A Little Kick

Although I am not a huge Asian food fan, I do love wasabi.  There's something about the sharp, sinus clearing taste that just drives me mad.  In fact, as far as I'm concerned, soy sauce and wasabi are the best things about sushi.

I know, I know.  Soy sauce and wasabi are not generally considered to be the high point of the sushi eating experience.

The other day I was thinking about how I might merge my love of sushi condiments into to a format I'd be more excited about.  What I really meant to say was that I was looking for a way to get the punch of wasabi with something other than raw fish.

A really limited amount of checking with my close friend Google revealed that lots of other people have had the same thought.  I found numerous versions of salmon with wasabi, but this one, with just a few of my own twists, really hit the spot for me.

Give it a try.  There's nothing quite like the wasabi kick!

Recipe:  Wasabi Crusted Salmon with Rice Noodles
Adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons Wasabi powder
4 6 to 8 ounces salmon filet
½ pound rice noodles
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (divided) chopped peanuts
½ teaspoons hot sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Zest of 1 orange
2 scallions, chopped


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a glass bowl, mix the wasabi powder and a little water until you have made a paste. Add the oil to the Wasabi paste, and brush the mixture on the salmon. If possible, let the salmon rest for a short while to absorb some of the flavors. Place Salmon in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for about 10 minutes to soften. In a glass bowl, mix the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, peanuts, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Using a microplane grater, zest 1 orange into the mixture. Drain the noodles, add the soy sauce mixture and mix well. Place the noodles in the middle of the plate and top with the salmon.  Garnish with the scallions and reserved 2 tablespoons of chopped peanuts. Drizzle with a little additional soy sauce, if desired.