Salmon with Chinese Pesto is one of those Asian fusion recipes that has been a favourite of mine for years. I only make it a few times a year since my recipe collection is vast but it qualifies for both a quick weekday dinner and a main course for dinner with friends. I love those kind of recipes!
The Chinese pesto sauce is made is a pan on the stove so the salmon can be steamed, baked or grilled. That means you can make it year round with your preferred method of cooking. The salmon is to be marinated for thirty minutes and I don't deny that always improves the flavour. When I'm entertaining I can plan accordingly but for an everyday dinner I think of marinating as something to aspire to. Most likely my salmon will get five or ten minutes in the marinade while I'm getting the rest of my meal together, and it's always as delicious as I remembered.
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Chinese Pesto - The Asian Pantry
Don't pass over all the wonderful recipes because of unusual ingredients. Nowadays there is hardly any ingredient you can't get your hands on fairly easily, just go and look for it. A well stocked pantry for Asian cooking is pretty simple and opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the kitchen. Expand your pantry to expand your repertoire.
I do a lot of Asian cooking so when I started cooking gluten free I searched out all the ingredients I wanted and over time I put it together in this post, The Asian Pantry. For this recipe you need fresh cilantro, ginger, sesame oil and dry sherry.
SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS – Is it worth it to go and buy Sichuan peppercorns? Well that's up to you. I'm pretty sure my supply is twenty years old so that means I don't use it too often. You can substitute an equal amount of regular black pepper and enjoy this recipe without them.
Once you buy some new ingredients you'll want more recipes to use those ingredients. The Asian Pantry post lists each individual ingredient followed by links to many recipes using them. If you find a new favourite be sure to let me know in the comments.
Dinner Club - Salmon With Chinese Pesto
This salmon could be part of dinner for entertaining or have you Ever thought of starting a Dinner Club? Check out this post on How To Start a Dinner Club and invite some friends for dinner (or virtual dinner) to cook together and talk about making it a regular get together. Culinary adventures await you no matter what dietary restrictions you live with.
If I was creating a fusion menu and making this Salmon with Chinese Pesto as the main course it might look like this.
- Garden Greens with Asian Dressing and Crispy Bean Thread Noodles
- Salmon with Chinese Pesto
- Asparagus with Black Bean Butter Sauce
- Coconut Rice
- Dairy free Coconut Ice Cream with fresh mango and salted peanuts
This salmon recipe is adapted from one of my favourite cookbook authors and cooking instructors, Hugh Carpenter. I’ve attended a few of his cooking classes and own several of his cookbooks. My love affair with Asian and Asian Fusion all started when my husband gave me one of his cookbooks, Pacific Flavors.
Let me know in the comments below if you tried any of these Asian fusion recipes.
Originally posted April 2016, updated February 2021
More Recipes - Asian Fusion
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Salmon with Chinese Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 4-oz salmon filets
MARINADE
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
CHINESE PESTO SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
- 2 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns (or substitute with more black pepper)
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
THICKENING
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
COOKING
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
MARINATE SALMON
- Combine soy sauce, dry sherry, sesame oil and ginger then pour over salmon in a shallow bowl. Marinate for 20 minutes.
COOK SALMON
- Fill a wok with a few inches of water and top. Line a bamboo steamer with a piece of foil and place inside the wok leaving space for the steam to come through. Cover the wok and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Place salmon on the foil, cover and steam until the it is firm to the touch and flakes with a fork, 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- While the salmon is cooking make the Chinese Pesto.
CHINESE PESTO SAUCE
- Combine cornstarch and water in a small dish, set aside.
- Combine ginger and garlic and set aside.
- Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a measuring cup and set aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté ginger and garlic for 30 seconds then add lemon juice mixture. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring as it thickens. Remove from heat, pour over salmon and serve.
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