30 – Chef Michael Smith’s Ginger Soy Poached Salmon

Having dinner on the table by the time my wife returns home from work? It’s unlikely, but occasionally feasible. Nearly needing to reheat her portion because dinner is ready half an hour before she pulls in the driveway – well, that’s nearly impossible. That being said, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, the nearly impossible was achieved.

Due to a perfect storm of favourable events, I was able to have dinner ready so early that tin foil was the only thing that saved her dinner from being tossed in the microwave. That storm included a day so productive at work (I arrived nearly 2 hours early to prep and mark) that I actually left within an hour of the workday ending. It also included purchasing an after-work coffee for myself and one for my sister…that she didn’t end up being home to receive…so I ended up drinking two coffees in rapid succession…so, yeah, I had some artificial energy…and may still have some. Also, minor detail – my wife stayed at work about an hour and 45 minutes later than usual. That definitely helps, doesn’t it?

Even with extra energy and plenty of time, I definitely could have screwed up the timing bad enough to have my wife bemoaning me at 8pm or so, wondering where dinner happened to be. I’ve tried to time meals for her return before, and been horribly off (and never in the “oh no, dinner’s super early” kind of horribly off). Thankfully, I chose a recipe so quick, I was able to take my sweet time and still finish it within a reasonable time frame.

The recipe comes from Chef Michael Smith’s “Fast Flavours” cookbook, the same book that I used for my earlier post, Honey Mustard Dill Crusted Cod. Thankfully, this dish was much more popular in my household – even his instructions for cooking rice went over well (I know how to cook rice, but I like trying different methods when they’re presented to me). We can also be thankful that Mr. Smith, the “official food ambassador for Prince Edward Island”, decided to share this recipe online.

By the way, if you ever get a chance to visit the beautiful maritime province of PEI, you definitely need to go. My wife and I spent a weekend there while living in Halifax, and we absolutely loved the history, the scenic charm, and the countless references to Ann of Green Gables.

The history…

…the scenic charm…

…everything Ann of Green Gables (including THE Green Gables!)…

…oh, AND the food…did I mention the food?

Getting back to the recipe (and away from my personal nostalgia regarding PEI), I should mention a few changes that were made: I cut the amount of salmon, rice, and green onions in half; I added a half-tablespoon of extra brown sugar; and finally, I threw caution to the wind with a tablespoon of runny honey that was added to the sauce before the poaching process occurred. Thanks to such a well-designed recipe (and my additions), we were rewarded with an amazingly delicious (and healthy) meal.

Two fillets: one wild sockeye previously frozen, and one Atlantic salmon that was fresh, but farmed. Each had their own interesting flavours.

The poaching sauce, with my extra additions (not that you can tell that I added honey by looking at this picture…).

After poaching, and partway through the skin removal. I was amazed at how easily the skin peeled away.

This was my attempt at the sort of fancy plating Michael Smith included in his book…

…whereas this is what my portion looked like after that picture was taken, before wrapping up the rest of the dish in tin foil for Mateja.

As you can tell, I’m still very much in the novice stage with my photography. I hate eating a dish, then going to blog about it, only to realize I want more/better pictures, but my subject is no longer present for photos. For this particular recipe, I wish I’d taken a close-up or two. Alas, I guess that’s why we must strive to be life-long learners.

Again, I’ll be posting this recipe to The Novice Gardener’s blog party, Fiesta Friday. I was fortunate enough to be featured this past week thanks to some amazingly delicious Key Lime Pie, some mediocre photography, and tasty bribes among my coworkers (can you say “will bake for votes?”).

Anyways, until next time – happy cooking!