Steamed Oriental Salmon

August 7, 2001

The local arts festival has just concluded here in Christchurch and we've certainly taken in our share of ballet, opera, Gilbert and Sullivan, poetry readings, jazz and other entertainment.

We attended a performance of The Mikado last week. As the festival chairman remarked at a function afterwards, probably half the people in the theatre had taken part in The Mikado as a school production at some time or other. Chatting with member of the audience after the show convinced me he was probably right. I had my 15 minutes of fame as Yum Yum, one of the three little maids, when I was in the sixth form.

Fitting in meals with performances can be a bit of a challenge at times like these but today's dish is one that doesn't take long to make. It's a pleasant light dish for the days when you don't feel like hearty eating.

Steamed Oriental Salmon

2 salmon steaks, about 10cm long, skin on
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tamari sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 spring onion cut into 1cm slices, diagonally

Remove any bones from the salmon with a pair of tweezers.

Mix together the lemon juice, ginger, tamari sauce and sugar and sprinkle over the salmon. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. A large steamer or a pasta saucepan are ideal. Place the salmon on a plate and put the plate in the steaming basket. Cover with a lid and steam for 10 minutes, adding the chopped spring onion for the last two minutes.

Lift onto a serving plate and serve with a salad made of blanched green beans and cherry tomatoes tossed in a dressing of equal quantities of oil, lemon juice and tamari sauce, a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of sesame oil. Sprinkle with a few shredded basil leaves.