Soy Glazed Salmon Steaks with Sesame Green Beans

While most of my cooking this weekend was taken up making the Crack Pie, I also managed to sneak in something healthy as well. As I've mentioned before, D doesn't like seafood but I really really love it, but since he doesn't like the smell I don't get to eat it very often.

Yesterday in Coles (of all places), I saw the loveliest looking atlantic salmon fillets. I've never cooked salmon at home myself but you see it being cooked all the time on TV. They looked so beautiful I couldn't resist them. I didn't really have a plan for them but I was sure I could find something.

Every weekday, I record Kitchen Time on Channel 72. It starts out with the Martha Stewart Show and then it's followed by a variety of English and US cooking shows. I don't get a chance to watch them during the week, so I like to fire them up for a cooking show marathon over the weekend. Martha Stewart had an episode based around the Healthy Eating 2008 edition of Everyday Food Magazine with ideas on how to maintain your healthy eating resolutions without sacrificing taste. One of the recipes was these soy glazed salmon steaks with sesame green beans.

It was such a happy coincidence that I didn't even bother looking elsewhere, I decided that this was going to be my introduction to salmon cooking at home. It was incredibly easy. The salmon and the beans cook for the same amount of time, so there's no tricky timing. It looks beautiful too, so bright and colourful.

The dish had a lot to live up to because the crack pie was pretty amazing, but I can honestly say that the fabulousness of the salmon and beans outshone the crack pie. The soy, honey and ginger glaze had caramelised around the edges of the salmon and it contrasted perfectly with the acidity of the rice vinegar and sesame oil dressing on the beans. Neither flavour overpowered the other and they paired wonderfully together. I enjoyed it so much that I'm trying to convince D to try it with chicken.

This dish is an absolute winner. It's healthy and filling and tasty and very easy. I'm so glad that I gave it a try.

Soy-Glazed Salmon Steaks
from MarthaStewart.com

1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Nonstick cooking spray
4 salmon steaks (170g each)

Heat up the grill, with the rack set 4 inches away from heat. I used a medium heat and I thought that the salmon was cooking a little too quickly, so I moved my rack down a rung, so it was about 6 inches from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey and ginger.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place salmon on the baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and bruch with soy mixture on both sides. Broil until browned on top and opaque throughout, 5 to 6 minutes.

Sesame Green Beans
from MarthaStewart.com

450g green beans, trimmed
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds

Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below the basket, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add green beans and sesame seeds and toss.