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Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

May 14, 2015

Teriyaki sauce is a staple ingredient in Island cuisine and most families have their own favorite version. My own favorite is my Granny’s teriyaki sauce. You might wonder why I think this teriyaki sauce deserves so much attention. As my mother noted years ago, “it’s the best!” The secret ingredient, folks, is the Sherry. You’ll need some decent Sherry, not the stuff you find on the grocery shelf labeled cooking sherry. Stay away from that! I prefer Hartley & Gibson’s Amontillado Sherry but you can use any medium-dry Sherry. Once you add it to the rest of the ingredients and stir everything together and take a whiff of the sauce, you’ll understand what I mean. I use the sauce for grilled tofu, chicken and meat sticks. It’s marvelous with salmon.

This is beautiful sauce. Sweet and salty with lots of green onions and a little kick of garlic. Most importantly, Sherry.

Grilled teriyaki salmon is uncomplicated but it will impress your guests. A quick soak in the sauce (in the same tray it came in) then off to the grill until it’s perfectly cooked, with some really nice grill marks to boot! Extra sauce drizzled over the salmon is a requirement. I can’t get enough of this sauce.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Sherry (Hartley & Gibson’s Amontillado Sherry recommended)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon canola oil

4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup (or more) chopped green onions + extra for sprinkling over grilled fish

roasted sesame seeds (optional)

2 pounds salmon filet (left whole or cut into 6 equal sized filets)

Preparation

Combine the sugar, soy sauce and Sherry in a bowl or large measuring cup. Stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Stir in oil, garlic and green onions.

Pour a small amount of the sauce under and over the fish. Refrigerated for 1 hour, turning fish after 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently simmer the remaining sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat until the sauce thickens, about 10 – 15 minutes. Watch closely and adjust the heat if the sauce starts to boil as it may burn. Set aside.

Prepare gas or charcoal grill for medium high heat. Be sure to clean the hot grill grates and oil them well. Place fish directly over heat source and cover. For a moist, slightly pink interior, cook on each side 3 – 4 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 125 – 130°. If you prefer fully cooked salmon, leave it on the grill until it registers 140°. For professional grill marks, give the fish a quarter turn after 2 minutes.

Remove fish to a platter and drizzle with some of the reserved teriyaki sauce. Scatter sliced green onions over the fish and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds if using. Serve extra sauce on the side.

Beef, Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes

Seared Filet Mignon with Sautéed Shallots & Shiitake Mushrooms

March 22, 2015

Umami = Deliciousness. The New Yorker’s March 2015 article: You Think You Know Umami describes it in two sentences: “That deep, dark, meaty intensity that distinguishes seared beef, soy sauce, ripe tomato, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and mushrooms, among other things. It hits the back of your throat and leaves you craving more.” This simple dish is all about umami. Steak, seared and served with shiitake mushrooms, shallots and soy sauce. That’s it. Simple and delicious.

Mana Foods in Paia is my favorite market. Their shelves are stocked full of goodies and hard to find items (for residents of Maui) such as Muscovado sugar, Einkorn flour, specialty vinegars, oils and more. Particularly superb is their produce department. It is well stocked with many fresh locally grown products, including the best selection of fresh mushrooms here on Maui. Beautiful golden chanterelles are hard to find here but Mana has them when they are in season. They even sell fresh fava beans! Gorgeous shiitakes are always available at Mana.

The mushrooms and shallots are sliced thin and quickly sautéed for a few minutes. Soy sauce will be added to the mushrooms just before they are served.

Seared Filet Mignon with Sautéed Shallots & Shiitake Mushrooms

Adapted from Linda Furuya’s San Francisco Chronicle article

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral oil)

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

8 – 10 (about 6 ounces) medium-size shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thin

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 filet mignon (about 8 – 10 ounces 1 1/2″ thick) sliced into two 3/4″ thick medallions

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Preparation

Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the steak with a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the steak to the pan and sear on each side for about 2 – 3 minutes, or enough to leave the insides pink and juicy. Remove steak from the heat, but leave the juices in the pan.

Lower the heat to medium. Return the mushrooms and shallots back to the skillet to warm gently. Once heated, remove the skillet from the heat, add soy sauce and stir until mushrooms and shallots are well coated.

Cut the steak into thin slices and scatter the mushroom mixture over and around the meat. Serve with steamed rice.

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Japanese Cucumber Salad

October 5, 2014

I love crunchy, sweet, cucumbers, especially Keiki Cukes. Their size is perfect, they are seedless, and snappy. I discovered this Jamie Oliver recipe on Leite’s Culinaria and I was smitten.

Lemon grass adds a fragrant note to the dressing. It pairs well with the ginger and rice vinegar. As the editor-in-chief of Leite’s Culinaria, Renée Schettler Rossi says, this is not the most traditional Japanese recipe despite Jamie Oliver’s title. And, as Renée says further, “I’m not holding that against it.”

I diced up a bit of cucumber and sliced carrots into pretty florets to add texture and color to the silky sliced cucumbers. A generous handful of torn mint and a little cilantro sprinkled over the cucumbers add that special brightness to the salad. For those of you who are not fond of cilantro you may leave it out, but don’t skip the mint.

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

3/4 – 1 pound Japanese, Keiki, or other small, seedless cucumbers

1/4 small carrot, sliced very thin (optional)

Handful of fresh mint, torn into small pieces

Handful of fresh cilantro, torn into small pieces

Dressing:

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon finely minced lemongrass

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Dressing:

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in oil. Add ginger, lemongrass, and salt & pepper to taste.

