Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon + Carrot Slaw with Miso-Ginger Dressing

Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon and Carrot Slaw with Miso-Ginger Dressing

Growing up, my father, like most dads, was the grill master.  He will still find any excuse to cook outside... nothing will deter him. A little rain? Put on a jacket and get an umbrella! Eric's the same way and has been known to uncover the grill in the middle of winter. I certainly have an appreciation for the art of grilling and realize how exhilarating it is to cook over an open flame. But I let these guys enjoy their moment. They know what they're doing and they seem to take great pride in their talents, so why take that away from them? I'll stand back and let them do their thing.  Of course, my mother and I are the ones who season the food before it hits the grate... but I'll let that little detail slide.

I learned something recently that blew my mind, and yet it makes perfect sense. If one uses a marinade to baste meat or fish, then that liquid must first be cooked before it can be applied. I will often marinate whatever we're cooking, but seeing that I'm rarely in charge of grilling, I didn't pay attention to the process after the fish left the kitchen. It wasn't until I started to develop this recipe that I found out that marinade that's been used on raw fish or meat shouldn't be used to baste the protein, unless it's been heated prior to this point.

Now that we're half way through the work week, I suggest you get your weekend grill plans in order. We'll be using it quite a bit over ourselves, including next week when we spend a little time on the Cape.

Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon + Carrot Slaw with Miso-Ginger Dressing

Servings 8-10 servings as a side

Ingredients

For the salmon

1 ½ lb salmon fillet (skin on)
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the carrot slaw
4 cups grated peeled carrots
1 scallion, light and dark green parts only, chopped
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

Directions

For the carrot slaw

1. Make the dressing for the slaw by whisking together the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, white miso paste, ginger, honey, and red pepper flakes.

2. Place the grated carrot, scallion and raisins in a serving bowl. Pour dressing on top and mix to combine. Cover and let sit in the fridge for an hour before serving.

For the grilled salmon

1. Prepare the marinade by whisking together the honey, olive oil, ground ginger, orange juice, lime juice and soy sauce in a bowl.

2. Place the salmon fillets in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over the fish. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Lightly oil the grill. Preheat the grill to medium heat.

4. Transfer the salmon to a platter. Reserve the marinade.

5. Place the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cook for one minute. This will kill off any bacteria and make it safe to baste the salmon while it’s cooking.

6. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the grill.

7. Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, basting every 5 minutes. The way to tell if it's done is by testing the flesh with a fork. When it's done, it will begin to flake. Additionally, if you cut into the salmon, the meat should be opaque.

8. Transfer the fish to a platter and serve with carrot slaw.

Blackened Scallops with Grilled Romaine + Citrus Salad

Blackened Scallops with Grilled Romaine + Citrus Salad

Blackened Scallops with Grilled Romaine + Citrus Salad

One of the major differences between our old place and the new house is that we no longer have central A/C. So far, we've done pretty well... making sure to open all the windows at the end of the day as the temp cools and then closing them first thing in the morning. At this point, we do our best to avoid cooking indoors. It's hard to fathom turning on the oven when you're already sweating buckets.

Eric is usually the grill-master in our house, but once in a while, usually when I have a project that necessitates it, I'll get the thing going. Earlier this year, I was contacted by Frontier Natural Products Co-op to do some recipe development and photography for their "Grill the Goodness" campaign featuring their line of organic seafood seasonings. Since we're fully into grilling season, I hope you all enjoy these recipes. I'm fond of all of them, but these scallops, paired with a bright citrus, grilled romaine and avocado salad, is something I could eat every day and never get tired of it.

Once you make this, be sure to check out the other two recipes, Ginger and Honey Glazed Salmon and Grilled Blackened Shrimp, over at the Frontier website.

Blackened Scallops with Grilled Romaine + Citrus Salad

Blackened Scallops with Grilled Romaine + Citrus Salad

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the grilled scallops

20-25 large sea scallops (approximately 3 lbs) 2 tablespoons Frontier Co-op’s Blackened Seafood Seasoning 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the grilled romaine salad

2 hearts of romaine, washed and dried 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the dressing 1 orange, segmented 1 grapefruit, segmented 1 avocado, pit removed and sliced Juice of a lime 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced 1 teaspoon Kosher salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1.Heat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Pat scallops dry and toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Coat with Blackened Seafood Seasoning.

3. In a bowl, whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, the red wine vinegar, dried oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.

4. Cut the romaine hearts in half lengthwise and brush with vinaigrette.

5. Grill the romaine, cut side down, for two minutes, until it starts to brown. Flip and cook for another minute or two to get some color on it. Transfer to a plate.

6. Grill scallops for 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the scallops and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the size of the scallops. Set them aside on a plate. Cooking scallops for a few minutes at high heat results in a seared outside and a soft, rare inside.

7. In a bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, cilantro, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper until combined.

8. To make the salad, plate each romaine wedge and top with citrus segments and sliced avocado. Drizzle dressing over salad.

9. Add 5 scallops to each plate next to the salad and serve.

Roasted Whole Mackerel with Smashed Potatoes and Bok Choy

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Maki looked up at me with her dark brown eyes.  I know this look well. It's the one telling me she desperately wants a nibble, a lick... anything. She came over to me as soon as I'd taken the mackerel out of their paper.  "No.  It's not for you." I told her sternly.

Blank stare. Licks lips.

"No. Now, go away."

Cocked head. Blink, blink. Licks lips.

As I stuffed the mackerel with fresh herbs and lemon, my pal sat patiently beside me.  Shortly after I placed them in the oven, the whole house began to fill with a soothing aroma that only roasted dishes can provide. It's the comfort one feels when they smell wood burning from a fireplace on a crisp winter night.  It was all I could do from sticking my head in there.

The wait was worth it. By the end, the fish was sizzling.  I let it cool for a minute and then carefully pulled back the skin to reveal the meat.  I went in with my fingers, not caring if I burned them.  The first bite reminded me that fish prepared simply is often the best; that uncomplicated meals can be the most flavorful.  A small, but important, revelation.

Fish Triptich

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Roasted Whole Spanish Mackerel with Smashed Potatoes + Bok Choy

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

2 - medium Spanish mackerel, scaled and gutted Extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt 1 lemon, cut into 5-6 slices Fresh chive 1 bunch parsley 2 lbs baby red potatoes 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped 4 heads of baby bok choy, washed well, and halved lengthwise 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain in a colander.

2. Place rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees.

3. Place the mackerel on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over both sides of the fish and rub to coat.  Season both sides, as well as the cavity, with Kosher salt and black pepper.  Stuff the cavities of the fish with lemon slices, chive and parsley.

4. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes.  While it is cooking, prepare the potatoes and bok choy.

5. Prepare the potatoes by heating 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes and, using a metal spatula, press down gently to smash them.  Once they have browned on one side (this should take a couple of minutes), flip the potatoes over and cook to brown the other side.  Season with Kosher salt and black pepper and fresh rosemary.

6. In a separate skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy, cut side facing down. Season with salt and pepper. After a few minutes, check the bok choy to see if has started to brown.  If so, pour the balsamic vinegar over the bok choy, flip over and cook on the other side for another couple of minutes.  Remove from heat.

7. Once the fish is done (the eyes will turn white and when you touch the body, it should be firm), remove it from the oven and transfer to a serving platter using two metal spatulas.  Decorate the rest of the platter with the potatoes and bok choy.