Maple-Soy Salmon Bowls

Our upstairs neighbors’ bedroom is right above our kitchen, and whenever we cook salmon — just salmon, for some reason — they can strongly smell it. “The scent is delicious,” they once texted. “But it’s hard to fall asleep to.” Fair enough! To be good neighbors, we haven’t cooked salmon at home for the past eight years, but whenever we’re staying with my mom or my aunt, I pitch it as a possible dinner ingredient, fingers tightly crossed. Luckily for me, right before our summer trip, our beloved Jenny Rosenstrach from Dinner: A Love Story is sharing a flavor-packed non-recipe recipe for grilled maple-soy salmon bowls. Here are her simple steps…

Grilled Maple-Soy Salmon Bowls With Cukes, Green Beans, and Pickled Onions

In a small bowl, mix together maple syrup and soy sauce using a 1:1 ratio. (We used 2 tablespoons of each to glaze a one-pound salmon filet, which served two.) Grill salmon filets over medium-hot coals, flipping halfway, for about 10 minutes total, or until flesh feels slightly firm but not hard. As you cook, brush the surface with the maple-soy mixture. (If you’d rather skip the grill, bake salmon at 400 for 15 minutes, and brush with glaze halfway through; broil for the last minute to get good color, along with another brush of glaze.) Serve salmon with rice that’s been drizzled with rice wine vinegar, and top with sliced fresh cucumbers; cooked, trimmed green beans; and pickled red onions. As you can see from the photo, we didn’t have any fresh herbs on hand (it looks so naked!), but I’d suggest adding chopped chives or cilantro.

Quick-pickled red onions: In a medium heavy saucepan, bring 2 cups water, 1/4 cup vinegar (any kind, I usually use red wine), 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add 1 medium red onion (sliced thin), reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until they have wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to room temp. Do not rinse or drain. You can use immediately. Store leftovers in their pickling liquid.

Thank you, Jenny! How delicious does that sound? What have you been cooking lately?

P.S. More Jenny summer favorites: crispy fish sandwiches, lazy man’s ratatouille, shrimp rolls, corn and tomato with sausages, chilled gazpacho, dumpling salad, and the easiest fruit galettes.

(Photo by Jenny Rosenstrach.)