Thai-spiced Grilled (or Pan-Fried) Salmon with Asparagus

This salmon recipe starts with a sweet honey-lemongrass-ginger marinade. The salmon is then grilled or pan-fried in this marinade/sauce - the same sauce that is then used to stir-fry the asparagus. Served with plenty of Thai sticky rice or Japanese sushi rice, this salmon dish looks elegant and tastes even better. Add it to your menu this week, either for your family (kids love it!), or as a party or special-occasion dish for you and your friends.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 4
• 4 salmon steaks (or an equal amount of salmon fillets)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, hard ends snapped off
• 3 Tbsp. healthy oil (for frying)
• MARINADE:
• 5 Tbsp. regular soy sauce
• 2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass, OR finely minced fresh lemongrass
• juice of 2 limes
• 6 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. freshly ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian/Chinese food stores)
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves and stems, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp. water

Preparation:

1. To make the marinade: combine all marinade ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir while you bring this sauce to a boil. Remove from heat and do a taste test for a balance of saltiness and sweetness (note that the honey is this recipe's key ingredient - the marinade should taste sweet). Set marinade aside.
2. To prepare salmon: if using steaks, cut them in half lengthwise, removing the central bone. If using fillets, simply cut in strips, lengthwise. As you cut the salmon, place the strips in a wide-bottomed bowl or pan (with sides).
3. Pour half the marinade over the salmon strips - reserve the rest for later. Carefully turn the salmon to ensure every side is covered with marinade. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill/fry/BBQ (at least 30 minutes, or overnight).
4. If grilling/barbecuing: use a pair of tongs to gently remove salmon from dish and place on hot grill. Cook the salmon strips 2-3 minutes per side, depending on thickness (salmon is done when it flakes apart easily and is no longer dark pink inside).
5. If pan-frying the salmon, place a little oil in a wok or frying pan. When hot, add the salmon pieces together with any remaining marinade from the bottom of the dish. Fry 2-3 minutes each side, or until the salmon is no longer dark pink inside. Tip: when wok/pan becomes too dry or sticky, add a little water 1 Tbsp. at a time.
6. To cook asparagus, place a little oil in a wok or frying pan and place it either over the BBQ, or on the stove over medium to high heat. (If you used a wok/frying pan to cook the salmon, you can use the same one to cook the asparagus - just keep salmon warm in the oven).
7. When the wok/pan is hot, add the asparagus. Now add 2-3 Tbsp. of the remaining marinade and stir-fry until asparagus has turned bright green and is tender but still crisp (2-3 minutes). Add a little water to the wok/pan if it becomes too dry or sticky.
8. To serve, place salmon strips on one side of a serving platter. Place asparagus on other side next to the salmon, and pour remaining marinade/sauce over salmon. A perfect accompaniment to this dish is my Thai Sticky Rice Recipe. Japanese sushi rice also works very well.
9. Additional Tip: My husband likes the marinade-sauce so much, that I usually double the recipe, then serve the extra warm on the side.