Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon

Perfect Pairing:  Foil

About a year ago I started noticing miso recipes all over the internets.  I knew I liked miso.  What is not to like about miso soup?  It is salty and savory and all sorts of umami.  My knowledge of miso pretty much ended there.  I made a special trip to Whole Foods to find miso.  I was too proud to ask where it was, so I had a great tour of the store.  I did not find it on the shelf with other Asian foods which is where I was SURE it was going to be.  I found random packets of miso soup mix.  I stood in front of those googling trying to figure out if that was, in fact, miso paste.  It was not.  During the search I saw something about the refrigerated section and headed there.  At my Whole Foods it was chilling with the tofu and cheese. 

So I found miso paste….. red miso, white miso, mellow white miso.  Eh?  I JUST WANT MISO PASTE.  I decided to go with white.  That seemed innocuous enough.  It was a big tub and I had no idea how I would ever make a dent in it.  Guess what folks?  I just bought my second large tub of miso paste.  This stuff is the NUTS!

The first thing I made with it was this simple Miso Coconut Chicken and Rice dish.  It was fabulous.  I started using it in salad dressings, and mixing it with a little cream cheese to spread on toast for breakfast.  I also combined miso with butter and sautéed fresh corn in it with a little lime juice.  This was based on a dish my brother told me he had at a local restaurant.  Amazing. 

One of my favorite uses has been in this Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon.  Miso is mixed with brown sugar, mustard and rice vinegar and then basted on grilled salmon.  I grilled the salmon on foil so it is easy cleanup and dinner is ready in minutes.  

I served it with these super simple grilled seasoned potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Embrace the miso!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Coconut Cream Pie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Traditional Potato Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Southwest Salad

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Tomato Pie

Tweet

Salmon Burgers with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Perfect Pairing: Broiler Pan

These salmon burgers were a fun switch from regular hamburgers or a simple salmon fillet.  Fresh salmon is combined with fresh dill, horseradish, lemon zest, and shallot to form a super tasty burger.  Then it is topped with a light sauce made from fat free Greek yogurt, fresh dill and a touch of honey.

These are so simple to make, you basically throw everything into the food processor and then the oven.  I would try to get salmon without the skin.  I didn’t do this and removing the skin was the most time consuming part of the meal prep.

Most ovens come with broiler pans but I think they are pretty underused.  I know I rarely use mine!  I dusted it off for this recipe and it was perfect.  If you don’t have a broiler pan you could use a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet.

These were perfect with slices of crunchy cucumber and crisp lettuce.  I served mine with oven-roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries.  It was a delicious and healthy meal.  

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Kale, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Spicy Chipotle Sauce

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pasta Fagioli Soup

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Lasagna Soup

Tweet

Puttin’ on the Ritz Fish

Perfect Pairing:  Stay fresh packages of crackers

What a weekend I just had.  It started on Thursday with a reggae concert (SOJA and Michael Franti) at Northerly Island.  I think Northerly Island is one of the best venues in Chicago.  Check out that view!  My boyfriend surprised me with the tickets (I may have given a few hints) to start off my birthday weekend.  He is a honey!

The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying great country music and incredible BBQ at the Windy City Smokeout. 

 

I am not a huge meat eater but this brisket sandwich from Dinosaur BBQ was one of the best things I have ever had.  I had it two days in a row!  Now I need to learn to make brisket.

It was an absolutely fabulous weekend in the city!

Now onto something a little lighter than a brisket sandwich. I apologize for the dorky recipe name.  I simply could not help myself.   I was giggling to myself as I made this fish thinking about the name.

This recipe is crazy easy and only uses four ingredients, fish, Ritz crackers, poppy seeds, and butter.  Salt and pepper are also involved, but I don’t count them.  So simple but truly delicious.

I used cod, but I think you easily could use any firm white fish.  All you do is place the fish on a foil lined pan (easy clean up) and coat it with crushed crackers, poppy seeds, melted butter (this step is called puttin’ on the Ritz), and bake!

These smaller packs of crackers were perfect for this recipe.  

If you have crackers leftover you should make this tasty Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.  It is a family favorite!  Try adding water chestnuts to the casserole for extra texture.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: World's Best Chocolate Layer Cake

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grapefruit Margaritas
 

Tweet

Roasted Tandoori Spiced Fish in Tomato Sauce

Perfect Pairing:  Tandoori Rice

I hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day weekend!  Mine was fantastic.  I was able to spend the weekend with my favorite people and we had an amazing time together.  The weather in Chicago was absolutely gorgeous, so that didn't hurt! 

Last night I had the most extraordinary dinner at L2O restaurant.  I will be writing about that soon.  It was unlike anything I have ever had, almost surreal, but still delicious.  Now it is back to reality!

