Sweet-Spicy Glazed Salmon with Quinoa and Asparagus

Sweet-Spicy Glazed Salmon with Quinoa and Asparagus 

Last week, right after church, we went to have our Sunday walk in VanDusen Botanical Garden. In that garden, there is a lovely restaurant called Shaughnessy. Every Sunday they always have a special menu and I really recommend that you try their special menu because they are always good. This time is Salmon topped with Mango and served with Quinoa. Since I don't have the recipe I thought I will altered some of my recipes into my own version of this dish.

It is always best to use the wild salmon but if it is hard to get them , you can certainly use the farm salmon. I always loves the sweet taste on Salmon because I think it can elevate the naturally sweet taste of the meat even higher.

Quinoa, known as "Mother of Grains" in Quechua (Inca's language), was of high importance for this culture during thousands of years, but with the arrival of The Conquistadores the Quinoa crops were substituted for corn and potatoes and in a short time this grain dissapeared in some countries of South America, but in other countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador and Perú still is the main food for thousands of families. This "powerful grain" has an extraordinary balance of essential Aminoacids, Thiamine and Riboflavin, is rich in Fiber and Phosphorus, vitamins of group "B" and minerals.

This supergrain keeps its nutritional qualities even during food industrial processes, and can even substitute the animal protein, it is also an ideal Calcium supply because it is compared to the milk's protein.

This supergrain keeps its nutritional qualities even during food industrial processes, and can even substitute the animal protein, it is also an ideal Calcium supply because it is compared to the milk's protein.

I also modified this recipe so it will use as little oil as possible to make it healthier. So if you can find the cooking oil spray such as PAM, that's better, but if not, use any vegetable oil that you have.

INGREDIENTS :

For Salmon :
3 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
4 tsp Hot mustard
1 tsp rice vinegar
4 ( 6-ounce) salmon fillets ( about 3 cm thick )
cooking oil spray such as PAM
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For Quinoa with corn :
1 cup of quinoa
salt
3 corns or 1 cup of frozen corn
3 green onions
1 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp black pepper

For Asparagus :
1 bunch of asparagus
1 Tbs olive oil or you can even use the cooking spray again
2 Tbs grated parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste






I use Keen's dry mustard for this recipe but you can change it into other brand or even use wasabi.If you like the mustard strong taste, you can add more. 

Procedures:


Picture : On the left is the uncooked quinoa and on the right is the cooked quinoa.

Step 1 : Rinse the quinoa in a colander with cold water. Boil the chicken stock, add salt according to your taste. Then add the quinoa. Turn the heat to low, cover it, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Meanwhile, cut corn kernels or use the frozen corn. Thinly slice green onions. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add corn, green onions, 3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Add quinoa. Cook, stirring, until combined.

Step 2 : Preheat oven to 400F or 205 C. Combine dark brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, rice vinegar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil then remove from heat. Place fish on a pan coated with cooking spray or oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven. You can bake the fish together with the asparagus to save you some time since they are both need to be bake in the same temperature , just don't for get to take the fish out first or else you will over cook the fish.

Step 3 : After you trim the bottom part of the asparagus to get rid of the tough fiber, wash it, and dry it. Place them in a cookie sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and season them generously with salt, pepper, and grated permesan cheese. Roast them in 400F or 205C for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how big is your asparagus.

Step 4 : Preheat the broiler. Brush sugar mixture evenly over salmon; broil them for 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Step 5 : Serve.