Seared Salmon Chunks with Asian Aromatics

Considering salmon being one of my regularly cooked fish, I'm constantly trying to come up with new ways to enjoy it. 

Salmon can be cooked as simple as baked in western ways or steamed in Chinese ways. Perhaps a bit more complicated with blackened in western or stir-fried in Asian. Let it be an array of variations, but always leading with one single "delicious" result. Not because of my cooking, but thanks to salmon's meatiness and flavorful profile.

Seared salmon chunks with Asian aromatics -

Ingredients?

• 2 medium salmon fillets
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 small chunk young ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• Some flour
• Some light cooking oil (olive oil is fine too)

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped red chili sauce (or use fresh chilies)
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Destem and chop the scallion. We are going to use most of it in stir-fry but do save a little for garnish in the end. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Scrape the skin then finely chop the young ginger. We will need about 1/2 teaspoon of prepped ginger. If using fresh chilies, destem and chop the remaining section.

Slice the salmon to medium bite size pieces. Pat dry with paper towel and dust with flour.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section and set aside for later use. If using fresh chilies instead, don't add that to the sauce mixture.

Prepare a non-stick pan. Drizzle some oil over to evenly coat the bottom of the pan plus a bit more oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets warm.

Add in salmon and do not move them around early on. Simply let it sear till the bottom turns golden color, then you can flip the fish and continue to sear the other side. 

Prepare a plate lined with paper towel. Scoop the salmon over. the paper towel will help absorbing excess oil from the fish. Meanwhile let's prep the sauce.

Still using the same pan and still under medium heat. Drizzle more oil if needed. Add in chopped garlic, most of the scallion, and ginger. Also add in fresh chopped red chilies here if using. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burnt.

Pour in the sauce mixture and bring the entire thing to a boil then quickly lower the heat. Let it cook just a few seconds more.

Transfer the salmon back to the pan and gently move the fish around. Make sure all sides of the fish are coated with the sauce.

Plate and garnish with the remaining chopped scallion. 

To sum up, if you can get a hold of chopped chili sauce, use it in the sauce mixture. However, if using fresh chilies, you sear that together with other Asian aromatics instead of adding to the sauce mixture.

Simply searing the salmon with some salt and black pepper is good enough, but I layered up more flavors with Asian aromatics and seasonings. Worry not, these ingredients will not overpower the taste of the fish, but actually create more layers of savory touch. 

And the best part, also perhaps the main reason why I intended to cook salmon this way, is that the sauce clinging on to the flour coating pairs really well with steamed rice. 

Other salmon recipes:

• Salmon en papillote with cherry tomatoes and dill
• Honey and Cajun spiced salmon
• Salmon and chorizo in tangy tomato sauce
• Maple glazed salmon (no oven involved)
• Garlic soy and butter salmon fillets
• Oven-baked gochujang salmon fillets