Thinly slice cucumbers lengthwise, using a mandoline, handheld slicer, or potato peeler, making thin ribbons. Lay cucumber slices on paper towels and lightly pat dry. Slice a small portion of a cucumber into small cubes, about 1/4 cup (I use the leftover edges of the cucumber I sliced into ribbons, omitting any seedy flesh). Finely slice carrot if using. Lay cucumber ribbons on a plate and diced cucumbers on edges of plate along with the carrots. Sprinkle with torn mint and cilantro, and drizzle a generous amount of dressing over the salad.

***The dressing can be made a day in advance and the vegetables may be cut a few hours before serving.

Japanese, Recipes, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette

July 14, 2014

The January 2014 issue of Bon Appétit included a “Food Lover’s Cleanse” article that highlighted a few of their favorite recipes to “help you balance the excesses of the holiday season.” Well, now that it’s July, those days are long gone. I’m not on a cleansing diet (though I can always use help “balancing excess!”). I was intrigued by one of the recipes: Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette. I am particularly fond of roasted sesame seeds and miso, whether it be white, yellow, or red.

The vinaigrette is especially delicious on a salad with crunchy butter or iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and sugar snap peas.

Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 2/3 cup

Ingredients

1 red Fresno chile, with seeds, finely chopped

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons white miso

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon grated peeled ginger

Preparation

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Vinaigrette can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill before serving.

Dinner, Fish, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes

Furikake Seared Ahi

May 27, 2014

Every now and then I have a craving for ahi tuna, either as sashimi or seared. Although Hawaii has an abundance of fresh fish, it’s not always available at the markets. Most of the premium fish is sold to restaurants who then charge premium prices. But don’t get me wrong. You’ll never have to drag me out of the house to go out to dinner. I’m always available.

Our local Whole Foods market has a small seafood section that I normally don’t pay much attention to. Instead, I head to the meat department to check out their wonderful steaks. One day as I was shopping, I noticed beautiful sashimi grade ahi blocks at the seafood counter. I couldn’t resist buying one, even though I paid dearly for it. John sliced the ahi into perfect pieces and we enjoyed it sashimi-style with wasabi soy sauce. It was delicious. So now when I go to Whole Foods, I pay more attention as I walk by their seafood section. If I see beautiful ahi, I buy it.

In Hawaii, everyone has their favorite ways of preparing this luscious fish. Here is one of mine. I coat the ahi with a bit of canola oil, season it with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then dredge it in furikake. There are no measurements for this simple dish, just a short list of ingredients.

Furikake? Delicious sprinkled over hot rice. My favorite furikake is simple. Seaweed, white and black sesame seeds and a bit of seasoning.

Furikake Seared Ahi

Serves 2

Ingredients

about 3/4 pound sashimi grade ahi block

canola oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

furikake

Kikkoman wasabi sauce or a mixture of wasabi paste and soy sauce

Preparation

Lightly coat the ahi with canola oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle a generous amount of furikake over the ahi, pressing gently to coat all 4 sides well.

Place a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 – 3 teaspoons of canola oil and swirl to coat the pan. Once the pan is hot and you see a few wisps of smoke, add the ahi block to the pan and sear about 1 minute per side, or until desired doneness is reached. The ahi should be rare in the center.

Remove ahi to a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes then slice ahi into 1/3 inch thick pieces. Serve with wasabi sauce or wasabi soy sauce, a bowl of steaming rice and homemade takuan.

Japanese, Pickles, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Homemade Takuan

May 4, 2014

My friend Tomoe always has a treat to give me when I stop by now and then to deliver tomatoes or avocados from our garden. I never leave her home without a gift of her delicious mango bread, lilikoi jelly or in this case takuan. I have never thought of making takuan since I only eat it occasionally and it’s readily available in the markets here. After taking a jar of Tomoe’s homemade takuan home and tasting it, I decided it was about time to make my own. Her little yellow pickles were so tasty, crunchy, sweet and salty with just a hint of tartness (much superior to the commercial brands) and, oh so delicious with a bowl of steaming hot rice.

Daikon are not the most attractive vegetable. In fact, with their pale color and gangly shape, they are quite homely. However once you add a bit of seasoning to daikon, they transform into some of the best pickles you can imagine. A case in point is Vietnamese pickles (Do Chua). I adore these pickles piled high in a banh mi. Takuan pickles are delicious served as a side dish with rice and grilled fish, chicken or even tofu. In fact I enjoy just a bowl of hot rice and takuan.

After mixing the daikon with sugar, let it sit for an hour or two. You’ll end up with quite a bit of liquid in the bowl.

Though these pale radishes don’t need to be tinted a bright yellow, their color is actually part of their identity and what we grew up with. Tomoe goes to Japan every year and buys powdered coloring. I have no idea what the box says but it worked.

It takes about a week for the daikon to absorb the pretty yellow color and flavor of the brine. After 2 weeks the pickles are ready to eat.

Onigiri goes hand in hand with takuan pickles!

Homemade Takuan

Adapted from Tomoe’s recipe

Makes 2 quart jars

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds long daikon

2 cups + 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup Hawaiian sea salt (kosher or other coarse salt if Hawaiian sea salt is not available)

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

yellow food coloring

Preparation

Peel daikon and cut into 2 inch length pieces about 1/3 inch thick. Place in a large bowl and toss with sugar. Let stand for 1 – 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Do not discard liquid.

Add Hawaiian salt and rice vinegar to the bowl of daikon. Toss to coat well. Add yellow food coloring being very careful not to add too much. You can always add more if the color is not what you expected. Cover bowl well, and refrigerate for 2 weeks, tossing pickles every few days. The amount of liquid from the daikon will vary. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer pickles to quart jars and cover tightly. Takuan pickles will last for months stored in the refrigerator.

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Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

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Seared Filet Mignon with Sautéed Shallots & Shiitake Mushrooms

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Japanese Cucumber Salad

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Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette

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Furikake Seared Ahi

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Homemade Takuan

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