Firecracker Grilled Alaskan Salmon

Once you read the recipe through, hopefully you'll smile at the photo above the way I do. That dark clump on top of the salmon? Yah, thats the sauce. I was a little absentminded and left it on too long. It still tasted great, but it wasn't the most photogenic of sauces. Serves me right, for all those times I muttered at too-runny sauces as they ran all over the plate. Can't win.

Dark, clumpy sauce aside, I was really happy with this meal. The marinade/sauce smells amazing and wasn't any trouble to prepare. Please note that the salmon has to soak in the marinade for a few hours... so plan accordingly. I didn't, the first night I wanted to make this, so we had it the next day instead. And even then, I had to run home at lunch to throw it all together. (There's that absentmindedness again!) Rather than use a grill, because I don't have one, I just used a grill pan. I placed a piece of aluminum foil over top when it called for covering.

Oh, and the sauce? I made extra of the marinade and reduced it. You may want to, too, just not as long as I did. :)

Firecracker Grilled Alaskan Salmon
c/o Whole Foods Market Online
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/seafood/salmon_firecracker.html

A blend of sweet and spicy, try this salmon next time you light up the grill. Since it has some sugar in the marinade, make sure to oil your grill well or wrap each fillet loosely in heavy foil and place directly on grill to avoid sticking.

4 Alaskan salmon fillets, 4–6 ounces each
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons Soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 salt (if desired)

Place salmon fillets in a glass dish. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator 4–6 hours.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on a well-oiled grill 5 inches from coals. Grill for 8–10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part. Turn halfway through cooking. (You may also wrap and seal with foil to form a packet). Cook covered, 20–25 minutes on medium-hot grill or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Per Serving (170g-wt.): 260 calories (120 from fat), 14g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 29g protein, 4g total carbohydrate (0g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 80mg cholesterol, 800mg sodium

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Halibut in Thai Curry Sauce over Fresh Corn Polenta

Sure, we just had halibut a couple of days ago... but I think I've mentioned I like to eat something over and over again to get a feel for it... at least I used a different recipe!! :)

Well, that and Dave specifically requested seafood... he'd picked out a bottle of wine he wanted to have with dinner, so I needed to pick a dinner that went with it.

This dinner had a lot of things going for it. For starters, it allowed me to use some of my CSA summer squash (in place of the zucchini), it called for red Thai curry paste, which we love, and it had creamy, dreamy, lovely polenta. You can't really see it in the picture, because the sauce is so saucy, but there really is a heaping pile of polenta in there. I promise. I wouldn't lie about polenta.

My substituted lite coconut milk for regular and I used frozen organic corn kernels instead of fresh-off-the-cob. I would suggest, if you decide to make this at home for a crowd, get more fish. There was ample polenta, veg, and sauce to serve at least 6.

Halibut in Thai Curry Sauce over Fresh Corn Polenta
Whole Foods Market
http://www.wholefoods.com/recipes/seafood/halibut_thaicurry.html

Fresh Corn Polenta
4 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup polenta
2 ears corn, kernels removed (2 TB reserved for curry below)
2 TB butter

Coconut Red Curry Sauce
1 to 3 tsp red curry paste, or to taste
1 can (15 oz) coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 TB fish sauce
2 TB brown sugar
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 TB fresh lime juice
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms
2 TB corn kernels, (reserved from above)
1 1/4 lb halibut, skinned and cut into 4 pieces

In a heavy medium saucepan, bring four cups salted water to a boil. Slowly add polenta and whisk continuously for one minute. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring periodically. Add corn kernels to polenta and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add butter, and mix well.

While polenta cooks, combine curry paste with coconut milk in a large heavy skillet and simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add basil, fish sauce, brown sugar, stock, lime juice, reserved corn kernels and chopped vegetables. Simmer for 4 more minutes. Add halibut and simmer, covered, for 10 more minutes or until halibut is opaque and cooked through, flipping once. Set aside and keep warm.

Serve halibut over polenta with curry sauce ladled on top.

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