Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen

Author:Andrea Nguyen
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2019-02-04T16:00:00+00:00

CRISPY LEMONGRASS salmon

SERVES 4

TAKES 1 HOUR

We never had salmon in Vietnam, but once my family tasted it in America, we adopted it as if it were native to Vietnam. We prepared it in various ways; this recipe employs a piquant paste of lemongrass, shallot, and curry that Older Sister Thien, our cook in Saigon, used to spread on whole fish destined to be grilled over charcoal. My mom re-created the mixture, applied it to a salmon fillet, and broiled the fish to a wonderful crispness. Slitting the fish through its skin allows the seasonings to penetrate faster. Enjoy the salmon with rice or feature it in a rice noodle salad (see Note, this page). If you’re new to prepping lemongrass, see the tips on this page.

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1½ tablespoons chopped lemongrass (from 1 medium stalk)

1½ teaspoons packed light or dark brown sugar

Fine sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

1½ teaspoons fish sauce, plus more as needed

½ teaspoon Madras-style curry powder (preferably Sun brand)

1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil, plus more as needed

One 1⅓-pound skin-on salmon fillet, about 1 inch thick at the center

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In a small food processor, combine the lemongrass, brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt and grind until the lemongrass is minced. Add the shallot, fish sauce, curry powder, and canola oil and run the machine, pausing to scrape down the sides, until you have a coarse paste. Taste the seasoning paste. You want it a little saltier than you’re comfortable with, so if needed, add more salt, a pinch at a time, or fish sauce in ½-teaspoon increments. Set aside.

Cut the salmon crosswise into four equal portions, then make two ¼-inch-deep, 2-inch-long slits, about ½ inch apart, on the skin side of each piece of fish. Rub the seasoning paste all over the fish and into the slits. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack 5 to 6 inches from the broiler element and set the oven to broil. Let it heat up for about 15 minutes, so it’s really hot. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a rack inside.

Drizzle the fish with canola oil and arrange the pieces, skin-side up, on the prepared rack. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the skin is slightly charred. Use a metal spatula to flip the fish and then broil for about 3 minutes, until the flesh no longer looks raw and is beginning to brown. If you don’t like crisp skin, broil the flesh side for about 1 minute longer, to darken and pick up character. If you like crispy skin, flip the fish so the skin is up. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds longer to crisp the skin. Monitor carefully to avoid super-blackened skin. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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