Sometimes dishes are too good to let them languish in the twisted labyrinth of one’s archives. This is such a recipe. But with a small change that makes a big difference: fresh turmeric.
However, in the 15 years or so of making this recipe I never thought to use fresh turmeric. I don’t know why either. I love changing things up, but I guess because it is such a fixture on our family menu I just got into a rut. And how glad am I to have had that little lightbulb moment last week. The taste difference between fresh and dried is really quite something. Both are great but here I can really taste the freshness – the innate citrus and mild pepper and ginger notes stand out. Dried has a much earthier, nicely astringent flavour.
I can’t speak for Andrew and Rachel, but this has always been by far my favourite salmon recipe. I love the sour, salty, tangy and spicy richness of it all. And I love how easy it is to prepare. It is a no-brainer of a mid-week meal.
Or rather Thursday meal as that is when our fresh fish van visits {try saying that three times quickly!}. The white van from Pittenweem sounds its horn at about 8.30 am, and attracts all the neighbours from our end of cul de sac. Sometimes we are fully dressed, and sometimes we are not {for ‘we are’ read, ‘I am’}. Standing in the queue is always a chance for a good catch-up that lasts long after the van leaves.
Our fishmonger Graham boosts a really fantastic selection of plump fresh fish, as well as homemade jams and his homegrown vegetables and eggs. But I rarely deviate from getting pearly pink Scottish salmon. I may be in a rut but it is a beautifully flavoured rut.
Do you have a fish van? Or any other visiting food purveyors? Our street also gets a ‘bacon boy’ of all things. Neighbours swear by it.
PS These ‘snappy snap’ {i.e. not styled} images are from three different family dinners, and using both my Nikon and Sony Xperia phone. The dark, really rather blurry ones are recent and show how, despite the fine weather, the nights are drawing in. The one below was taken last Thursday at 7 pm. Practically dark outside!
Lime and Fresh Turmeric Salmon on the Griddle with Baked Lime Rice
Salmon itself is a superb food, but marry it with lime AND turmeric and you have a delicious, super-nutritious meal. Quick too. Unlike marinating meat, tofu or chicken, marinating fish is nearly always speedy – leave it too long and citrus or other acidic ingredients will actually cook the fish. So, here you get the soak-it-up yum factor of marinating without the wait– or the planning ahead. That last point is the seller for me – besides the taste, of course. Another plus point is that this recipe is easily doubled, tripled etc. And I know vegetarians and vegans will not necessarily be reading this fish post, but the marinade works well with tofu too.
A word about the lime leaf: I think it really makes this dish, but if they are hard to get use zest of ½ a lime for both the fish and the rice. I buy whole lime leaves from an Asian supermarket and whiz them up in my coffee grinder {I don’t think I have ever ground coffee in it} and store the green shreds in a small jar in the freezer. I use these finely whizzed leaves in rice {as below}, stir-fries, and Asian- style soups.
2-3 salmon fillets {about 180g each}
1 ‘finger’ of fresh turmeric, finely grated OR ½ tsp ground turmeric
“Thumb-end” of fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp palm sugar {jaggery} or dark brown sugar – optional
1 tsp each of Sichuan peppers and black peppercorns {or just the black peppercorns if you can’t get the tingly Sichans}, toast in a hot pan for 30 seconds then bash in a pestle and mortar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice {about ½ a large lime}
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (I tend to use a bird’s eye chilli – fiery-hot)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce or tamari sauce {or all soy/tamari sauce instead of fish sauce} – I like Clearspring Organic
1-2 shallots or 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
½ tsp chopped lime leaf OR 1 tsp lime zest
Oil for griddling
5-6 spring onions/scallions, trimmed and sliced in half lengthways
150g basmati rice
1 tsp virgin coconut oil
300ml water
½ tsp chopped lime leaf OR 1 tsp lime zest
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
2. Mix the marinating ingredients together in a dish that will fit the fish snugly. Add in the fish and turn a few times to coat. Cover the dish with clingfilm and let the flavours meld for 20 minutes. If you want to do this on the barbeque, depending on what type you are using, get that going in advance. For a hob-top griddle pan, heat this a few minutes before the marinating time is up. You want it good and hot to reduce the chance of sticking.
