Japanese "Mother and Child" Salmon

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Jennifer Sutherland of South Africa, the Food Funny Nexus
of the Universe, for these culinary quips:

"To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist -- the problem
is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one
must put with one's vinegar."
- Oscar Wilde

"Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat."
- Jim Davis

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."
- Ernestine Ulmer

"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit
rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
- P. J. O'Rourke

"Pesto is the quiche of the '80s."
- Nora Ephron

"Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese -- toasted, mostly."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

"Never eat more than you can lift."
- Miss Piggy

"Isn't there any other part of the matzo you can eat?"
- Marilyn Monroe

"Only a fool argues with a skunk, a mule, or a cook."
- Cowboy saying

"There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect
to eat."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
- Benjamin Franklin

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I haven't published as many Japanese recipes over the years, primarily
because the Japanese style of eating doesn't fit very well with the
"Monday's Starter, Tuesday's Soup or Salad, etc." weekly format of
the ezine. That's an error I hope to partially correct with this
simple and elegant treatment for the common salmon.

Japanese "Mother and Child" Salmon (Ikura Donburi)

1/4 lb (125 g) salmon roe
2 Tbs (30 ml) soy sauce
2 Tbs (30 ml) sake* (Japanese rice wine)
1 Tbs (15 ml) mirin** (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
1-2 lbs (900-1800 g) salmon fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
1 sheet nori** (dried seaweed), crushed (optional)
Wasabi** (Japanese "horseradish")
Cooked white rice (optional)

* Available in any good liquor store
** Available in finer supermarkets and Asian specialty shops

Combine the salmon roe, soy sauce, sake, and mirin in a small bowl
and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place the salmon
fillets in a baking dish and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Cook
under a preheated broiler until browned on top and barely cooked
through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a platter and spoon
the roe mixture on top. Sprinkle with crushed nori if desired.
Alternately, flake the cooked salmon with a fork and place on a bed of
cooked white rice. Top with roe mixture and optional nori. Serve
with wasabi. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Mar 10 06:31:51 2005