Spicy Grilled Salmon with Garlic & Ginger Green Beans & Quinoa

In an attempt to live “healthier” I’m trying to add more fish into our family meals. I’m not a fish lover. When we go out to eat, typically I will order a nice, bloody, Rib-eye steak with potatoes and a veggie. (Enter a day-dreamy look and a big sigh here…) I was raised in a comfort food, meat and potatoes kind of family. My husband on the other hand, loves fish. He’ll even order it when we go out to eat. Every time he does that I just can’t really wrap my mind around it. A piece of white fish, tuna, or salmon, with a sprig of parsley and maybe some sautéed vegetables is not a “real” meal in my mind. Our son, who gets excited when I make soups, stews, roasts, and who will eat half a loaf of artisan bread on the way home from the grocery store, is constantly trying to convince me that he’s allergic to salmon and the only fish he’s not allergic to is breaded. Luckily, I’ve found a good middle ground that will satisfy the fish lovers in your life as well as the people who are not so excited when they see fish hit the dinner table. Tonight I’m making an Asian inspired fish dinner. This isn’t your typical fish dish. It’s filled with bold, intense flavors that will liven up your palette and satisfy the need for that “something more” that some of us look for when we eat fish.

 

 

Spicy Salmon Marinade & Sauce

1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce

1/4 cup gluten-free San-J teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 Tbsp. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (it’s gluten-free)

1 Tbsp. Sun Luck sweet chili sauce (it’s gluten-free)

2 Tbsp. gluten-free BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

2 tsp. honey

4 green onions, diced

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp. grated, fresh ginger

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 tsp. grated clementine rind

Measure all liquid ingredients.  Chop and grate the next five ingredients and place in a medium size glass bowl with liquids. Stir. Place Salmon steaks (you can use any cut of salmon for this recipe, I did steaks because I had a whole salmon and it was the easiest way to cut it) in a plastic zipper bag. Pour marinade over salmon (reserving 3/4 cup), seal and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, turning a couple of times. Place the reserved 3/4 cup marinade on stove and reduce slightly, keeping warm until your salmon comes off the grill. If you taste the marinade while it’s on the stove it will taste very spicy and strong.  Once it reduces and you place it on your salmon and Quinoa, it balances perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the salmon is marinating get your fresh green beans ready. The Quinoa will take about 15 minutes to cook (I buy the Ancient Harvest Organic quinoa), so you will also want to have your water on the stove and the Quinoa close by to start at the same time you start the green beans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garlic & Ginger Green Beans

4 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp. grated, fresh ginger

about 3 Tbsp. olive oil (if you’re not using a non-stick pan, you’ll need to add a little more during the cooking process)

sea salt to taste, I added about a teaspoon

Begin sauteing the above ingredients in a large skillet on medium heat about 5 minutes before you’re ready to put your fish on the grill. Cook to al dente. I didn’t use a non-stick skillet because I like the garlic and ginger to caramelize a little in the bottom of the pan. When the green beans were at the al dente stage, I deglazed my pan with a couple of splashes of chicken broth.

Quinoa

There’s a lot of flavor in the salmon with the sauce and the garlic ginger green beans. You don’t need to do much to the Quinoa, the salmon sauce will add delicious flavor.

Cook Quinoa according to package directions, except replace water with chicken broth.

Once your green beans and Quinoa are going, place your salmon on a hot grill. I like to heat mine up on high to about 450 degrees and then turn it down to medium when I place the salmon on it. My salmon steaks were a good 3 1/2 to 4 inches thick and only took 10 minutes. Start with 4 minutes or so per side, check them and then add a couple of minutes if necessary. Salmon should be moist and pull apart easily, just barely over the lip of under-done.