Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
Uffda, these teriyaki salmon lettuce wraps are not only super simple, but they are sure to please. They are the perfect fish dinner during lent or any time of the year. In fact,the Payaso loved them so much he said he felt like a king, and was being served a meal from a fancy dancy restaurant. Now that’s what I call a successful dinner! I’m choosing to believe the dinner really was that scrumptious, and it wasn’t the bottle of wine we drank.
Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
- 1 pound salmon
- 2 tablespoons each of teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and minced garlic
- Green onion, carrots, sesame seeds, for garnish
- Lettuce cups (romaine or butter)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Cut salmon into 8 pieces and separate from skin by using a sharp knife.
- Add salmon to teriyaki sauce mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- After marinated, add salmon to a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Reserve marinade.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until salmon is pink and flaky.
- Add remaining teriyaki marinade to a small saucepan and boil until reduced by half, about five minutes.
- Assemble wraps by adding salmon to cleaned lettuce leaf, and place a piece of salmon on each leaf. Add julienne carrot, green onion, and sesame seeds, if using. Drizzle reduced teriyaki marinade and sere.
Remember when I made salmon last week for Lent, and Paco was banished from the kitchen for his naughty behavior? The moment, I mean the nano-second I opened the salmon, he was back in the kitchen acting like he wanted to be my best friend (in reality, he tolerates me and absolutely adores the Payaso). Rather than try to climb up my legs this week, he sat at my feet and gave me soft little meows to let me know of his presence. Maybe salmon is my ticket to winning his hard, hard heart.
Our other cat, Tori, simply couldn’t be bothered nor has she ever been interested in the happenings in our kitchen. In fact, when I tried to give her some lovies, she gave me the paw. Really, she did. Look! Be gone, Gringo…
Here’s what I learned when making these little nuggets of deliciousness: make sure you line the baking sheet with foil! The brown sugar turns black and hardens on the sheet pan while it bakes. Using that foil will save you a lot of frustration when it comes time for clean up. Thank you, Payaso, for cleaning it for your Gringo! Here’s a picture of the salmon right after I pulled it from the oven. I could have easily eaten these right out of the oven because they looked and smelled so delicioso!
I think next time I’ll add a teaspoon of ground ginger and a pinch of red pepper flakes. These were absolutely delicious the way they were prepared, but I think that adding a little heat would be a nice compliment to the sweetness of the teriyaki. We paired this dinner with a chardonnay, which brought out the flavor of the fish. When I got the idea for this recipe, I googled teriyaki salmon on the internet, and there were almost 2 million results. I modified my recipe from one I found at www.yellowblissroad.com. I didn’t have any sesame seeds, but I highly recommend adding the carrots and green onion to the lettuce wraps. The carrots add a nice crunch and sweetness to the teriyaki, and the green onion brings a freshness and bite that offsets and balances the sweetness. The Payaso and I both wished I had made a double batch because these were lick-the-plate good. Buen provecho!