It was huge, it was heavy(6 lbs), it was very fresh, and cheap (but you have to buy what feels like a newborn-baby-size!).
My biggest cutting board couldn't accommodate it.
My close friend "Cathi" who is Swedish-Finn has been serving me gravlax (salt-cured raw fish) from the salmon in this store and I had a hankering for it so I bought one big fish to cut for 3 separate salmon dishes.
Head and tail go to the freezer for sinigang (tamarind soup) or paksiw (ginger-garlic vinegar stew) or perhaps substitute for Ting-aling's Spanish-style milkfish stew.
I cut out 3 salmon steaks (only 2 fit in my fish plate above) for sake teriyaki.
I've had a nibble of the gravlax (cured in dill, sugar, salt, juniper berries, and white peppercorns) and it is so sweetly fresh it's almost like sashimi. It'll be ready in a day or so.
The salmon teriyaki was very good too.
Salmon Sake Teriyaki from Japanese Cooking , Emi Kazuko:
Mix 3 tbsp. Kikkoman or Yamasa soy sauce, 3 tbsp. sake, 3 tbsp. mirin, and 1 tbsp. of sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently just to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool completely. Place the salmon steaks (or fillets) in a shallow glass dish and pour over the teriyaki sauce. Marinate 30 minutes.
Preheat the broiler or grill to medium. Take the salmon out of the sauce and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the sauce. Lightly oil a grilling pan/tray. Grill/broil the salmon for about 6 minutes, carefully turning once, until golden on both sides. Pour the sauce into the grilling pan. Add 2 tsps. sugar and heat unti dissolved. Remove from the heat. Brush the salmon with the sauce then grill until the surface of the fish bubbles. Turn over and repeat on the other side.
Plate the salmon and spoon over the rest of the sauce.
**For those in the Boston vicinity interested in the salmon, pls. email me for the name and address of the fish market. I don't want to give them a free ad. because the cashiers were very grouchy and mean.. :( the things I must endure to get a nice piece of fish!
