber salsa on the side. The salsa was okay -- cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and peppers tossed with lime juice, oil, salt, and a little honey. But the salmon preparation was so excellent and simple that I intend to ditch the salsa and try a variety of salmon accompaniments and versions in the future.
I used two 1/2-lb filets of wild Alaskan sockeye salmon. The recipe is just:
Crush roughly in a mortar and pestle:
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
Salt and pepper the fish and then coat it on one side with the coriander-garam masala mixture. Then spray the encrusted fish lightly with olive oil cooking spray on both sides. This last step wasn't in the original recipe, but I think it was essential. The recipe called for a pan-searing, but I cooked it on a hot grill and it worked great. The spray kept it from sticking to the grate.
On grill, cook coriander side down until the seeds are toasty and not yet burnt. Flip the fish and cook until done.
Anything with cilantro in it will work nicely with the coriander seeds.
I really like the conversational structure you guys have going on here. And good work for the Free Times.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I was looking back at some earlier posts and saw that Eva was wanting a good southern cookbook. ( a post on crowder peas from last July) I'd recommend a book titled "Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking", by John Martin Taylor. Often the prep is somewhat laborious, but it makes good food. I took my New Years day meal from him. Hope that helps.
This looks great - and I was feeling uninspired about the salmon steaks in my freezer, so I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud at your bit about bad food service jobs this week in the Free Times, by the way (in the bit about Gervais and Vine - very exciting that they're opening for lunch!)
Guh. I've had too much wine. I used the word "bit" twice in one comment. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phillip! I'll definitely check that book out. Laborious prep is worth it sometimes. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDeleteAnd Annie, I'm right there with you on the wine, I'm afraid to say! Time for me to back away and turn off the computer.
ReplyDeleteI saw something about squash blossoms this week and thought of our abortive early-summer co-cooking plan. Someday...