Javanese Roasted Salmon and Wilted Spinach

yooper's Note:

This salmon dish is amazing! I was invited for dinner the other night and this was the main course. The red pepper flakes give off plenty of heat, but it's nicely balanced by the brown sugar and other ingredients. The sauce is heavenly!I asked for the recipe, and my host said she got it out of the latest issue of "Bon Apetit" which I had sitting on my coffee table! This comes from the "Saucebox" restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• ½ cup unsalted butter , plus
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
• 1 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• ½ cup packed golden brown sugar
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch , dissolved in
• 2 teaspoons water
• 8 (7 ounce) salmon fillets
• 2 (6 ounce) bags baby spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add crushed red pepper and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add sugar, whisk until mixture is melted and smooth and begins to bubble, about 4 minutes.
5. Whisk in lime juice and soy sauce.
6. Increase heat and boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 2 minutes.
7. Add cornstarch mixture and boil until thick, about 3 minutes.
8. Set sauce aside.
9. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over high heat.
10. Working in batches, cook salmon until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
11. Transfer to baking sheet.
12. Spoon 1 tablespoon sauce over each fillet.
13. Roast until fish is opaque in center, about 5 minutes.
14. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat.
15. Add spinach and toss until wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes.
16. Season with salt and pepper.
17. Using tongs, divide spinach among 8 plates.
18. Top each with salmon fillet, drizzle with remaining sauce and serve.

Reviews

[Sackville]

If you can have love at first bite than this has to be it for salmon fans! Our family loves salmon and this was a unique way to serve it. A little tangy, a little spicy, a little sweet. We ate it with mashed potatoes and a generous grinding of black pepper.

[StrikingEyes00]

We really loved this dish and I will definitely be making this again and again. I didn't give it five stars because I had a couple of things that I will change next time. It was very salty and it was because I didn't have my low sodium soy sauce on hand. Next time, I will be sure to use low sodium to cut back on the saltiness. Also, I won't cook the spinach in so much butter. In fact, I think I'll use a tsp of olive oil with a small garlic clove sauteed in it and then add the spinach to wilt. All in all, though, this recipe is superb and was absolutely yummy!!! Thanks for sharing!!

[misfit]

Thank you very much for sharing this recipe! I cut it in half, to make four servings, and all four of us thought it was incredible. I think we could have finished four more servings! I did prepare the original amount of spinach listed, because 1.5 oz per person just didn't seem like enough. Rounding out my meal was some wild rice and french bread. All said, I do believe this is the best recipe I have taken off 'zaar yet!