3. While the fish is marinating, add 1 tsp of oil to a hob-to-oven pot and heat on low-medium: a cast-iron Le Creuset-type lidded pot is perfect. Pour in the rice and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will smell nutty and delicious. Add in the water, some salt and the lime leaves, pop on the lid and allow the rice to come to the boil. If you don’t have such a pot, do it in a normal saucepan and scrape the rice into a lidded casserole dish and pour over the hot stock. Place the dish/pot in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. You will get very fluffy rice with no nasty overspill. I always cook rice in the oven. A trick my mom taught me. But do rice on the hob as per your normal way if you like, adding the lime leaves.
4. Brush off the marinade into a small pan for using in a few minutes. Slap the fillets on the griddle pan or the oiled surface of your barbecue. Pop on the spring onions too {do these in a pan if you are barbecuing}. Toss them around to get even softening and colour. Cooking times for the salmon are a bit tricky to give as fillets vary in thickness, but my fish pieces were about 3 cm thick and I cooked them for three minutes on each side. This gave me cooked through fish, but with a soft, pinker interior. Test for your own doneness though.
5. Plate up the fish and spring onion, and serve with the lime baked rice and maybe something like steamed broccoli or a sauteed Asian greens mixture. If you like, boil up the marinade mixture and pour it over the griddled fish.
Nutrition Bit: oh gosh, everything is good here but I will hone in on turmeric, the spice that everyone should be trying to eat more of. Why? Well, looking at the wide-ranging literature (both clinical and not), turmeric seems to be anti just about anything bad: viruses, disease-causing bacteria, carcinogens. The Indian sub-continent has known this for thousands of years but the West has finally cottoned on. Turmeric is also widely used to support digestive health and treat gastrointestinal complaints, such as IBS and colitis. This highly-pigmented root – that we typically use ground – tastes like a very peppery ginger {to which it is related}. It is also what makes curries yellow.
Many integrative cancer centers in the US and in Europe recommend turmeric use for those with certain types of cancers, most notably colorectal. A small 2008 study of pancreatic cancer patients showed turmeric slowed tumour growth. Other studies also point towards effectiveness for a wide range of conditions. A recent small study of kidney transplant patients showed fewer rejections with the use of curcumin in combination with another antioxidant, quercetin, compared to placebo. And it isn’t just the curcumin in turmeric that is getting attention, the compound ar-tumerone has been shown to stimulate neural stem cell regeneration in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Other than prevention itself regeneration is the main aim in this field of research.
Turmeric is also widely used in many countries to treat rheumatoid arthritis, with recent science finally ‘validating’ its impressive anti-inflammatory action. Here is a fantastic overview of the recent research, as is this one from Drugs.com. For a more detailed, clinical read click on this academic overview.
Turmeric is not a miracle spice by any stretch of the imagination, especially because absorption is limited, but there are few potential side effects. If you have health issues, discuss turmeric with your doctor before embarking on using it beyond the culinary. Note: to aid absorption always pair turmeric with fresh black pepper or pepper extract {piperine} and a little healthy fat {e.g. oily fish!}.
UPDATE On Wild Salmon: I have immaculate timing. Not. The Marine Conservation Society {MSC} has just yesterday {the day I posted}updated their fish to avoid and fish to buy lists. And guess what? Wild-caught Atlantic salmon is on the Don’t Buy list. I haven’t tried this recipe with any other fish but will try it with wild haddock or cod from the North Sea and Iceland, respectively. As with all animal foods – no matter how healthy, there are issues of not only ethics but also environment. Choose wisely. Eat wisely. Here’s the full list and explanations.
Other Healthy Fish Dishes:
Simple Miso Cod with Sesame Pak Choi – Kavey Eats
Salmon and Red Chard Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese – MotherRimmy.com
Easy Beetroot Bake with White Fish – The Botanical Baker
Skrei {Norwegian Cod} Pho – Fuss Free Flavours
Monkfish & Prawn Brochettes with Saffron Cumin Rice – Franglais Kitchen
Baked Veracruz Fish – Food To Glow {also uses lime leaves!}
Fish Tacos with Three Toppings – Food To Glow
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl – Food To Glow
