Super-Easy Salmon Teriyaki with Brown Rice and Veggies

A few nights ago I saw a piece of salmon in my refrigerator and was immediately bored.  I could roast it, pan-sear it, but I wanted something with more flavor and taste.  Suddenly it hit me…I’d make salmon teriyaki!

Below is my super simple salmon teriyaki recipe you can make in 20 minutes or 50 minutes (which means you’ll marinate it longer).  I’m a fan of fast and easy cooking as I live on my own and on a weeknight after a day of Cooking and Lego Robotics, I don’t have a lot of energy (or patience) for a  gourmet meal.  

I only cook in batches of 3 meals, so this recipe reflects 3 individual meals, 1 for dinner and 2 for later.  When your co-worker chewing on a cold turkey sandwich stares in awe at your lunch, tell them Chef Eric sent you the recipe and direct them here.

I love this dish because it’s easy, inexpensive and tasted exactly what I’d pay $16.99 at a Japanese restaurant.  Also, the only ingredients you need to pickup at the market are the salmon and a small piece of ginger, because the other ingredients are pantry staples that you’d be wise to have on hand at all times.

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 lb salmon cut into 3 8-oz fillets (skin on if you like it crispy)

– 1/3 cup soy sauce

– 1/3 cup mirin (seasoning sake)

– 3 Tbs sake

– 4 Tbs sugar

– 1 tsp ginger, minced

– 1 garlic clove, minced

– 1 tsp corn starch

– 1 Tbs olive or vegetable oil

– Sesame Seeds

– Kosher salt and black pepper

The Fast Way (No Marinade – 20 minutes)

  Rinse and pat dry your salmon.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add cooking oil and cook skin-side down for 4 minutes, flip and cook for 4 minutes.

  Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk together, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, ginger, garlic clove and corn starch.  

  Add teriyaki sauce to pan with salmon and cook for 2 minutes, spooning the sauce on top of the salmon.  Remove salmon to a plate and cook sauce until it’s reduced and thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  Strain teriyaki sauce over a mesh colander on top of a bowl.  Serve salmon with teriyaki sauce spooned on top and garnish with sesame seeds

The Longer Way (With Marinade – 50 minutes)  

  Follow recipe above except marinate the salmon for 20-30 minutes in the teriyaki mixture.  Before sauteing in the pan, be sure to pat salmon dry so it gets crispy.  Also, there’s no need to add salt and pepper because the marinade will season the salmon.

How to serve with brown rice and vegetables (The Fast Way)

    Todd, my homeboy in the meat department at the Albertsons in Culver City, told me about a quick-cooking brown rice that I am now a huge fan of.  It’s called “Success Boil-in-Bag Brown Rice” and allows me to cook brown rice in 16 minutes.  All you do is put an individual bag into water in a small pot, cover and bring to a boil (about 8 minutes).  Reduce to simmer and cook for 8 minutes.  Carefully remove bag using a slotted spoon to a bowl, use two forks to open the bag and pour out the rice.  Season with a pinch of salt and a pat of butter (come on, it’s brown rice, you can splurge a little!).  To elevate the taste even more, add chicken stock to the water you boil the rice in.

   For veggies, you can steam, roast or saute broccoli, zucchini, green beans or whatever you like.  Or, you can be lazy (which is ok every now and then) and heat some frozen vegetables, which have almost EXACTLY the nutritional value of fresh vegetables.  Be sure to pour the teriyaki sauce on top for flavor.

  Game plan for fast, weeknight cooking

 Overall, this meal took me 30 minutes to put together, including the rice and veggies.  Start with the rice ASAP, and then make the salmon and during the middle of cooking microwave your veggies.  Wash dishes while you have a few spare moments.  (This is key to keep your kitchen clean and neat!)  

  It’s lunch time and I need to go eat some leftover salmon teriyaki.  Enjoy!