This dish was created in an effort to make a homemade version of a convenience food. In this case, Sea Cuisine Sweet Sriracha Rubbed Salmon Skewers.
I found the seasoned, cook-and-serve fish in the freezer case at my neighborhood grocery store. And they were delicious. And easy. But also included some ingredients I wouldn't exactly consider natural or appetizing-- trisodium phosphate, maltodextrin and the mysterious "enzyme."
But the remaining ingredients were fairly normal -- salmon, dried honey, salt, sriracha powder.
And I happened to have some dry sriracha seasoning blend on hand. There are several brands available including McCormick, Weber, Williams-Sonoma and J&D's, but if you can't find a dry sriracha, it would be easy enough to use regular sriracha sauce.
I wasn't able to avoid the maltodextrin as it was an ingredient on every dry sriracha label I read. (If you're curious, the additive is used in a variety of packaged foods for a variety of reasons including as a binder, thickener or filler. It can be derived from corn, wheat, rice or potatoes.)
If you don't like quinoa, rice would be equally delicious (though less nutritious).
Sriracha Salmon With Quinoa and Peppers
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
Salt
8 ounces skinless salmon filet
1 tablespoon dry sriracha seasoning rub such as McCormick or Weber OR 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar or honey
Ground black pepper
2 teaspoons stir-fry oil or sunflower oil
1 medium red, yellow or orange bell pepper OR 4 to 6 mini peppers, cored and sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut salmon into 1-inch cubes.
In a small bowl, combine the sriracha, brown sugar and a generous grind of black pepper. Coat salmon cubes with sriracha mixture. Skewer cubes onto thin skewers. Place the salmon skewers on a baking sheet and bake 6 to 8 minutes.
In a small skillet, heat the stir-fry oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until peppers are crisp-tender.
Serve salmon with quinoa and peppers. Garnish with sliced green onion.
Makes 2 servings.
Food on 09/14/2016