A few weeks ago we received an enthusiastic email from one of our favorite people—and recipe authors, cooking instructors, and advisors—Katherine Deumling. She has a business called Cook with What You Have where she shares helpful, direct, simple guidance and recipes to overhaul your home cooking to include more veggies, more seasonal produce, and more delicious, satisfying food. She was writing to both us and Reid and Eike of Iliamna Salmon, a family-owned co-op who sell wild salmon shares caught in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Katherine wrote: “This is one of my favorite meals these days and it so perfectly shows off your respective products… it’s just so freaking good and I’m so grateful to get to eat the food you provide… P.P.S. It also happens to be Ellis’ [her son’s] favorite meal right now and when kids like stuff it somehow means even more, right?!”
This recipe is incredibly simple, and that’s the beauty. You’ll have to start with a store-bought or homemade broth, but once that’s in the bag, the rest comes together easily. The salmon recipe, on its own, is a keeper! Katherine is right: The fresh ginger is the key here!
Makes 4 servings
1 1/2 pound wild salmon fillet
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger, divided
2 to 3 teaspoons chili paste/sauce such as sambal oelek or 1/2 teaspoon ground, dried hot pepper mixed with 2 teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces Umi Organic ramen noodles
5 cups broth or stock, I like a simple vegetable stock here but anything works
2 to 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (less if your broth is already well-seasoned)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
Chopped fresh cilantro or dill (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
2. Pat the salmon fillet dry. Set it skin side down on sheet pan. Mix 2/3 of the ginger, salt, chili paste or dried chili and oil in a small bowl and then rub the paste evenly over the flesh of the salmon. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked to your desired doneness. Remove from oven, but keep covered and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, once the water is at a rolling boil, tease apart the noodles and drop into the boiling water. Start a timer for 2 minutes. Stir to loosen the noodles. When the timer rings, drain the noodles in the colander and rinse briefly under cold running water. Shake out the water thoroughly.
4. Put broth, scallion white parts and remaining ginger in a saucepan and heat until just simmering. Add sesame oil and soy sauce, and taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Divide the hot broth between 4 wide bowls. Top with the noodles, pieces of salmon and finally a generous sprinkling of scallions and herbs, if using. Serve hot.
Variations
Mix 1 tablespoon miso with 1 cup of hot broth right before serving and return the miso broth to the whole pan of broth
Add 2 cloves minced garlic to the broth as well as the ginger
Substitute cooked vegetables for the noodles (quickly seared Brussels Sprouts are delicious!)
