What can I tell you about this salmon? First, I can say that it took me 3 weeks to write this -- I made it that long ago. Second, I can tell you that I spent most of this morning avoiding writing by dancing in my living room and reading emails and attempting to pickle some turnips that were about to go bad in my fridge. Third, I can say that salmon is a nostalgic food for me because I associate it with my Oma.
Oma means grandmother in Dutch (& Korean, too, coincidentally). My Oma and Opa (grandfather) immigrated to the United States in 1964, with four young children, and a fifth on the way. Their fifth child was my mother. They moved to Southern California, where a large Dutch immigrant community lives, to start their “American Dream.”
Being a lover of plants, my Opa started a business selling flower seeds after arriving in the States. (Fun fact: Vis Seed Company still exists today and is run by my Uncles.) My Oma raised 5 children, and taught them how to laugh in the face of struggle (she loves to laugh) and be resilient. My Aunts, Uncles and mother have a particular inner toughness that I really admire.
My Opa passed away before I was born, and my Oma has lived on her own ever since. She cooks her own meals and tends to her beautiful backyard garden in the afternoons. She is one of the strongest, most inspiring women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, much less being related to. She has 15 grandchildren and already 16 great grandchildren. Her heart is big.
My Oma likes to make salmon every week. She’ll make a large portion and then eat it over several days. Whenever I make salmon, I think of her.
This salmon, while it doesn’t beat Alison’s “best salmon ever” aka Slow Salmon with Citrus and Herbs, the final result was still flavorful, tender fish. Admittedly it is more fussy than the “best salmon ever” too, but not without cause.
The fish is cooked in the oven with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, which is not enough to cover it. Once again, the fish took longer than directed (10-12 minutes), but this time I was prepared for that to happen. While the salmon bakes, several scallions are charred in a cast iron skillet and then chopped. Mix them with a bowl of chopped raw scallions, orange and lemon juice, soy sauce, spices, and more olive oil. This sauce becomes the flavoring of the salmon that is then drizzled over the fish just before serving.
The scallions, while a nice touch, didn’t feel necessary to me, and added an additional pan for washing. I would have been just as satisfied with only the juices and soy sauce to add flavor. The marinade/sauce can be used for roasting veggies (broccoli!), or drizzled on rice, which I served with the salmon. I’ll definitely make this one again, but will likely skip the scallions.
39 recipes cooked, 186 to go.
