The sweet and savory taste of teriyaki inspires these bowls — no flame required
My first experience with teriyaki was in a shopping mall food court: A small piece of chicken with a sticky, dark glaze was offered to me on a toothpick. The thing that sold it was the deeply savory, slightly sweet smell emanating from behind the restaurant’s counter. It reminded me of caramelized onions and garlic and another thing that as a kid, I couldn’t put my finger on. Now, I know it’s teriyaki’s signature marinade, which involves soy sauce, sake or mirin, and sugar.
Today’s recipe is a riff on teriyaki, which is a centuries-old technique literally meaning “shine” or “luster” (tare) and “grill” or “broil” (yaki). Cooked over or under a live flame, protein or vegetables are basted with a marinade that turns into a glaze and coats the food. In this variation, adapted from Ali Slagle’s cookbook, “I Dream of Dinner,” teriyaki’s signature flavor comes together in a pan on a burner, making the process achievable even without an open flame.
Slagle’s original recipe features chicken, but fish, including tuna, mackerel and salmon, are often given the teriyaki treatment in Japan. Here, you’ll let cubes of salmon soak up a marinade of soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger. While that’s happening, you’ll whip up quick pickles by letting crunchy vegetables, such as bell peppers, onions, celery, radishes, snow peas, carrots or cabbage, soak in a rice vinegar, salt and sugar slurry.
Then, heat a pan and, using tongs or a slotted spoon, pluck out the cubes of salmon and begin sauteing them. Once they’re wellbrowned and somewhat shiny, add the rest of the glaze to the pan. It will bubble furiously and then settle into a syrupy sauce.
Serve the salmon, pickled vegetables and extra glaze over steamed rice. It’s not the traditional way to teriyaki, but it’s a fine and flavorful representation of the genre.
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