Try saying that 3 times fast! 
So anyway, I’ve been having mega cravings for salmon this week and finally decided to buckle down and whip something up tonight. The weather has been super hot here in Seattle, so I wanted to keep the kitchen labor to a minimum and the meal relatively light. The result: pan-seared salmon served over sauteed leeks and topped with an orange-miso reduction sauce. Light. Refreshing. Flavorful. Beautiful. Oh, and super EASY! An Amateur Gourmand-approved meal, indeed!
I don’t have an exact recipe down quite yet — I just went free-style because my grumbling tummy was in no mood to calculate exact measurements tonight. When I do get a final recipe together, I’ll be sure to update this post with a Foodista widget. In the meantime, here’s a summary of how this all went down:
For the orange-miso reduction: sauteed minced garlic and grated ginger in olive oil. Added chicken stock, mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and fresh squeezed OJ – brought everything to a boil. Lowered heat and whisked in miso paste and honey until fully dissolved. Then I just let it simmer until the mixture reduced by half and had a syrup-like consistency. And, no, there isn’t a photo of the sauce-in-the-making — this would be because every one of the 20+ shots I took looked like crap…literally. Moving on…
Seasoned some salmon fillets with salt and pepper, and pan-seared them in some olive oil. Easy!
Cleaned and chopped some leeks, and sauteed them in some olive oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Easy!
When it came time to plate (and eat!), I created a layer of leeks on the bottom, topped with a piece of salmon and then drizzled the orange-miso reduction over the top. Holla!
Posted in Recipes, Sauces/Dressings, Seafood
Tagged food and wine, light meals, Recipes, Pan seared salmon recipe, salmon recipe, pan seared salmon with leeks and orange-miso reduction, seafood recipe, sauteed leeks, orange-miso reduction
Normally, I’m not one to turn down some help from the grocery store — semi-homemade is my middle name. But when it comes to sauces and dressings, I prefer to make them from scratch. For one, it’s more cost-effective since I can easily whip up different variations using ingredients I already have in my pantry. And more importantly, I get to control the ingredients that go into my sauces/dressings, and therefore end up with a much healthier option (don’t even get me started on all the crap that’s in bottled salad dressings!).
Now that summer is here (and the Seattle weather is beginning to cooperate), I’ve been craving BBQ. So naturally, I decided to give homemade BBQ sauce a try. The first batch was atrocious, but I’m happy to report that attempt #2 was a success — a thick, sweet ‘n tangy BBQ sauce, just the way I like it! And since a BBQ meal isn’t complete without a tasty side dish, I also made a honey-dill vinaigrette, which can be used to dress virtually any salad.
OK, friends, that’s all I’ve got for now. BUT! Come back tomorrow for BBQ meal #1: Baked (and brined – yum!) BBQ Chicken Legs w/ Potato Salad.
Homemade BBQ sauce
yields approx. 2 cups
- One 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp molasses
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Worchestershire sauce, a few dashes
- cayenne, to taste (I like a nice spicy kick to my BBQ sauce )
- salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let sauce simmer uncovered for at least 30 mins (longer if you want it to be thicker). Note: You’ll want to stir often to avoid having the sauce bubble all over the place (at least that was my experience ). If you aren’t using the sauce right away, let it fully cool down before storing it in the refrigerator/freezer.
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Honey-dill vinaigrette
yields approx. 2 cups
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dill (or to taste)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a medium bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients until well incorporated. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve over salad of your choice — works particularly well in coleslaw, potato salad and pasta salad.
Posted in Recipes, Sauces/Dressings
Tagged barbecue, barbecue sauce, BBQ, BBQ sauce, dressings, honey-dill vinaigrette, Recipes, salad dressings, sauces, Summer recipes, vinaigrettes
Jenn Davis
