Grilled Soy and Pickled Ginger Salmon with Cucumber Relish and Stir Fried Rice Noodles

A romantic dinner for two at our house tonight. It wasn't planned, but The Husband and I welcomed a quiet dinner together. My Oldest was wiped out from a busy week of school and softball, My Middle One was on the tail end of a school field trip, and No Thank You Boy was too busy to eat dinner as he ran the neighborhood.

Salmon is a family favorite fish, and it lends itself well to Asian seasonings. I grabbed a few ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry to make a light marinade. The Husband took over grilling detail so I was left to making an accompanying side dish. I picked up a bag of rice noodles at my Asian market and decided tonight was the night I would figure out how to prepare them. A quick swim in a pot of boiling water, followed by a 10 minute soak in cold water, and they were ready to go. I stir fried them with snap peas, carrots, soy sauce, and fish sauce. The Husband threw a few scallions on the grill for a crispy treat.

We enjoyed the smokey, gingery salmon with the crunchy cucumber relish. The noodles were a nice change from our usual steamed rice. As was the quiet dinner.

Grilled Soy and Pickled Ginger Salmon

2 pounds salmon fillets
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup chopped pickled ginger
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 bunch scallions

for cucumber relish -
1 cup cucumber, diced - I used a kirby cucumber
2 tablespoons red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
1 tablespoon pickled ginger, chopped
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine the peanut oil, pickled ginger, soy sauce, honey and brown sugar. Place the salmon in a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Marinate the salmon for about 30 minutes.

For cucumber relish, combine cucumber, red pepper, red onion, pickled ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and salt. Set aside.

Grill salmon over a hot grill for about 5 - 6 minutes for each inch of thickness. Grill scallions directly over fire for about 4 - 5 minutes. Remove salmon and scallions from grill and cover with foil until serving.

Top salmon with cucumber relish before serving.


Stir Fried Rice Noodles

1/2 of a 14 ounce package of rice noodles
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 cups snap peas
1 cup julienned carrots
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce

Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and soak noodles in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat a wok or large saute pan to high. Add the peanut oil; when heated add the snap pea and carrots. Stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the drained noodles, sesame oil, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Toss to coat and cook just long enough to heat noodles through. Serve warm.]