Jacques Pépin's Glazed Salmon in Mirin, Served with a Salad of Mixed Greens with Sesame Dressing {One Photo Friday}

The humid and hot weather of the past week has not improved my lack of interest in cooking. So, low-effort recipes that get me out of the kitchen quickly put still taste great are my preference. Jacques Pépin's Glazed Salmon in Mirin is a great example. It marinates for a bit but only cooks for 2-3 minutes and it's ready to serve. I have paired it with another Pépin recipe--Salad of Mixed Greens with Sesame Dressing for an easy and healthy weeknight dinner.

Jacques says, "The marinade gives the salmon a sweet, nutty flavor and a beautiful color, while the lemon dressing provides a good contrast to the sweetness of the fish. Although I suggest marinating the salmon for at least an hour and as long as overnight, you can just coat the steaks with the marinade and cook them right away, if you are pressed for time."

Glazed Salmon in Mirin
Adapted from Fast Food My Way by Jacques Pépin
(Serves 4) 

For the marinade:
1 1/2 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp soy sauce  (I used low sodium)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
4 salmon steaks (about 4-5 oz 1 1/2-inches thick each)

For the dressing:
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp Tabasco
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For the marinade and fish: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a plastic zipper-lock bag. Put the salmon steaks into the bag, seal it, and marinate the steaks in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

For the dressing: When ready to cook the salmon, whisk all the ingredients (except seeds) together in a small bowl until combined, then set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet until hot. Remove the salmon steaks from the marinade and arrange them in the hot skillet with the marinade on top. Cover and cook over medium to high heat for about two minutes, or until the bottoms of the steaks are nicely browned and the tops are cooked through from the steam created in the covered pan. The steaks should be slightly rare in the center.

Serve the salmon steaks with the lemon dressing drizzled over and around them and sesame seeds sprinkled on top. 

Make ahead: For this fast, easy recipe, the salmon can be marinated in the refrigerator overnight.
 
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Food & Wine says, "Jacques Pépin's friend Jacky Ruette, the former chef-owner of La Petite Marmite and Prunelle restaurants in New York City; developed this recipe with ingredients that just happened to be around."

Salad of Mixed Greens with Sesame Dressing
Adapted From Food & Wine.com, Contributed by Jacques Pépin
(Serves 8)

1 Tbsp green peppercorn mustard or Dijon mustard (I used a grainy Dijon)
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 tsp honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil / toasted sesame seed oil
12 cups mixed salad greens (I used baby greens, Japanese cucumbers & radish sprouts)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a large salad bowl, mix the mustard with the vinegars, honey and salt and pepper. Whisk in the oils. Add the greens and toss well. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and serve.

Notes/Results: A great easy recipe to have in your back pocket for when you have salmon in the freezer and don't want to hassle with anything elaborate for dinner. The salmon was very tender, with a nice sweet and savory flavor. I liked the lemon dressing on top and probably could have just used that for the green below, but the Sesame dressing for the mixed greens salad was really good, and it paired well with the flavors in the salmon. I used some organic mixed baby lettuces and added in very thinly sliced cucumbers and some radish sprouts for their slightly peppery bite. You could add some brown rice to this, but I was perfectly satisfied with the salmon-topped salad. I would make both the salmon and the salad recipes again.  

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs we are headed Out of France--Jacques Pépin recipes with non-French origins. You can see what dishes everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post.

{One Photo Friday: Since I normally drag out my big camera and gear, take a bunch of photos of my recipes, and then spend time obsessing over them--I decided that for Fridays, I'll simplify by posting a recipe or something interesting and then just take (usually) one photo of it (or sometimes two) ;-) with my iPhone--no muss/no fuss.}