Firecracker Salmon with Roasted Corn Medley

By Melissa Bez, NRDC program assistant, Washington, D.C.

Ingredients

4 wild Alaskan salmon steaks (or fillets)

Note: Make sure the salmon is wild-caught from Alaska. Farmed salmon can contain PCBs and antibiotic residue. Salmon farming also pollutes the ocean, and escaped farmed fish can spread diseases to wild fish.

For the Marinade:

1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
11/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or more, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Corn Medley:

3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear)
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tomato (orange or red), diced
2 yellow (sweet) chili peppers, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Red wine for deglazing

Preparation

Salmon

1. Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade. Marinate the salmon for four to six hours.
2. Grill for five minutes on each side over a medium flame.

Corn Medley

1. Roast corn in a skillet, without oil, for several minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the apple and peppers along with balsamic vinegar, and continue stirring for several minutes more.
3. Stir in the garlic and shallots; then add tomatoes and cilantro and cook, stirring occasionally, for several minutes.
4. Deglaze pan with red wine and allow liquid to reduce down.

Serves 4.

Notes

This is a favorite family recipe -- I'm not sure of the original source, but we found it in The Arizona Republic years back.