Broiled Salmon in Ginger Sauce, with Asparagus

In the fridge – asparagus meant for breakfast with eggs, and shitake mushrooms because they are just so good for us. There are almost always shitake mushrooms in this fridge. Also, there is salmon. 🙂 A sweet ginger sauce with a splash of lemon would marry these flavors together just so nicely. Mmmm

Broiled salmon is so tender and delicious and full of omega 3 – brain food! This ginger sauce is very sweet and a little spicy, with lots of umami. As you make it, taste it and adjust the flavors any way you like. If I were making this only for me, there would be some added heat.

If you read food blogs for the photos, my apologies. These are not terribly well-composed. As I took these shots, my family vehemently assured me that the photos were absolutely beautiful! …translation – we can eat now!

Special diet notes:

• For a vegetarian option, omit the salmon, add rice or rice noodles, and top with peanuts for crunch, protein, and good fat.
• Sugar: You can swap out the brown sugar in the sauce for another sweetener. Combine all sauce ingredients, then add your sweetener a little at a time until you like the flavor.

Here’s how…

Combine ingredients for ginger sauce and set aside.

An asparagus spear will naturally break at the point where tender becomes tough. Breaking one spear provides a great guide for cutting the rest of the bunch.

Shitake mushrooms. Good stuff. Remove stems and gently wipe away any dirt. Then slice.

Steam asparagus until tender. I like tender-crsip in this dish.

Place cleaned, sliced shitake into a heated and oiled skillet. Add minced garlic. Cook until tender. Then add about half of your sweet ginger sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes just to develop the sauce a bit.

Place oven rack about six inches from the top of oven. Preheat oven.

Broil salmon in remaining ginger sauce. See recipe below.

To plate, place steamed asparagus on a dish, cover with ginger-sauced mushrooms, and top with salmon. Garnish with lemon wedges.

If desired, serve with rice or rice noodles.

Broiled Salmon in Sweet Ginger Sauce with Asparagus and Shitake Mushrooms

Sometimes we are in the mood for “sweet”. If this is too sweet for you, decrease sugar. We make our own brown sugar using a ratio of 1 cup 100% cane sugar to 1 T blackstrap molasses.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c liquid aminos, or soy sauce
• 2 T rice vinegar or brown rice vinegar
• 1 t fresh ginger, grated
• 4 T brown sugar, or another sweetener
• juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1 T
• 1/8 t sesame oil
• 1 green onion, diced
• optional: added heat, to taste (Asian hot sauce would be good)

• one bunch of asparagus
• shitake mushrooms, about 1/2 lb (with stems removed and sliced, about 2-3 cups)
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• salmon fillet – you will need about 4-5 oz per person (although technically a serving should be 2-3 oz each; we like salmon)

Method

Place oven rack about six inches from the top of oven. Preheat oven.

Into a bowl, combine ingredients for ginger sauce – soy, vinegar, ginger, sugar, lemon, sesame oil and green onion. Set aside.

Trim ends from asparagus. Steam asparagus in a steamer or a covered pot in a little water,  until just tender, or tender-crisp. Set aside.

Place cleaned, sliced shitake into a heated and oiled skillet. Add minced garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Then add about half of your sweet ginger sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes just to develop the sauce a bit.

To prepare the salmon: cut fillet into single serving-sized pieces. Cut about 3 slits into the skin only (on each piece) to prevent shrinkage. Place salmon pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking dish, skin side up. Set oven to broil. Brush salmon with ginger sauce and place into the oven. Broil for just a few minutes, or until skin browns and begins to crisp. Carefully flip salmon over so that it is skin-side down, brush salmon with more ginger sauce and broil. Be generous with sauce. If needed, after about a minute, brush sauce onto fish again, using up all the sauce. When salmon is nicely browned, remove from oven.

Optional: during the last couple of minutes of your broiling time, you can throw in a few lemon wedges.

To plate, place steamed asparagus on a dish, cover with ginger-sauced mushrooms, and top with salmon. Garnish with lemon wedges. A splash of lemon juice on the finished dish will add brightness.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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