By Cat, Sept 2007 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
Chinook Salmon
See also: Fish and Seafood Menu
Salmon has a great affinity with curry and fruit. The recipe with a curried balsamic orange glaze is a staple in my home, when wild salmon is available.
Use only wild-caught salmon, as always. My favorite is from the Bristol Bay fishery in Alaska, but Copper River is good also, if overpriced.
An alternative to salmon is wild sea bass; there are several different types of sea bass, with black sea bass being common on the eastern coast of the USA. Other common types here are giant sea bass, and Japanese sea bass. Chilean sea bass, also known as Patagonian toothfish, is a threatened species, and is not really a sea bass but rather a cod icefish.
The Rice Dilemma
I like to serve this with brown rice, but in 2013 I learned of a toxicity problem with brown rice: most brown rice, including Organic brown rice, has high levels of arsenic from soils poisoned by synthetic fertilization of the cotton crops that were formerly grown in those fields. The arsenic is found in the bran of the rice, so white rice doesn’t show much accumulation of arsenic. Therefore, I now recommend wild rice (which is not really rice, nor Asian) or Organic white rice. Another option would be steamed bulgur (sprouted or roasted wheat)
Salmon (or Sea Bass), with Curried Balsamic Orange Glaze
This wonderfully sweet-spicy recipe is adapted from an old issue of The Daily Inter Lake (1), and A Taste of Thai (2) website. The recipe presented here serves 3 – 4 people, but I usually make just a single serving for myself.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- 1 ½ lb filet of salmon or sea bass
- salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 – 2 tsp red curry paste
- ¼ cup chopped shallots
- 3 – 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (or 1 Tbsp OJ concentrate, plus enough water to fill ⅓ cup)
- 2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar, honey, or maple syrup
- cast iron skillet
Method
- Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, skin side down, and cook 3 – 6 minutes (depending on thickness). Turn fish over and cook again 3 – 6 minutes. Remove to a serving platter and keep warm.
- Add curry paste and shallots to pan; stir fry until paste is dissolved and fragrant, and shallots wilt. Add balsamic vinegar, orange juice and sweetener. Mix well, scraping bits of fish from bottom of pan. Boil until reduced, 2 – 3 minutes.
- Pour glaze over fish on platter and serve.
Assembly or Serving Suggestions
- Garnish with sprigs of fresh cilantro or parsley.
- Serve with steamed white, brown or wild rice; and accompany with seared green beans or asparagus. A nice salad of Asian greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette or Balsamic & Basil Vinaigrette makes a good first course.
References
- The Daily Inter Lake (issue date and their source is long-lost)
- A Taste of Thai recipe (atasteofthai.com/thai-recipes/salmon-with-curried-balsamic-orange-glaze-recipe)
