Soy-Glazed Salmon Hand Rolls

Amarante

Wed, May 24 2023, 1:49 pm

This is a versatile recipe - you can do a bowl instead of a hand roll. You can stretch the salmon and serve one as an appetizer

Soy-Glazed Salmon Hand Rolls

Yield: 4 servings

A perfect roll is assembled with the flaked salmon and some creamy avocado and crisp cucumbers for bites that are rich, fresh and crunchy all at once. Including cooked short-grain rice in the filling is traditional, but these rolls would be a great place to use other leftover grains like farro or quinoa.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
½ teaspoon minced garlic
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup mirin
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon peeled grated ginger
1 (1½-pound) skinless salmon fillet (preferably center-cut)
Toasted seaweed sheets, quartered - toasted - see below
Cooked short-grain rice and wasabi paste (optional), for serving
3 Persian cucumbers, halved crosswise and cut lengthwise into thin spears - dicing might be easier to prep
1 to 2 avocados, pitted and thinly sliced

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, black pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by about a third and has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in ginger and remove from heat. You should have about ½ cup sauce; reserve half of the sauce in a small bowl for serving and set aside.

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place salmon on the prepared sheet, rub with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Coat the salmon on both sides with the other half of the sauce.

Roast salmon for 5 minutes, then baste with the sauce that’s dripped onto the sheet tray. Continue to roast until salmon is just cooked to medium, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer salmon to a large plate.

Flake salmon into bite-size pieces and drizzle with the reserved sauce. To build hand rolls, top seaweed with some rice (if using), cucumbers, avocado and salmon. Wrap and enjoy. Serve with optional wasabi on the side, and dab a little onto the salmon for a spicy hit.

Even pre-toasted nori benefits from toasting right before you use it, especially if your package has been open for a while. I usually toast sheets by turning on a stove burner (gas or electric), hold the sheet by the corners and pass it quickly over the burner. You should be able to smell it toast, and see the color change. Be careful - the sheets become extremely flammable as they dry and toast (even worse than toasting marshmallows…). And, bare hands, hot burner - pay attention!!