Salmon with Ginger Soy Glaze and Fresh Veggie Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

This dinner made me really happy. The salmon with ginger soy glaze and the fresh veggie salad had all the flavor and texture components to create a satisfying meal with no rice, bread, or potatoes in sight!

Sadly, after a great vacation in San Diego, my starch party is over. It was fun while it lasted (and we all know it will begin again, but, hopefully, not too soon). Our hotel was right across the street from Panera Bread, which was dangerous, but not nearly as bad as when we lived directly across from Panera Bread in Arlington Heights, IL. As Bob says, we were larger then. I was, surprisingly, able to resist their french toast bagel that I used to be so fond of but, let’s face it, their breakfast sandwiches on a large Ciabatta roll weren’t much better (although they did have some protein to slow down the starch). We ate those every morning except one when I had a need for a strawberry waffle. I was lucky enough to find Richard Walker’s Pancake House, which, as I had hoped, was of the same family as Walker Bros in Chicago. They had the same fantastic strawberry waffle! Crispy waffle, ripe berries, real whipped cream, and hot maple syrup with thick bacon on the side. My perfect breakfast.

So, you can see why I need to put the brakes on the carb-fest. I won’t even bother to tell you about our lunches and dinners that usually began with large piles of tortilla chips if they didn’t start with a sourdough breadbasket. It was so worth it, and I have no regrets, but life requires balance, so it’s time for lots of veggies and protein. Luckily, those can be very tasty as well if you know how to liven them up a bit.

 

serves 4-6

@ 1 1/2 pounds wild caught salmon, skin on or off

 

2 tablespoons brown sugar 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

dash of Sriracha (hot chili sauce)

Begin by soaking a cedar grilling plank in water for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours, so it doesn’t burn up on the grill. The plank not only adds great flavor to the salmon, it also makes cooking fish on the grill a lot easier. We buy them every summer at Costco in packages of six and use them for all kinds of fish. I placed a bowl full of water on top to sink it as it tends to float.

 

Meanwhile, make your salad and dressing (instructions below), then preheat your grill. 

 

When the board is sufficiently soaked, remove it from the water and place the salmon on it. Liberally, brush the glaze on the salmon.

 

Place board on preheated grill, turn it down to med-low heat and put the cover down. It should maintain @ 350 degrees (if you don’t have a temperature gauge, it’s not a big deal). 

 

Allow salmon to cook for @ 20 minutes. The glaze should be caramelizing on the edges and the flesh should  be lighter pink and have white stuff forming on top (it’s protein/albumin).

 

Remove the board from the grill and serve the salmon with the salad. If you bought salmon with the skin on, as I did, you should find it very easy to lift off the flesh and leave the skin on the board where (in my opinion) it belongs.