Sesame Night: Sesame-Crusted Salmon with Green Beans

If tonight were a super-amateur, no-time-limit episode of Chopped, the subtitle would be "Open Sesame"...  and that pretty much gives away what the not-so-secret ingredient was.  I gave myself a pass through the appetizer round, and never made it to dessert - does that mean I chopped myself?!  In any case, here's tonight's main course:

Sesame-Crusted Salmon (via ATK)

2 salmon fillets - skinless (didn't notice until now :/ )
1/4 c sesame seeds (or more...)
2 scallions
1/2 lemon, zest & juice
2 tsp tahini
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
cayenne pepper
oil, salt & pepper

Make a brine: 1 quart of water, 2 tbsp salt.  Soak your sesame seeds in just enough brine, salmon in the rest.  After 5 minutes, drain and toast your sesame seeds in a skillet until golden brown.

Mince the scallion whites, combine with lemon zest, and mix in with the lemon juice, tahini, ginger, and a sprinkle of cayenne and salt.  Coat the bottom of your salmon in the paste, then coat in seeds, then do the same with the other side.  Heat some oil in your (wiped) skillet and cook your salmon skinned side up until seeds start to brown, then turn off heat, flip salmon, and pop in the oven at 325 for 10-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with scallion greens before eating.

Sesame Green Beans (via Reddit)

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon?)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
oil

Toss your green beans with some (neutral?) oil and roast at 450 for 10-15 minutes - should see some carmelization.  Mix the sauces, then toss in the beans.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Pesto Salmon Foil Bake

Fresh seafood may not be as accessible here in the heart of the US of A, but there are still some ways to get your fix.  With a few salmon fillets thawing in the fridge and the end of a package of pesto, the internet turned up this intriguing concept, from Jamie Oliver via here...

Recipe

2 salmon fillets
two handfuls green beans
grape tomatoes
pesto
a lemon
olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 400.  Boil your green beans about 3 minutes, then drain and toss with some olive oil and salt & pepper.  Make nice little piles on two sheets of tin foil.  Salmon goes on top, spread on your pesto, and squeeze some lemon juice over.  Slice some grape tomatoes in half, toss with more olive oil, and they go on top.  Wrap up your foil and bake 20-25 minutes.

Notes

I'm not entirely sold on the difference the tin foil makes.  Other recipes basically just said put pesto on salmon and bake.  With the foil, it's hard to tell how done your salmon is, and then you have to unwrap everything while it's still hot and you're hungry...  But everything came out very tasty, with the flavors melding nicely.  So kind of fun, worth doing again!

Crockpot Chicken Curry

Paleo, DIY crockpot curry:

Recipe

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
6 c of chopped veggies, e.g., onion, carrot, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, red bell pepper
14 oz coconut milk
1 c crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Chop your chicken and veggies and put them in your crockpot.  Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and spices.  Stir, cover, and cook low for 5-6 hours.  You can uncover for the last hour to help it thicken.

Notes

My spice selection wasn't quite up for the job this time: no coriander, and ran out of cinnamon.  So the end product lacked that distinct curry flavor.  You couldn't tell by the scent, though - the coconut is especially mouth-watering.  And ultimately, the taste was fine.  The chicken is super tender :)  I could do with a little more spice, and I guess coriander.  With the abundant vegetable options, this one's definitely worth keeping in mind.

The original recipe calls it "yellow curry"; mine was clearly a rich orange though:

Beef Stir Fry with Green Beans & Shiitake

Tons of recipes to work through in the Cooks Illustrated Science of Good Cooking cookbook (cook cook cook)...

Recipe

Sauce
1/2 c vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Stir Fry
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
12 oz flank steak, sliced (with grain then across)
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped (optional but why not)
12 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
1/4 c water
3 scallions, cut into 1 1/2" pieces, white(-ish) pieces quartered lengthwise

Rice - cooked separately

Combine the (stir fry portion) soy sauce and honey and marinate the meat for 10 minutes to an hour.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together.  Separately, combine 1 tsp oil, the garlic, and the ginger.

Drain the beef.  Heat a tsp of oil in a large skillet - get it real hot - then brown the meat, in two batches if needed.  That means let it sit for a minute NO TOUCHING, then stir occasionally for another couple minutes.  Rinse skillet when you're done.

Add a tbsp oil, then cook the mushrooms (a couple minutes, till starting to brown (and onion too if you want)).  Add the green beans and cook 3-4 minutes, then add the water and steam for 2-3 minutes (covered, if possible).  Uncover, clear some space in the center of the skillet, and add the garlic-ginger mixture, mash it into the skillet a little for about a minute, then stir it all up.  Stir in the beef (and any juices), scallions, and sauce.  After another minute or so you're ready to go.

Serve over rice.

Notes

Part of the appeal of the stir-fry concept is that you cook everything in one wok, which in theory reduces cleanup.  Well, somehow I ended up with a teetering stack of dishes to clean after this one.  The recipe calls for a lot of ingredients that you really have to prep in advance, then reserve to be added in phases.  So if you're looking for a quick, simple Asian-inspired meal, go with something simpler.  But this one is pretty good (even left over) for when you're ready to go the extra mile.

I guess the other appeal is that you get your veggies and protein all at once.  This one at least looks pretty healthy!

Lastly, the cookbook used a couple beef stir fries to illustrate the Maillard reaction - browning beef pretty good to maximize flavor.  I don't think I nailed it this time, but it didn't ruin dinner and I'll go hotter next time...

Lemon Rosemary Salmon

Salmon is one of those pieces of meat that's worth trying a few different ways to figure out what works best for you (and your pescatarian friends).  This recipe is a pretty simple way to do it, relying on just a few hard-working seasonings - butter, lemon, salt, rosemary (I just use both separately, no making special salt in advance for me).

The Recipe

about 1 lb salmon fillets
1 lemon
rosemary, salt, butter

Place pats of butter on a baking dish with the salmon on top.  Sprinkle with salt and rosemary, put more pats of butter and slices of lemon on top.  Broil for 15 minutes* or until done.

Notes

* I just don't get the recipe's broiling instructions.  A low broil took *way* more than 10-15 minutes (unless you're going for lemon rosemary sushi).  Maybe they meant high?  In any case, something to be aware of if you try it out.

Here's a nice piece of salmon with maple-mustard beans, a very tangy/acidic preparation...