tytania
Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:17:22 +0000
Fish & Seafood, Pan Asian, Recipes, Thai, Healthy, Low Calorie, Quick, Vegan

Lettuce Wraps with Thai Crusted Salmon

A Thai inspired lettuce wrap perfect for a quick light dinner. When I was taking classes in NYC at the Natural Gourmet Institute, they had a version of this, although I don’t remember what it was exactly as it has long since been adapted. But I tried it out a few times whilst private cheffing in NYC and everyone seemed to really like it.

Healthy/Quick

Serves 2.

Large leafy green and/or red lettuce leaves

One whole red onion sliced very thin

Three carrots peeled and shredded

Enoki white mushrooms or white button sliced very thin

One finely diced red thai chili

Two crushed garlic cloves

Handful roughly chopped coriander and mint

Crushed peanuts about ½ cup

5 limes squeezed

3 tbsp Sweet thai chili sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Sesame oil

1 tsp Fish sauce

1 tsp agave syrup or to taste

2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp neutral tasting oil, such as vegetable oil

16 oz salmon with skin

Crust:

1 tbsp dried lemon grass

1 tbsp toasted cumin seeds (toast in pan until crackle and pop happens)

½ tsp each of sea salt and pepper

½ teaspoon dried chili powder

1 tsp flour (blue cornmeal flour is best for a crunch, potato flour is good for crispy)

Blend the “crust” in a coffee grinder to form a powder. Place on a plate. U can save what you don’t use for up to a month in a tightly closed container. This crust is also fine for other fish and meats.

Cube salmon into big bite size chunks. Squeeze two limes over fish and sprinkle with sesame oil. Set aside to marinate for about thirty minutes then pat dry.

Get a few serving small serving bowls. Slice your onions and shred your carrots. Place your enokis in one bowl and your lettuce in other. Make sure the leaves are separated into “wrap like” pieces. Mix rice wine vinegar, soy, sesame oil, juice of two limes, thai sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic, and chili into a bowl. Mix well. Taste and if you feel it needs a sweeter balance, add the agave or alternatively, palm sugar. Place your carrots and onions into the dressing to pickle for about 30 minutes. Take out and dry, put into a separate bowl. Get your coriander, peanuts, and mint ready in another bowl and set out to table for serving.

Keep remaining dressing aside for dipping. Alternatively, you could simply use sweet thai chili sauce or a thai peanut sauce.

Coat your salmon with the “crust”. Shake off access.

Take a pan and heat a neutral oil, about two tablespoons. When very hot, add your salmon chunks. Fry on all sides, but starting with the skin side. Flip after cooked halfway through on the first side, as you can see from the sides as the flesh becomes opaque where it is being cooked. Flip. Cook another few minutes or so, and then quickly finish off the remaining sides, one minute each. you should see white bits just starting to come out of flesh. Place chunks in a bowl, sprinkle with lime and a bit of coriander.

For each serving you and your guest will take a lettuce and one or two salmon chunks and place the “fixings” inside each lettuce. Wrap the leaves over the filling. Serve the marinade as a dipping sauce.