Fast and Healthy: Mirin-Glazed Salmon

This is one of my weeknight staples from Nigella Express. I absolutely love it because it has incredible flavor that is elegant enough to serve to guests...but easy enough for weeknight simplicity.

You can keep the ingredients on hand (I love buying the two-packs of frozen salmon fillets) and just defrost the salmon in the fridge the day you want to have it (or thaw under running water if you're less prepared).

For the marinade:

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine...available at specialty stores but also likely found on the ethnic aisle of your regular grocery)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 4-oz pieces of salmon, cut from the thick part of the fillet so they are narrow but tall rather than wide and flat*

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 scallions, halved and shredded into fine strips

*this is Nigella's note, but I say just adjust the cooking time accordingly if you have thinner pieces

1. Mix the mirin, sugar and soy in a shallow dish that will hold all 4 pieces of salmon, and marinate the salmon in it for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second.

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

 3. Remove the salmon to whatever plate you're serving it on, and add the rice vinegar to the hot pan.

4. Pour the dark, sweet, salty glaze over the salmon and top with the scallion strips. Serve with rice or noodles as you wish, and consider putting some sushi ginger on the table too.

Serves 4.

As you can see, I made only two servings, which doesn't mess up the recipe at all and leaves you extra sauce. I like it with brown rice (this is a GREAT thing to buy in the frozen food section, IMHO -- or freeze it when you have the 40 minutes to cook it if you're feeling really crafty and clever) and edamame. And I nixed the scallions, since that's the one thing that needs to be fresh. 

Yummo -- add this to your 2011 rotation when you're working off the holiday pounds!