Firecracker Salmon Fillets
You'll find variations on this recipe all over the internet. What distinguishes mine is the absence of ginger. I love the flavor of ginger, but sadly ginger does not love me, so I have to leave it out. This recipe is typically written for the grill, but it does equally well under the broiler, so I've written instructions for both, along with how to make the marinade safe for consumption. I sometimes make this for shavuos, because it's a good protein for a dairy meal.
Ingredients
- 8 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon pulverized whole allspice
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
In a medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. Whisk together well.
Pour the marinade into a medium, nonporous glass dish.
Place salmon filets into the marinade, making sure the flesh is in good contact with the sauce.
Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
GRILLING:
Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate, and lightly oil the grate if it needs it.
Grill the fillets, starting with the flesh side down, 5 inches from coals. Grill for 5 minutes.
Turn the fillets over and grill until done - generally a total of 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork.
BROILING:
Lay fillets face down on heavy duty aluminum foil on a cookie sheet a few inches from the top of the oven, and broil on high for 4 - 5 minutes. Turn the fillets over and return to the broiler until the fish flakes as properly done with a fork (highly dependent on the thickness of the fillets).
MAKING THE MARINADE SAFE:
You must boil the marinade to make it safe as a sauce. This can be done in a small pot on the stove or by microwaving on high until it bubbles for a minute. The sauce will be dangerously hot, and needs to cool before it is served to guests.