CREAMY RICE, HERBY SAUCE MAKE SALMON SHINE
Whether steamed or pan fried, fish dish is flavor sensation
People who love to cook inevitably talk about food — a lot. If we make something delicious, we have to tell someone about it, to bring them a taste or at least share the recipe.
So, it wasn’t surprising that my colleague Olga Massov shared a recipe with me that she frequently served to her family: Coconut Rice With Salmon and Cilantro Sauce from “The Kitchen Shelf ” by Rosie Reynolds and Eve O’Sullivan (Phaidon, 2016).
Olga lent me the cookbook, and as I read through the recipe, I thought this little number checks all the boxes. Yes, it has three parts: the rice, the fish and the sauce, but each of those parts is easily executed.
The cookbook’s full title includes this phrase: “Take a few pantry essentials, add two ingredients and make everyday eating extraordinary.” The idea is that you use common pantry ingredients with just a couple of fresh additions — in this case cilantro and fish — and you can put a scrumptious meal on the table.
The cookbook authors offer time-saving tips. For example, in this recipe, they suggest two ways to cook the salmon. The faster and easier way is to steam the fillets atop the rice as it cooks. If, however, you prefer a crispy salmon skin, you can allow the rice to cook on its own and pan-fry your salmon.
For me, however, the salmon is the least interesting thing here.
The rice cooked with softened onion, garlic and a pinch of sugar in full-fat coconut milk is creamy and divine on its own. The cilantro sauce — a whole bunch of the herb leaves whirred in a food processor with a syrup made of water, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes — goes over the rice, but I could just eat that up with a spoon.
When I realized that I have now made this dish several times and have made the rice and cilantro sauce to go with other kinds of fish, broiled shrimp and pan-fried skirt steak, I knew it was time to share it with you, too.