Salmon for Grandma

Shorey cooks this recipe, similar to a miso-glazed salmon, to please her grandma. Gloria likes her salmon really rare inside.

The marinated salmon steaks are placed in a cold nonstick pan and cooked, covered, on one side only. The steam in the covered pan cooks the salmon on top, so it doesn’t need to be turned over. It will be very moist, soft, and pink inside, with a crust only on the underside.

The timing here is for medium-rare steak; adjust the cooking time if your fish is thinner or thicker than about 1 inch. Often the belly part of the salmon is thinner at one end; in that case, I fold it underneath itself to make it thicker. Adding raw sliced mild onions at serving time is unusual, but Gloria loves Vidalia onions, and the crunchiness of the raw onions works well in this dish.

The marinade can be altered, with less or more of each ingredient, to suit your taste, and the salmon can be marinated and refrigerated a couple of hours ahead of serving.

Serves 4

• Marinade
• 1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 4 skinless, boneless salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each and 1 inch thick)
• ½ cup very small diced mild onion, such as Vidalia or Maui

For the marinade: Mix all the ingredients together. Put the salmon in a dish and pour the marinade over the fish, spreading it to coat the fish well. Cover and refrigerate. (This can be done a few hours ahead or just before cooking.)

At serving time, arrange the steaks in a single layer in a cold nonstick skillet about 10 inches in diameter. Cover, place over high heat, and cook/steam for about 5 minutes, until the steaks are cooked but still pink inside and the undersides are well browned and crusty. (Adjust the cooking to your own taste, if desired.) Place the steaks on a warm serving plate, sprinkle with the onions, and serve immediately.

To see how it’s done, go to www.surlatable.com/jacquespepin.