Pan-fried Salmon with Garlicky Green Beans

Let's take a short break from all the sweetness, shall we? We'll come back to them, I promise.

When this blog first started out in... oh, 2006 (wow, has it really been 5 years?), it was initially to kind of... document the dinners me and the boys (Hadi and Justin, does anyone still remember them? hehe) were having. Justin was the healthy one, always not putting in enough salt, frying with too little oil, etc. Hadi was the adventurous one, sometimes with great results, sometimes with... well, not so great results. Chocolate Chicken, anyone?

I kind of miss those days. Cooking is so much more fun when there's someone else to cook for. Not to mention, 2 days out of three, I didn't have to do anything but eat and wash the dishes. So relaxing. But anyways. These days, this blog is mostly about the cakes and bakes that me and my sisters whip up. More delicious perhaps, but not healthy. :P For anyone's waistline. Let it not be said that Ihsan has made people fat, so here is a slightly more healthy recipe for you all, based on this salmon recipe and adapted from this green beans recipe. :D Here we go!

What you need:

For the salmon:

2 salmon fillets skin on (175-200g each)

20g fresh ginger grated (I used ginger powder :P)

2 garlic cloves, minced finely or grated

50 ml soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste, with a sprinkling of chili flakes

For the green beans:

Handful of fresh green beans, cleaned and cut to be even

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

4 tsp olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Mix the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sugar together and season with salt and pepper. Once combined pour into a shallow bowl which your salmon fillets will fit in. Place the fillets skin side up so that the pink flesh is in contact with the marinade. Leave in the refrigerator any where from 15 minutes to 3 hours. The longer the fish is left to marinate will increase the depth of soy and ginger flavours in the meat.
2. Take fish out of the fridge for a good 20 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. In a large, heavy frying pan heat the oil over a medium to high heat until very hot. Lightly pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, and season the skin side with a little salt.
3. Place the fish skin side down in the frying pan and hold down for 15 seconds until you feel the flesh relax in the pan - this will help prevent the fish from curling up while cooking and create that delicious crispy skin – and continue with the other fillet.
4. Once both fillets are in, turn the heat down and turn the fillets over. Cook for 1 minute, then add your marinating juices and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. To check if the fish is ready take the fish out and place it skin side down. With a fork gently separate the flakes. It should flake easily.
5. Reduce the marinade in your pan until slightly thickened and serve poured over your fish with a sprinkling of chili flakes, if you want it spicy.
6. Meanwhile, for the green beans, mix everything together in a bowl. Spread green beans on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes  at 180C - 200C until the skin starts to shrivel, stirring once or twice during baking. Unfortunately, the oven I have is rubbish, so I had to stir fry the beans instead. I also added in some spring onions.

 And there you have it. :) If you go easy on the oil, this will be perfectly healthy. Salmon's good for you, with all the omega-3 fatty acids that it has. Plus, fish is much healthier than chicken or beef as its much leaner meat (well, depending on the cut, I guess) In any case, this is not a very common dinner for me... I usually just have baked chicken with rice, haha. The greens are a new thing... I'm trying to eat more vegetables, I am... but... sadly, I don't find vegetables very tasty... oh well, perservere and you shall get your aim, no? As for the salmon... well, let's just say I prefer chicken. Plus, I didn't have much marinade left over so did not have any to pour after it was cooked. :( So it could have used slightly more flavour... oh well.

I cooked enough for two portions and so had the other half as a packed lunch the next day. Was still good. :D Bet the boys would have liked this.

Quote of the day: You ain't supposed to get salmon when they're swimming upstream to spawn. But if you're hungry, you do.