Here I go again with the Asian sensation nights in my household. I finally dusted off the spiralizer I got for Christmas and decided it was time to conqour my fear of the thing. Sometimes the kitchen aid mixer attachments are a little overwhelming. I am not good with sitting down and reading directions….or writing them for that matter, thus the website thing is something I’m still getting used to. With that being said OH MY GAWD, I could not believe how easy they have made those attachments to set up and use (go figure they’re the best attachments ever). No attachment will intimidate me again because my 6 year old cousin could’ve put this thing together and used it. Moving on, I love marinating and roasting salmon because it really is one of the easiest healthiest ways to get protein and all of the great health benefits salmon offers like Omega 3’s into your diet with a fail proof way of cooking it
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So as you can see in this picture these are the sizes of the filets I used for this recipe. The only time the cooking times will vary is if the files are more than an inch thick then of course tack on a few more minutes in roasting time. This marinate doesn’t take long for salmon to absorb flavor so no need to marinate these guppies over night (see what I did there) 30 minutes should do the trick. This is honestly the longest part of the recipe, roasting the salmon, while it roasts it leaves plenty of time to spiral the zucchini, ribbon the carrot (using a peeler believe it or not) and par cook the zoodles. I like to par cook the zoodles before returning them to the saute pan to toss with sauce because after I partially cook them in a skillet, I set them aside in a strainer to get rid of as much of the liquid that will come out. Zucchini’s are mostly made of water which is why many times peoples zoodles look like a soupy mess. The quick cooking and resting period make a huge difference, a little water is inevitable with this vegetable but it definitely helps adding that extra step into the mix.
Now this Thai Peanut sauce, first let me say I like to consider myself the sauce QUEEN. Condiments and sauces are my happy place and that was the one thing I would always crush in culinary school. This Thai peanut sauce can be altered depending on your taste buds but thats for you to decide, the one I made would taste good on literally anything, I am so glad I’ve brought it into my life. Enough talking more cooking.
Salmon:
2 4-6 oz. Salmon Fillets
1 tbs. Black and White Sesame Seeds (or just white sesame seeds will be just fine)
1 tbs. grated Ginger
2 tbs. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
Thai Peanut Sauce:
4 tbs. Smooth Peanut Butter
4 tbs. Honey
1 tbs. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 tbs. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. minced Garlic (or one medium sized clove)
1 tsp. grated Ginger
1 tsp. Sambal (common asian chili garlic sauce, can substitute 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes)
Zoodles:
2-3 Zucchinis spiraled (enough to make about 3 cups of zoodles)
2-3 Carrots Ribboned
1/2 tbs. Olive Oil
Garnishes:
1 Scallion, chopped
1 Lime, cut into wedges
2 tbs. Peanuts, roughly chopped
1 tsp. Sesame seeds
1 tbs. Cilantro, roughly chopped
Let’s make zoodle magic:
- For salmon, combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil in bowl and mix until combined. Place salmon in plastic bag and cover with marinade, place in fridge for 30 min.
- Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Once salmon is done marinating, place the salmon filets on cookie sheet and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, you should start to see the salmon turn a pale pink and the flesh will be firm if poked with your finger.
- For zoodles, using which ever device or handheld tool you have, cut the ends off the zucchini making a flat surface (this makes the art of zoodling much easier).
- Spiralize your zucchini and set aside in bowl, meanwhile peel the outer layer of your carrots to get the tough skin off. Then using your vegetable peeler you can actually press a little harder with your peeler and peel down the carrot repeatedly on the same side making ribbons. This part is a little tricky and if it seems like too much then go ahead and zoodle your carrots as well.
- Place a medium saute pan on medium heat with about 1 tbs. of olive oil (I recommend a nonstick pan). Once hot add the zucchini noodles to the pan and toss with pasta tongs for about 1-2 minutes until the zoodles are just tender to the bite but not completely cooked through.
- Set aside in a strainer in sink or over a bowl to catch any excess liquid while making the Thai peanut sauce.
- For the sauce mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Taste for proper seasoning and flavor and adjust accordingly.
- Now to finish the dish reheat the same skillet you par cooked your zoodles in on medium high heat, add the zoodles, carrot ribbons, pour in enough peanut sauce toss and cover the noodles about 1/4 cup and reheat the noodles about 2 minutes.
- Take the pan off the stove and stir in a bit more sauce if desired and plate along side the roasted salmon. Don’t forget those chopsticks and ENJOY! 🙂