Recipe: Asian/Thai Glazed Salmon with Roasted Cauliflower

Sometimes it takes a dinner like this to remind me how easy it is not to order takeout. Which, in the restaurant-laden city of New York, can be all too convenient. Not to mention, expensive, unhealthy, etc, etc. (I have been known to pay $20+ for 5 tiny gluten free ravioli to be delivered to my doorstep. But only to abate an emergency craving or a wicked hangover. These are special occasions, people!)

From start to finish this entire meal will take about an hour, and that’s with only 10 or so minutes of hands-on time. So not only will you have saved twenty bucks on overpriced pockets of cheese, but you’ll enjoy 50 blissful minutes of knowing that your salmon and cauliflower are in the kitchen, doing their thang – while you get your tweet on, or Facebook stalk, or whatever it is that you do to occupy idle time.

Notes

-The recipe below allows for leftover marinade to use as a sauce. If you cook a larger piece of salmon (about 2 pounds), you can use the same marinade measurements but probably won’t have extra.

-Be careful not to overcook the salmon. It will continue to cook slightly after it’s removed from the oven. Remember, you can technically eat it raw, so don’t stress :)

-I always serve this alongside a big bowl of quinoa, simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.

-If you have leftovers, mix together the flaked salmon, quinoa, cauliflower, and any remaining sauce for lunch the next day!

Ingredients (feeds 2-3)

Salmon:

¼ cup gluten free soy sauce

2-3 tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

One 1-lb piece of salmon (1 to 2 inches thick)

Cooking spray

Scallions, sliced (optional)

Cauliflower:

1 head cauliflower, core removed and cut into large florets

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Salmon:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Whisk together soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, honey and garlic to create marinade. Taste, and add a little more chili sauce, oil, or honey if necessary.

-Place fish in a large, zip-lock bag and pour in about half of the marinade. (Set aside the rest.) Seal the bag, pushing out as much air as you can. Move bag around so salmon is fully coated, and position bag so fish is skin side up. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

-Line a baking dish with foil (optional), and spray liberally with cooking spray. Remove salmon from bag and place skin-side down in the dish. Pour some of the marinade from the bag over the salmon so it’s well coated, but there’s not a huge pool at the bottom of the dish. Discard the bag and any marinade in the bag.

-Roast the fish for 20-25 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a fork or knife in the thickest part of the filet. It should flake apart easily, and be opaque.

-Allow salmon to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

-Serve warm, with reserved marinade on the side. Garnish with scallions.

Cauliflower:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Place cauliflower on foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and use your hands to evenly coat the florets. Spread them out in one, even layer.

-Roast cauliflower for 45 minutes to 1 hour, flipping halfway through. Florets should be fork-tender and slightly charred on each side.