A couple of years ago, I had to be put on an anti-inflammatory diet to try to get my autoimmune condition under control. It was quite a restrictive plan. One of the guidelines was that I had to consume fish several times a week.
I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of fish. I don’t detest it, but I would usually rather have something else if given the choice. However, I wanted to get the most out of that nutrition program, so I took the opportunity to try to change how I feel about fish.
I decided to start with Salmon.
We have all heard of the plethora of benefits of eating salmon, specifically wild-caught. The good news is that it also turned out to be quite delicious!
During these 3 months, I ended up eating vast amounts of this gorgeously pink-fleshed fish and I experimented with several different ways to cook it, but my favourite remains to be this recipe right here.
What I love about this recipe is how low-maintenance it is. All you do is mix up a marinade, toss in the fish and leave it in your fridge until 25 minutes before you are ready to eat. Then you just throw the whole thing in the oven and set your timer while you put the salad together. Easy!
The first time I tried this recipe, I cooked the salmon in a hot pan on the stovetop, and I found it to be way too messy for my liking. The fish splattered aggressively all over the kitchen and the entire house was left smelling fishy for at least 4 days.
Thankfully, the oven method avoids all that, and the great thing is that you can use the same dish for marinating, cooking and serving the Salmon! Less clean-up is ALWAYS a bonus!
As for the salad, I only learned about it recently after moving to Australia. I would usually serve the salmon with spinach or rice, but as soon as I tasted this salad at a friend’s house, I was hooked! It was so incredibly crunchy and fresh, and the Asian inspired flavours go just perfectly with the teriyaki marinade of the fish.
Give it a go for a quick, easy and wonderfully healthy mid-week dinner.
SALMON TERIYAKI WITH WOMBOK SALAD
Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 20-25 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
For the Salmon:
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4 salmon fillets
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3 tbsp soy sauce
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5 tbsp water
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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2-3 slices of fresh ginger
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1 tbsp honey/ coconut sugar
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1 tsp toasted sesame oil
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Juice of half a large lemon or 1 tbsp rice vinegar
For the Salad:
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½ a Chinese cabbage, shredded (also known as wombok)
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100g slivered almonds, toasted
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6 spring onions, sliced
Dressing:
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2 tbsp soy sauce
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1 tbsp honey
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3 tbsp vinegar (I use rice vinegar)
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¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
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1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
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Add all the ingredients for the salmon marinade into a baking dish, whisk to combine well. Place the salmon fillets into the marinade, turning once or twice to coat with the sauce. I like to use skinless fillets for this recipe. Cover dish with cling film and place in the fridge for minimum 1 hour and up to overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Remove the cling film and place the salmon in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning on the top grill for the last 10 minutes of cooking time to get a nicely browned crust.
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Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together (I like to use a jar. I place all dressing ingredients in and shake the jar to mix together). Dress the salad only just before serving.
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When the fish is ready, remove from oven and serve with the cooking sauce.
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