Salmon with Coconut Milk Sauce
I was practically born with a love for salmon. My grandparents grew up salmon fishing, who in turn took my dad fishing growing up, who then turned it into a whole family affair. Fresh caught salmon was constantly in our fridge/freezer and I was raised on this stuff. So salmon, you see, is not only a favorite food group but a family tradition.
But the dish that made me fall in love with salmon? That's a whole different story. This dish, or sauce that makes the dish rather, is so good that I gave it a new name all together upon my first bite of it as a kid. Because after that first bite, it became the request for every birthday dinner, every celebration and every occasion where I had the option of choosing dinner; the request became, "mom, could you make the salmon with the 'good juice?'"
Call it salmon with coconut milk sauce or salmon with the "good juice", either way this salmon with a sauce so good it'll bring tears to your eyes is a salmon lover's dream. With ingredients as simple as coconut milk, butter, garlic and soy sauce, this sauce is decadence in a nut shell. Baste it over some grilled salmon for a smoky finish and you have yourself a perfect bite of food in every way.
Salmon with Coconut Milk Sauce
Ingredients
1 - 1 1/2 pound salmon filet (if you can find the Steelhead variety around this time, it's fantastic)
1 stick butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan with brown sugar and garlic. Add coconut milk and soy sauce and stir to combine. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Heat grill over medium high heat. Oil grates (we do these by putting a bit of olive oil on a paper towel and carefully rubbing over grates once heated). Cook salmon skin side down for 10 minutes, lid closed - no peaking! Open lid and baste salmon with 1/2 of sauce. Close lid and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately with more sauce, white or brown rice and a tasty vegetable of your choosing. Enjoy!
