Mirin-glazed salmon

This was this week’s second recipe from Nigella Express, and the second not-quite-success. This had some good flavours, but I was promised a crispy salmon and it didn’t really deliver on that. It was also far too sweet. I think we’ll be putting Nigella back on the bookshelf for a while.

I served the salmon over fine noodles with an oriental cucumber salad (recipe below) and some sushi ginger on the side. The cucumber salad wasn’t Nigella’s recipe and I thought it was actually the best part of the meal.

Ingredients
60ml mirin
50g light brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
60ml soy sauce
2 spring onions, halved and shredded into fine strips
4 salmon fillets

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish that will accommodate all 4 pieces of salmon. Marinate the salmon for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and marinate 2 minutes on the other side. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick frying pan.

(I found the marinade far too sweet. I think 50g is too much sugar, but it does help make it sticky. I’m not sure what effect reducing the sugar would have.)

Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes, then turn over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes.

(This wasn’t nearly long enough to cook the salmon. After 4 minutes of cooking, mine was still very raw inside. I think I wound up cooking it a good 10 minutes.)

Remove the salmon to the serving plate, add the rice vinegar to the pan, and warm through.

Pour the sticky glaze over the salmon and top with the spring onion strips.

ORIENTAL CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients
1 cucumber
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 red chili, seeded and chopped finely
1 green onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Peel the cucumber and slice very finely. Put the slices in a colander and salt lightly. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. Then gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with kitchen roll.

Place in a bowl and chill for at least 10 minutes.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and toss with the cucumber just before serving.