This is such a quick and easy dish that it would be easy to relegate it to a midweek supper purely on the basis of convenience. But give it a chance to shine for a special occasion and it won’t let you down.
The mirin, a type of rice wine with a high sugar content, gives the fish a beautiful sweetness and flavour, much more subtle than soy sauce on its own.
A great standby for a late supper, it takes a few minutes to throw together and can be served with the minimum of fuss if time is of the essence. A simple green salad with a few toasted sesame seeds works really well or a small dish of stir fry noodles or rice if you have more time (you are allowed to cheat with a microwaved one, I won’t tell anybody!).
Look out for salmon that’s lovely and dark pink, too many thick layers of white fat make it greasy to eat and even I find it a bit sickly, especially when served with something like a rich hollandaise sauce.
Preheat the grill and lightly oil the grill pan to stop the salmon sticking, don’t be tempted to turn it over, it will be cooked, and perfectly too.
I find it easy when marinading any fish or meat to use a large plastic fridge/freezer bag. They are normally quite strong and make it so much easier to distribute the marinade. Put the marinade and the fish in the bag, shake gently then just give it a turn every now and then.
- 2 Salmon fillets
- 2 Tablespoons Mirin
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together, add the salmon and leave for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the grill.
- Lightly oil the grill.
- Place the salmon skin side down on the grill and cook for 7 minutes, without turning.
- Whilst cooking, transfer the remaining marinade to a small pan.
- Bring up to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until syrupy.
- Serve this with the salmon.
