Grilled Asian Salmon

a single serving

The last time I wrote about grilling salmon, I ate it before I photographed it. This time I exerted a little discipline and snapped a shot before chowing down. (Actually, the recipe calls for a 10-minute rest between grilling and eating, so perhaps I shouldn't accept credit....)

I get recipes from all over. A few weeks ago, I had a long dental appointment, and my dentist was chatting as he worked. He mentioned a recipe that his family loved and suggested that I try it. I was a bit dubious at first, because I could not imagine how all the ingredients would taste together: this recipe included soy sauce and mustard. On salmon? I tend toward lemon and dill.

I certainly did not want to ruin a piece of pricey salmon. Still, my dentist is a real food-lover who plans road trips around good restaurants. He has never led me astray. So I went ahead and bought the fish and cooked it as directed.

The recipe was not his own; he had found it on the Food Network. It could not have been simpler to prepare.  I halved the online version, since I was not cooking for a crowd, and made no other adjustments. I was astonished at how much I liked it; I had imagined that the marinade might overpower the fish, but it blended with it perfectly. I ate one portion hot the first evening, and then I ate the rest cold over the next two days. It was as good cold as it was hot.

I have cooked it twice since that evening. It always satisfies. The only problem I've had is that once the salmon skin stuck to the grill. Next time, I'll oil the grill right before I place the fish on it. My dentist swears that this salmon is even better grilled on a cedar plank, but I have yet to try that method.