“My goal in cooking is always to enhance the flavor profile of my dishes, without covering up the naturally delicious taste,” says chef Jason Hensle of Salt Creek Grille in Princeton. “Everyone’s looking for lighter, fresher foods, so with the salmon, I wanted to steer clear of heavy butter and complex sauces–taking a more “health-forward” approach while still offering a flavor-intensive meal. For the side dish, I make sure to choose the freshest and ripest vegetables available so I can keep them in their most natural (and best) state. When it comes to food, it’s so important to stay out of the way of its natural flavor–less is always more.”
Ingredients:
4 5-ounce pieces fresh Atlantic Salmon
1/4 cup Saikyo Miso (Recipe below)
Stir fried farmer’s market vegetables (Recipe below)
Pickled ginger
For Saikyo Miso:
Ingredients:
4 oz Sake
12 oz Mirin wine
4 oz sugar
1/2 cup white miso paste
Method:
1) Bring sake & mirin to a boil, and reduce to eliminate alcohol.
2) Turn down heat and add sugar, and simmer until sugar has dissolved.
3) Add miso paste and stir until smooth.
4) Remove from heat, and let cool.
For Stir Fried Vegetables:
Ingredients:
½ cup assorted fresh, seasonal vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, beans, onion, napa cabbage, etc.)
Stir fry sauce:
1) Boil six cups of water and 4 oz of brown sugar until sugar is dissolved.
2) Add 8 oz of soy sauce, 1/3 cup pomegranate molasses, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and let simmer for five minutes).
Stir-Fry Method:
1) Heat vegetable oil in sauté pan, over high heat.
2) Add vegetables and stir fry for 60 seconds until all vegetables are heated through.
3) Add ¼ cup stir-fry sauce, and continue to toss and cook for another 30 seconds.
Salmon Method:
1) Coat salmon filet with saikyo miso and place in ziplock bag to marinate 24 hours.
2) Remove from bag, wipe off excess paste, and sear on grill.
3) Place in 400-degree oven for 12 minutes to finish.
4) Place stir-fried vegetables in shallow bowl, top with salmon, and drizzle excess stir-fry sauce around plate. Garnish with pickled ginger. Serve!