Eli's Asian Salmon

Courtesy of Ina Garten / Food Network

I feel like most of my postings start off with "I was watching the Food Network and knew I had to make this...". Well, that is exactly what happened, so I apologize if there's a trend. I love salmon and it's an added bonus that it's healthy :) I served this with some sauteed spinach, but you can serve it with whatever you desire. I will say  one thing about this recipe...while it was delicious, I did feel that the panko was a bit soggy, so be careful not to overdo it with the panko (I think that was my problem). Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet (1 1/2 inches thick)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste (I used sriracha)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions (2 scallions)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (8 large cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

Line an 8 by 12-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the salmon in the pan. In a mixing cup, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Pour 1/3 of soy sauce mixture over the salmon fillet. Sprinkle the panko evenly over the fillet. Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture evenly over the panko. Be sure to soak the panko completely and if any runs off, spoon back onto the salmon. Set aside for 15 minutes, leaving all the sauce in the pan. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roast the salmon for 18 to 20 minutes, or for about 12 minutes per inch at the thickest part of the salmon. The internal temperature will be 120 degrees F on a meat thermometer when it's done. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.*NOTE: I would be careful with the cooking time - be sure to check it since mine actually took less time.

Asian Marinated Pork Chops

Courtesy of Melissa D'Arabian - Food Network

I saw this on the Food Network this week and it looked delicious. I really enjoy making pork chops since they are so lean, and the marinade for this just looked full of flavor. I also had all of the ingredients - score! I will say that I marinated my chops much longer (16 hours). This was due to the fact that it was gorgeous out yesterday and I just had to get out and about, which interfered with my cooking :) I ended up making these for lunch today instead, and they were still delicious! You need to watch out for the acidic marinades "cooking" really thin pork chops or making them tough, but mine ended up just fine! I think this would also be good on chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• Eight 4-ounce thin pork chops, bone-in is great, but I used boneless
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
• 2 green onions, sliced for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place 1/4 cup vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, ginger, sriracha, sesame oil, garlic and orange juice and zest in a food processo,r and process for 15 seconds. Put the pork chops in a heavy-duty resalable plastic bag. Add half of the marinade and reserve the other half until serving. Squeeze out the air, seal and move the chops around in the bag to coat evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, and up to 8 hours.

Remove the chops from the bag. Place the reserved marinade in a small saucepot. Bring to a boil to reduce and thicken the sauce a bit, about 2 minutes. Heat large stainless saute pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Brown the chops in the hot pan, cooking 2-4 minutes per side (depending on thickness). Cook until done (155 degrees F internal temperature). Serve with a spoonful of the glaze, with cilantro and sliced green onions sprinkled on top.*NOTE: You can also brown the chops and then bake off until done in a 375 degree oven.

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2011

I have been wanting to make these for a while now. It was definitely worth the wait! This recipe was absolutely delicious and I had to force myself to stop eating another piece of chicken. For your own sake, you should try this :) NOTE: I used half the amount of chicken and made some other adjustments in the measurements/process. When I made this according to the recipe, I ran out of sauce quickly. I ended up making another batch for the additional basting, so this recipe doubles all of the sauce ingredients, except for the garlic because there was still some left in the saucepan. I think two batches would work best so that the sauce is freshly boiled when basting at a later time. I also used a brush for the marinade instead of basting.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce (more if desired)
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Cooking spray
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions
Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and garlic together in a large zip lock bag. Add the chicken thighs and place into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with tin foil then place the roasting rack in the pan. Coat the roasting rack with cooking spray. Pour the first batch of marinade into a small sauce pan over medium high heat and boil for 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat; set aside. Place the chicken thighs on the roasting rack; brush the chicken with the marinade. Season lightly with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place into the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the remaining batch of sauce and boil for 2 minutes, stirring often. Flip the chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper, and brush with sauce. Bake an additional 10 minutes, flip the chicken thighs one more time and brush with sauce. Bake for the last 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. If desired, brush again. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the sauce from the bottom of the roasting pan, if desired. Top with chives. Enjoy! (I just served with Roasted Vegetables)