Monday, August 6, 2012

Quinoa Flake Crusted Salmon with Chile Citrus Sauce

A couple of times this summer, I’ve mentioned wild Alaskan salmon, and that’s what’s shown here again today. This time, I want to share a little information about why this salmon is such a good choice for sustainability. The Alaska Constitution includes a statement regarding protecting natural resources and specifically that “fish...be utilized, developed, and maintained on the sustained yield principle.” The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages salmon runs by checking numbers of salmon moving upstream to spawning grounds. Sonar counters and fish wheels are used to count, and aerial surveys are performed as well. When enough salmon have reached the spawning grounds to maintain the population, only then are areas opened for commercial fishing for specified lengths of time. This process has made Alaska a “model of seafood sustainability.” Once again, I was delighted to receive some wild, sockeye salmon from the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association. This time, the salmon came from Prince William Sound which sits between Cook Inlet and Yakutat Bay on the east side of Kenai Peninsula. This salmon was frozen and vacuum packed before being shipped. The color was the same deep, lovely red, and once thawed, the texture was exactly the same as fresh salmon. I had just read about a salmon dish that I wanted to try in The Elements of Taste, so I was ready to get cooking.

Although it’s from book with some serious ideas about flavor that has several serious, chef-style recipes, this dish is actually very simple to prepare. In the book, it’s made with a rice flake crust. I wasn’t able to locate rice flakes, but I did find quinoa flakes and used those instead. The salmon fillets were brushed with a mix of eggs whisked with flour, and then they were pressed into the quinoa flakes that had been seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne. The sauce was a reduction of orange juice, mirin, minced lemongrass, grated fresh ginger, dried hot chiles, and a little sugar. After 30 minutes or so, the sauce became syrupy and fragrant. The salmon was quickly seared, crust side down first and then was plated with a pool of the sauce.

The flavor of the salmon was delicious as always, and the quinoa flake crust gave the surface incredible crunch. It was definitely more crunch than you would get with just flour or even cornmeal. The sauce was fruity, spicy, and aromatic and made for a lovely thing to slide each bite of salmon through on the fork. It was another great meal with this carefully caught and well-managed, sustainable fish.

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24 comments:

  1. That sauce is wonderful! A divine tasting dish.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I'm headed to Alaska later this month with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. I've done some recipe development for them and now I'm heading up to do some fishing, hiking and learn more about Alaskan seafood and sustainability. Thanks for helping to spread the word about how important this is!

    ps. That sauce looks amazing!

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  3. I recently discovered my love for salmon, this recipe sounds delicious!!

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  4. As a lover of all thing salmon, this recipe seems amazing! I once made a couscous-crusted salmon, but it didn't turn out as I expected, no crunch, it was actually a bit mushy.

    I wonder if I could repeat the exact recipe with quinoa flakes... something to consider

    gorgeous piece of salmon, Lisa... picture-perfect!

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  5. What a great idea...quinoa flakes...looks beautiful and very tasty with the citrus sauce. As always the pictures are awesome Lisa...have a wonderful week :)

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  6. That's a beautiful looking salmon dish. I'll have to look out for quinoa flakes. xx

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  7. I love the addition of quinoa to this lovely dish :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  8. love your presentation which is worthy of fine-dining. pretty clicks!

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  9. I am not crazy about salmon normally but with this sauce and coating, I'd love it!

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  10. Man, it seems like quinoa is the all around awesome ingredient. It's in everything nowadays, and I have still never tried it! I really need to get some. My next shopping trip, I promise!

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  11. The quinoa crust sounds amazing. Beautiful clicks!

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  12. I will only buy and/or eat wild salmon...it's so much more delicious than anything farmed! I love this preparation...simple enough that the salmon really shines but also adding elements that make it more delicious.

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  13. Your salmon looks sensational! I must admit that I sometimes get confused about what kind of fish to buy and which to ignore, but it sounds like Alaska salmon is definitely approved.

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  14. I want some good smoked salmon for an omelet...any tips?

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    Replies
    1. I love smoked salmon, and it's so good with eggs. I usually buy the smoked wild salmon at Whole Foods. But wherever it's from, look for something marked as wild salmon.

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  15. Cool way to use quinoa flakes. Thanks! Your photos look great!

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  16. Lisa, I'm always looking for more and interesting ways to prepare my favorite fish . . . salmon. This is IT! Just LOVE how all these ingredients work together! Great photography!

    Roz

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  17. Wooo! That looks good! I didn't know quinoa came in flakes too. Have never seen them around here and would love to try this with salmon. Happen to have a lovely piece of salmon in the fridge right now, but hmmmm, what about those flakes

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  18. Alaskan salmon is the best. And you did salmon proud with this dish. The quinoa crust is a great idea (I, also, never knew it came in flakes). Good stuff - thanks.

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  19. Beautiful salmon dish! I always look for wild Alaskan salmon...I hope more regions will follow their method to ensure sustainability.

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  20. What a clever idea for crust! Thanks for sharing Lisa.

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  21. I did not know there was quinoa flakes! This is pretty simple dish. I like the reduction sauce. We do not buy much salmon but we should definitely integrate more fish into our diet.

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  22. a quinoa crust--that's new to me! very classy and well thought-out dish, lisa. :)

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