Recipe: Chinese Glazed Salmon with Homemade Chinese Barbecue Sauce

CHINESE GLAZED SALMON

"These salmon fillets are a great main course when you want something special and you don't have a lot of time. They are super-easy and quick to make, as well as delicious. Serve with sauteed green beans and garlic smashed potatoes. If you want to make your own Chinese barbecue sauce, I have included a recipe below. But, there are some fine ready made sauces, called Chinese barbecue sauce, in Asian markets and even on supermarket shelves."

1 teaspoon oil
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets, cut about 1 inch wide, blotted on paper towels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons purchased or Homemade Chinese Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)
6 slices lean bacon, cut crosswise in half
Thinly sliced scallions, including most of green parts, to garnish

Turn on the broiler. Position the rack about 4 inches from the heat.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon, flesh-side down, and saute until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Turn, season the fish with salt and pepper to taste, spread the barbecue sauce over the flesh side, and drape three half-slices of bacon diagonally over the top of each fillet.

Transfer the fish to the broiler and cook until the bacon is crisp and the salmon is just cooked through, about 10 minutes for 1-inch-thick salmon fillets. Remove, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

HOMEMADE CHINESE BARBECUE SAUCE

2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup medium sherry
1/2 cup light brawn sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons black bean paste
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
l l/2 teaspoons salt
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a double boiler and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10-12 minutes.

Store the unused portion of Barbecue Sauce in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Seduced by Bacon by Joanna Pruess