A ziplock freezer bag will save your life, y’know?
Marinating some form of meat in a bag while you skip to work is no new technique (skip might be a bit generous) but no matter how broad the method, the perfection still lies in the simplicity.
When I am up to my eyebrows at work and the thought of clinking around the Kitchen makes me want to huddle in a ball and scream into a paper bag, it’s lush knowing there’s a plastic one in my fridge that is already tenderising my dinner and making it taste beyond beautiful.
Salmon got my ziplock treatment this week.
The best salmon in the whole entire world is farmed in Scotland. This is a FACT. It’s firm to be able to high on a high heat but still hold its shape but my favourite part, even though it absorbs any punchy flavours I throw at it, I can still taste the salty ocean when I eat it. It’s a thing of magic.
For that very reason, I feel I can be naughty as all Hell when I want to marinate a salmon fillet, because however complex and powerful the flavours are, the salmon will sing with it not against it.
This particular marinade ticks all the boxes. The miso paste (available for £1 in Tesco!) has a distinct umami round saltiness to it which gels in beautifully with the orange juice to create a sweet dance but still has that thwack of saltiness to keep it in check.
In a ziplock before you leave for work, drop the following ingredient: a tablespoon of miso paste, the zest and juice of one orange, a teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 grated garlic clove and some pepper.
Close the bag and smoosh everything together with your hand to create a thick orange syrupy liquid.
Open the bag and carefully place in the salmon fillets. Gently smoosh the liquid over the salmon and place them in the fridge to marinate while you go to work and get on with your life.
When you’re ready to cook, heat a little olive oil in a pan, take the salmons out of their marinade and fry for about 2 minutes on each side.
I served it with a quick sprinkle of sesame seeds and on some sliced orange because I fancied a show off.
That’s all folks.
When I cook with strong flavours like this, I like to keep my accompaniments simple.
For the picture above, I covered some parsnips in some salt, pepper, a little honey and some orange zest before roasting on 200C for 30 minutes.
While these roasted, I fried up some courgettes cut into matchsticks with some artichoke quarters from a jar and some frozen peas which I tipped right into the pan. I squeezed over some lemon juice and sprinkled over some salt.
I kept the artichokes and courgettes warm once I pulled the parsnips from the oven and that’s when I cracked on with the salmon as this took the least amount of time.
Thank God for the ziplock.
