Korean-style grilled salmon with cucumber pickle
This dinner is quick and simple to make but packed with Asian flavours, from the spicy salmon to the ginger bok choi and cucumber pickle.
Ingredients
For the cucumber pickle
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp crushed fresh root ginger
- 1 green chilli, diced
- 1 cucumber, grated
- 2 tbsp cashew nuts, toasted and chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the salmon
- 50g/1¾oz doenjang paste (or miso)
- 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp sesame oil, plus extra for greasing
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
- ½ apple, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200g/7oz salmon
For the bok choi
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp palm sugar
- 2 bok choi, cut into quarters
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced, to serve
Method
To make the cucumber pickle, heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the garlic, ginger and chilli. Add the cucumber and cashew nuts and fry for 3–4 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil, soy, vinegar and coriander and taste. Set aside in a serving bowl.
To make the salmon, blitz all of the ingredients except the salmon and vegetable oil in a food processor or blender. Coat the salmon in the paste.
Heat the grill to hot. Grease a baking tray with the vegetable oil and place the salmon on the tray. Cook the salmon under the hot grill for 6–8 minutes until blistered.
Meanwhile, to make the bok choi, heat the oil and fry the garlic until crisp. Add the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and cook until reduced to a syrup. Spoon this over the bok choi in a serving bowl.
To make the blanched bok choi, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the bok choi and blanch for 2–3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water and drain.
Serve the salmon with the bok choi and cucumber pickle. Top with the sliced red chilli.