Chinese-style BBQ Salmon Bowls

Life changed for most of us the past year and a half, and travel plans were put on hold. That does not mean that we can’t still be adventurous. Celebrating the flavors and traditions of the way other cultures eat is the easiest way to take adventures with our food.

Try this sweet-and-sticky (in a good way) Salmon fillet, served on top of a bed of rice with your choice of side veggie which gets the same glaze. This recipe for Chinese-style BBQ Salmon Bowls was modified specifically for Pride of Bristol Bay to use their Wild Salmon.

The term Chinese-BBQ is a little misleading because it is not actually cooked on a barbeque grill. In Hong Kong, the average person eats Siu Mei, meat roasted on an open fire or wood burning stove, nearly twice a week. The inspiration dish here was the Cantonese pork dish, Char Siu, but it was converted to be more accessible to the average kitchen and to take advantage of the flavor profiles which pair so well with Salmon.

One great thing about Wild Salmon for this dish is that it is a hearty fish which holds up to the counterpart dish which uses pork, but since the fish flakes apart, you don’t need a knife to eat this meal. And that means less dishes!

Chinese-style BBQ Salmon Bowl Recipe

Serves 4

Directions:

Start the rice in your preferred method (because that usually takes the longest).

Wash, dry and cut all produce.

Preheat oven to 425.

In a small saucepan, combine hoisin, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. Heat on low.

Meanwhile, portion the Wild Salmon, and pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Place salmon portions skin side down in the hot pan for about 1-2 minutes. Flip the salmon, taking care not to splash any oil in the pan, and cook the other side of the fillets for about 1 minute.

Move the seared salmon fillets to a baking sheet, leaving any oil behind in the pan. If you are a fan of crispy skin, top the salmon with a thin smear of the sauce you have nearby in the saucepan. If you are not a salmon skin eater, remove the skin before topping the other side with the sauce. Then pop the sheet in the oven to caramelize the sauce and finish cooking the fish through until it flakes (this only takes about 5 minutes, which is about how long the veggies will take unless you chose an overly hard vegetable (like carrots).

Add the sesame oil to the same pan the fish was seared in (no need to wash it), turn the burner back onto medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables. Flip or stir vegetables after 1 minute. Then add the garlic, ginger & soy sauce, and turn the head down a bit to medium.

At this point, you should have just enough time to plate the rice into the bowls, pull the fish from the oven, check for done-ness (being careful not to overcook it) and add a portion to each bowl of rice. The veggies should also be done and go in the bowl next.

Optionally, garnish with sesame seeds and/or gochugaru (red chili flakes).

Serve with extra sauce.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Nancy Ingersoll is a recipe developer and food photographer in San Diego, California. Always up for adventure, she learned the art of sauces and soufflés from one of James Beard Award winner Roy’s Yamaguchi’s executive chefs, and her curious spirit has been fed with cooking classes domestically and abroad. Nancy is also known as The Creative Resource and you can find her work on nancyingersoll.com and on instagram as @thecreativeresource.