Asian BBQ Salmon

Since becoming pregnant, I have tried to eat salmon at least once a week, and I’ve come to really like it…as long as it is prepared a certain way.

First off, the salmon cannot taste “fishy”. If I think the salmon tastes fishy, I don’t eat it. Not for me. I once tried frozen pre-portioned salmon, and I wound up throwing the bag out after trying one piece. Although I’m sure there are good brands out there, now I only buy fresh.

My next rule is that if I’m going to eat the skin, it MUST be crisp. In my salmon adventures, I have figured out a way to get the skin crispy every time.

And finally, it needs a sauce. I tend to prefer a sauce that has some sweetness to it. My go-to has been store-bought teriyaki sauce doctored up a bit to add a sweet barbecue flavor, but recently I decided to stop doctoring up the jar and just make my own sauce.

I LOVE this sauce! It is absolutely perfect on the salmon, especially with some sesame seeds sprinkled on at the end. I think I’m going to try this sauce on chicken wings next. But that will be another day, another blog post.

Try this salmon!

Ingredients:

¼ cup Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. Unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. brown sugar
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
3 salmon filets (with skin), about 5 oz. filets
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sesame seeds and chopped scallions (optional garnish)

Directions:

Make the sauce: Combine the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Keep warm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large oven-safe frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and turn the pan to coat. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and sprinkle salt and pepper on the flesh side. Place the salmon flesh side down in the pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, then once the flesh side has browned, flip the salmon. Cook for another minute with the skin side down, then place the frying pan in the oven to finish cooking (about another 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon*).

*Oven time will vary. A thicker piece of salmon might need a bit more cooking time in the oven. If you have a thin piece of salmon, you might be able to skip the oven altogether and just finish it on the stovetop for a few more minutes.

Take the frying pan out of the oven (remember to consistently use oven mitts with the hot frying pan!) and spoon the warm sauce over the salmon so it completely coats the top of the salmon.

*You can serve with the extra sauce or refrigerate the remaining sauce for another day.