take-out, eat your heart out!

i will be the very first to admit that i like asian cuisine too much.  to the point where i can have it for all three meals in one day, and then be jonesing for it a day or two later.  (un)fortunately, last year there was a chinese food take-out place right next to my dorm, and every time i called they knew what mood i was in my what combo of dishes i was ordering.  i am ashamed to say that i had "a usual".  this year i am (un)fortunate enough to have another chinese take-out place within three minutes of my front door.  only this time i can smell the food cooking, and i am the worst at employing self-control after i smell something and start to crave it.  luckily, the food at this place isn't as good as the other take-out restaurant, so i order less often.  but that does nothing to quell my constant need for asian food.

the other day when i went to the grocery, i spotted a beautiful salmon filet.  it was the same thickness all the way through (which is vital when cooking fish, or else you get tough parts where it is thinner while the other parts are underdone: not so good, much better), and only $3.50.  SOLD.  while i was at the store, i also picked up a bottle of teriyaki sauce to use for a marinade.

here's how it went down:  i took the salmon out of its tray and placed it in a ziplock bag with about a quarter cup of teriyaki sauce.  since the sauce i bought was really thin (almost like soy sauce viscosity), i added about a tablespoon of fresh clover honey (with the comb!) and a teaspoon of minced garlic, and chucked it in the fridge to marinade for about half an hour.

fast forwardddddddddd half an hour!  i took the salmon out of the fridge but left it in the bag while i preheated my skillet with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  something i always have on hand in my freezer is frozen veg, so i pulled out a healthy cup of frozen broccoli florets and put them in a bowl with a splash of water, covered them with plastic wrap (leaving a tiny hole for steam to escape) and zapped them in the microwave for about three minutes-- and you get perfectly steamed veggies!  once the skillet was nice and hot, i took the salmon out of its marinade and placed it skin-side down in the pan to grill for about 3 or 4 minutes.  in the mean time, i took the same approach to my leftover white rice as i did with my broccoli-- the micro-steam.  (yes of course i had leftover rice on hand... i had chinese a few days before, haha).  if you don't have rice in your fridge, i would recommend making it while the salmon marinates so the rice has sufficient time to fluff and cool before you dine.  after a few minutes, flip the salmon gently in the pan and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. **do not mess with the salmon while it is flesh side down in the pan.  i know you want to move it and check on it.  don't.  or you will tear it.  it will release itself when its ready.**  do not be alarmed if your fish has small black burn-like marks on it-- its just the sugars from the marinade caramelizing on the salmon.

once the fish looks opaque all the way through, gently take it out of the pan with a spatula and plate it with the steamed broccoli and white (or brown) rice.  in my opinion, the broccoli and rice don't need any seasoning because since the fish has such a bold marinade, taking a balanced bite with each component gives you just the right flavor.

and now, without further ado, i present:

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and Rice

enjoy-- i know i did!