On a previous post I wrote about my favorite homemade tandoori seasoning.  I used the same seasoning in this recipe to marinate the fish and to season the tomato sauce.  The sauce has a rich flavor from the light coconut milk and has a bit of a kick from the jalapeno.  I would highly recommend using the fire-roasted crushed tomatoes instead of plain crushed tomatoes.  The fire-roasted flavor is great in this dish.  It is a really simple weeknight dinner that is healthy and full of flavor.

The Perfect Pairing for this simple fish dish is Tandoori Rice.  Both dishes use the tandoori seasoning blend, so they complement each other nicely.  The rice is a great base for the yummy tomato sauce.

Tweet

Oven Roasted Salmon in a Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

Perfect Pairing:  Spoon

I think I found my new favorite recipe.  Thank you Giada!  I can’t say enough about this salmon dish.  I made it twice in one week, if that tells you anything.  The combination of tart lemon broth and minty pea puree is outstanding.  When you put everything together on the plate it is a lovely presentation that looks like it took hours to make.  In actuality, it is incredibly easy and quick!

The original recipe had the salmon cooked in a skillet on the stovetop.  I was hesitant to do that since salmon can be slightly odiferous when cooked in a small one bedroom condo.  I opted to roast it in the oven, which was quick and effortless.  I bought salmon that still had the skin and placed it skin side down on a foil lined pan.  I sprinkled it generously with salt and pepper and after about 12-15 minutes in a hot oven it was perfectly cooked and the fillet slid right off the skin. 

If you need another reason to make this recipe…. Do it for your health.  Not only is salmon delicious, it is also one of the world’s healthiest foods.  It is a great source of lean protein, packed with omega-3 fatty acids and contains healthy vitamins and minerals. 

The Perfect Pairing for this salmon dish is a spoon.  You are going to want a spoon handy to get every last bit of the lemon broth and puree.  It is that good.

Tweet

Coconut Curry Fish

Perfect Pairing:  Caribbean Bean Puree

I am a big fan of curry and coconut, combined or by themselves.  This fish has lots of great flavor and can be made with things you probably already have in your pantry.  The sauce is quick to whip up and can be made right in the baking dish to avoid dirty dishes.  By the way, this sauce is also great as a marinade for chicken.  For this particular recipe I used tilapia but you could definitely use any flaky, white fish.  I always end up buying tilapia because it is so neutral in flavor… and cheap.

The Perfect Pairing for this fish is the Caribbean Bean Puree recipe I featured yesterday.  I love to take a bite of the fish with the bean puree.  The flavors and textures are great together.  You may also want to serve it alongside some rice to soak up the yummy sauce.  Since you only need ½ cup of coconut milk in the fish sauce you can use the leftover to replace some of the water or broth to cook the rice. 

Tweet

Summer Tomato Sauce

Perfect Pairing:  Anything You Want – Jason Mraz (click to listen)

I love summer.  I love the weather, the produce, the sounds, the events, the entire attitude of summer.  Living in Chicago means you take full advantage of those few precious months.  That is why there are always multiple street fests going on every weekend. 

This recipe just tastes like summer to me.  It is so simple to make but full of flavors like sweet tomatoes, fresh basil and roasted garlic.  It is the perfect topping for grilled fish or chicken or even on some crusty bread.  Anything you want!  Which leads me into my Perfect Pairing…..

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is the song, Anything You Want by Jason Mraz.  If this sauce tastes like summer, this song sounds like summer.  I have been a Jason Mraz fan for a long time.  He is so talented and his music is always fun.  He is a great performer so I try to go to his concerts whenever he is in town.  The last concert was out of this world.  He performed at Northerly Island on a gorgeous night in August.  Northerly Island is an awesome venue in Chicago with great views of the skyline.  The picture below is from that concert.  How gorgeous??

If you know me, you know I am a huge reggae fan.  It makes perfect sense since I grew up on a farm in the Midwest, right?   Anyway, at the concert Jason (we’re on a first name basis) sang this song.  At the time I had never heard it and was immediately obsessed since it had that reggae feel.  I looked it up as soon as I got home but it was nowhere to be found!!   Apparently it was unreleased.  It was my good fortune that he made a live album from that concert I attended and now I can listen to it whenever I want.  You might also like his version of Lionel Richie’s,  All Night Long that is on the same album.  Lots of fun.

I’m telling you, make the sauce, throw it on top of anything you want, listen to the song and you will feel the warm breezes of summer!  They sure are fleeting.

Summer Tomato Sauce

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

·         2 Tb. Olive oil

·         4 to 6 garlic cloves, smashed

·         2 pints of grape tomatoes, halved

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Fresh basil, torn

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the smashed garlic cloves and cook in the oil until soft and lightly browned.  Add the sliced tomatoes and cook over medium-low heat until the tomatoes have broken down and reached a sauce consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.  Serve over grilled fish, chicken or crostini.

Tweet