L ifestyles /C ulture
Ginger-Soy Braised Salmon
F O OD
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I LOVE SALMON seasoned
with ginger and soy. The flavors
complement the fish beauti-
fully and provide a simple way
to add interest and variety to a
standard ingredient.

Pairing it with roasted
honeynut squash, an autumn
favorite, and a simple green
salad was the work of a
moment, and dinner was ready.

Braising generally suggests
a long, slow cooking process
with plenty of liquid to break
down a protein — think
brisket, lamb shoulder or
pulled turkey. In this case,
the braise was brief; you
don’t need to break down the
already-tender fish, but the
technique allows the flavors
to permeate the salmon,
producing a delicious result.

These days we are enjoying
the bountiful squash harvest,
and honeynuts are sweet, cute
and easy to prepare. Unlike
butternuts, their larger and
less-sweet cousins, which can
be difficult to cut, honey-
nuts are relatively simple to
prep and cook. Salt, pepper
and olive oil do the trick,
but you can certainly get
creative — Chinese five-spice
powder would be a nice way
to highlight the Asian flair in
this meal.

We tossed baby greens
with rice vinegar and oil for a
simple salad, but you have lots
of options to round out this
meal. In place of the squash,
consider rice or noodles. Ditch
the salad for roasted or sautéed
broccoli, steamed greens or
string beans.

The salmon delivers plenty
of flavor and complexity, so
you can keep the sides quite
simple without risking bored
taste buds!
GINGER-SOY BRAISED
SALMON Serves 4
A word on the salmon: I used
Coho, which is quite lean —
hence the braise, which prevents
the fish from drying out.

Sockeye salmon is another lean
species and would lend itself
well to this cooking technique.

That said, fattier varietals like
North Atlantic and king work
just fine here.

1¾ pounds salmon filets
Salt/pepper Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon canola or
vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-inch piece ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon red pepper
flakes (or to taste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup white wine or
vegetable broth
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Heat your oven to 275 F.

Sprinkle the fish with salt,
pepper and lemon juice and
set aside.

In a large ovenproof skillet,
heat the oil and sauté the onion,
garlic, ginger and red pepper
until fragrant and slightly
softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and wine
and bring it to a boil. Remove
the skillet from the heat, add
cilantro and stir until wilted.

Push the sauce ingredients
to the sides of the pan and place
the salmon filets in the center.

Spoon the sauce and vegetables
over the fish until coated, cover
the pan with a lid or foil and
place it in the oven. Bake for
about 25 minutes, depending
upon the thickness of the
salmon. It should be cooked
through but not dried out.

ROASTED HONEYNUT SQUASH
Serves 4
Salmon and honeynut squash
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Photo by Keri White
These little beauties are sweet
JEWISH EXPONENT
and flavorful. Some people eat
the skin, although it can be
rather tough. I prefer to scrape
the luscious flesh out and
discard the skin. You can cook
these ahead of the salmon, but
leave them in the oven to finish
while the fish cooks.

If you can’t find honeynut,
any autumn squash works here
— delicata, acorn, butternut,
kabocha, etc.

I am a fan of the straight-
forward salt/pepper/olive
oil combo, but you can get
as creative as you like with
paprika, cumin, cinnamon,
cloves, butter, honey, cayenne,
garlic powder or seasoned salt.

The only limit is your imagina-
tion and your pantry.

You can time the cooking
of these so that they are mostly
done when you put the fish
in the oven. That way, when
you reduce the heat from 350
to 275 to cook the fish, the
squash will finish cooking and
save you having to take them
out and reheat before dinner.

Don’t worry about overcooking
them; at that low temperature,
they will be fine.

4 honeynut squash, halved
and seeded
Salt/pepper/olive oil
Heat your oven to 350
F. Line a baking sheet with
parchment. Place the squash, cut side
up, on the sheet and drizzle it
with olive oil. Brush to spread
and coat the surface with oil.

Sprinkle the squash with salt
and pepper, and bake for about
45 minutes until the flesh is
tender when pricked with a
fork. l
Name: House of Kosher Supermarket
Width: 3.625 in
Depth: 5.5 in
Color: Black
Comment: JE-FF Program
Ad Number: 00092597
SHOP THE
HOUSE FROM
YOUR HOME.

Shop your groceries,
meat, fish, and fresh
takeout online and
we'll deliver your
order to your door.

HOUSEOFKOSHER.COM STORE HOURS
Shop online at
Houseofkosher.com or download our
FREE HOUSE OF
KOSHER APP
Strictly Kosher
215.677.8100 9806 BUSTLETON AVE.

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19115
DECEMBER 17, 2020
15