Foodie Friday: Ginger Glazed Salmon with Sesame Celery and Radish Stir Fry

We love salmon, and we make sure to have frozen fillets in our freezer at all times.  We used to buy fresh, but then my Oma Betty (Grandmother) told me about the Costco frozen salmon and we haven't turned back since.  Here is something we tried once, and now we do all the time. 

Ginger Glazed Salmon with Sesame Celery and Radish Stir Fry

 2 salmon fillets

soy sauce

teriyaki

minced ginger

celery

watermelon radish

spring onion

sesame oil

sesame seeds

brown rice

To start, you need to marinate your salmon.  This isn't totally necessary, but will really notice a difference if you don't.  Place your salmon fillets in a shallow baking dish.  Mince some ginger (or use the jarred, pre-minced ginger like we did) and spread the paste over the top of both fillets.  Warning: ginger is potent! If you're not a huge fan of ginger, don't put a lot. We like it, so we make sure the paste covers the top of the filet.  I didn't put measurements on the ingredients for the marinade, because it really is up to individual taste. Marinate for about 6 hours, flipping the filets twice so that it gets totally covered.

Next, you will want to chop up your vegetables. We get produce delivered to us periodically from a company called Greenling and one week we received watermelon radish.  They are really pretty, but we didn't know what to do with them.  They work perfect in the this stir fry. 

 Chop your celery, radish, and spring onion into similarly sized pieces.  We like to get fancy and cut everything on the diagonal, but it's not necessary.  Once everything is cut, make sure the veggies are as dry as you can get them, and then pour some sesame oil over the veggies to coat.  A little bit of oil goes a long way, so don't put too much.  Toss the veggies around in the bowl with some kosher salt and get ready to cook.

Before you cook anything, toast some sesame seeds in a dry pan for 5-10 minutes until they are golden, then set them aside.  You can then use this pan to cook your salmon.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter for each fillet (so add two people!), and wait until it just starts to bubble before you add your salmon.  Drop your salmon onto the skillet and DON'T MOVE IT!  Just like any piece of meat, you don't want to touch the salmon for at least 3-4 minutes.  The goal is to get a good sear on each side.  When the meat is done on one side, it will release itself from the pan.  If you gently nudge it with a spatula and it moves, then you can flip it to the other side, then (you guessed it) DON'T MOVE IT! Patience is a virtue, remember? 

While you are working your salmon, you can be stir frying your vegetables. In a screaming hot skillet or wok, dump in your veggies and keep them moving for the first few minutes.  You don't want to cover with a lid, because then you run the risk of steaming the veggies instead of stir frying them.  Move them around the pan every now and then, and keep going until they start to get good looking brown bits on them.  That's your goal.

When the salmon and veggies are done, you can dig in!  We eat them over brown rice, or just by themselves.  And you must pair it with a good Japanese beer. Kirin Ichiban is awesome, people!  Enjoy!