Salmon is an incredibly versatile fish for grilling. It's damned-near foolproof. A friend of mine does nothing more than rub a little mayo on salmon fillets, grills them up, and they're just about perfect. This recipe is slightly more complicated, but not much. ---
Marinating salmon fillets in a simple, uncooked marinade using miso, mirin, ginger and a few other ingredients results in a wonderful grilled salmon dish with subtle Asian flavors. Most of the marinade ingredients can be found in your favorite Asian market or even a decent regular supermarket.
Ingredients:
4 8-oz salmon fillets (you could also use salmon steaks)
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup miso paste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 tsp. sesame oil
salt and freshly cracked pepper
Yuzu or ponzu sauce, optional
Note: This recipe is for 4 fillets. To make more servings, just double (or whatever) the marinade recipe.
Technique:
In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the mirin, miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallions, ginger and sesame oil.
Place the fillets into the baking dish, turning to coat on both sides, spooning extra marinade over the top.
Allow the fish to marinate in the refrigerator for a half-hour.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Remove the fillets from the marinade and season with a little salt and pepper, to taste. Don't use too much salt since there is already sodium in the miso and soy sauce.
Grill the fillets, with the grill cover closed, for about 3 minutes on each side for medium.
You can serve the salmon as is, or drizzled with a little ponzu or yuzu sauce. I actually like mine with a few drops of scorching-hot sambal oelek hot sauce to create a fiery kick.