LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Wasabi glaze grilled salmon


Photos Susie Iventosch

This is one of our favorite ways to prepare chicken thighs, and one day we decided to try it on salmon and absolutely loved the way it turned out! The flavors complement the fish so well and the marinade creates a sort of crust once it cooks that is a little bit sweet from the ginger root, a little bit hot from the wasabi, and a little bit salty from the soy sauce! If you can find steelhead at the fish market, it's fabulous with that too.

When we grill fish, we usually pick up a big filet with the skin still on one side and cook it on a piece of foil with the skin side down. The skin sticks to the foil during the grilling process so you can easily separate the meat from the skin when you go to serve it.

Before brushing the filet with the wasabi marinade, we sprinkle a peppercorn seasoning on top of the fish and then add the marinade. Use about half the marinade when you first put the fish on the grill, and then brush the fish again with extra marinade about halfway through the cooking.

On our grill, the fish cooks for about 7-8 minutes all together, but each grill is different so just cook the fish until your desired doneness.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs salmon filet (with skin on one side)

1 tbsp. Peppercorn Perfection (or your favorite peppercorn seasoning blend or rub)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1.5 oz. prepared wasabi (1 tube)

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root

Garnish:

Toasted sesame seeds

Lemon wedges

Parsley sprigs

DIRECTIONS

Add all of the marinade ingredients to a jar or bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside. You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Lay the fish, skin side down, on a piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle peppercorn seasoning on top of the fish, then baste the top of the fish with half of the wasabi sauce, reserving a little sauce for a second basting.

Place the foil with the fish on it in the center of grill and cook for about 5 minutes. Baste the top of the fish with a little more wasabi glaze and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Remove from grill and, using a metal spatula, separate the fish from the foil so that the fish skin stays on the foil, and you're left with a skinless filet to serve. Garnish with lemons, parsley and toasted sesame seeds.