Tag: main course
Salmon Bulgogi
Salmon Bulgogi
Usually, when you think of bulgogi, you think of beef. The marinade is also great on salmon and other types oily fish. I used a 1lb. fillet of farm raised salmon with the skin on. Leaving the skin on is crucial to hold the salmon together. Without it, the salmon is hard to handle and will fall apart. I then cut 3/4” thick slices off the fillet. Seems like too small of pieces? The purpose of this recipe is to cook the salmon fast; so it is recommended to cut the fillets less than an inch thick. It also allows the marinade to penetrate the fish all the way through. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes. I chose to bake the salmon. With the pieces being thin, it takes 5 minutes in a 425 degree oven. You can also broil or pan fry the salmon for 2 minutes a side. Finally, garnish the salmon with green onions and sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon fillets cut into 3/4” thick portions
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp garlic grated
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- black pepper to taste
Garnish
- sesame seeds
- green onions finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the salmon for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Line up the pieces of salmon on the baking pan.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
Smoked Country Style Ribs
Smoked Country Style Ribs
So, let’s get this out of the way before we even talk about the recipe. Country style ribs aren’t ribs. Even more so, there’s no such thing as a boneless rib. Rib means bone. Then what is a country style rib? There are 2 types: loin ribs and shoulder ribs. Country style loin ribs come from the rib end of a bone in pork loin. When I was the Mad Butcher, I would cut 2” thick chops. Then, on the bandsaw, I’d cut through the bone across the center of the loin, leaving two rectangular chunks of pork with bone on it. Shoulder country style ribs come from the pork shoulder. You pretty much cut big rectangular pieces out of the shoulder. Why these 2 cuts are called ribs, I can’t answer that. Regardless, country style ribs are delicious smoked.I brined the ribs for a day. Then the ribs sat on a rack in the refrigerator for another day to form a pellicle. I threw them in my smoker at 250 degrees. They smoked for just over 2 hours. Remember, since these aren’t really ribs, but reshaped rib end pork chops, they don’t need to smoke the same way as you would with spare and baby back ribs. As with anything you smoke, let the ribs rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 lbs bone in country style ribs
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 medium white onion chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Wood Chips
- 1/2 hickory
- 1/2 applewood
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients. Place the country style ribs in a gallon sized storage bag. Pour in the brine. Brine for 24 hours.
- Place the ribs on a rack and let dry out in the refrigerator for a day.
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Place the ribs in the smoker. Smoke for about 2 hours until the ribs internal temperature reads 150 degrees.
- Let the ribs rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage
Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage
Steamed chicken with Chinese sausage is a great example of Cantonese home cooking. You can use any cut of chicken, bone in or boneless; but I believe skinless chicken thighs work the best. The chicken thighs get marinated for several hours. Then the chicken is placed in a deep plate on a bed of mushrooms, topped with slices of dried Chinese sausage. The plate is put inside a bamboo steamer and steamed for 20 minutes. The chicken comes out unbelievably tender and flavorful. In the bottom of the plate is a sauce created from the chicken and sausage juices that should be ladled over steamed rice. You definitely don’t want to waste the juices.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- bamboo steamer
Ingredients
- 4 bone in skinless chicken thighs
- 8 dried shiitake or wood ear mushrooms soaked for 2 hours; sliced
- 2 dried Chinese sausage thinly sliced on a bias
Marinade
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the chicken thighs for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Make a bed out of the sliced mushrooms. In a deep plate, place the chicken thighs on top of the mushrooms. Lay slices of Chinese sausage on top of the chicken. Place the plate in a bamboo steamer.
- Steam the chicken for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
