Steamed Salmon with Soy Maple Glaze and Edamame Rice

One fun thing about housesitting for family is the opportunity to pore through their cabinets and refrigerator, looking for inspiration in new ingredients. Stumbling upon some lovely wild salmon in the freezer, and still thinking about that dread "healthy eating", I set out to make an Asian-inspired dish that focused on maximizing flavor and minimizing fat.


I've never steamed fish before, and now I'm not sure why. It was so easy, didn't stink up the kitchen, and took all of 4 minutes to cook. In fact, at 20 minutes, the rice was the most time-intensive thing on the menu! I've been mired in a writing project this week, so I was really digging the simplicity. And oh yeah, it was good. Really good, in fact. With the added benefit of making you feel virtuous for eating something with so little added oil.

Steamed Slamon with Soy Maple Glaze and Edamame Rice
serves 2

for the Edamame Rice:

.5 cup shelled edamame beans
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
coarse sea salt
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil


Drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the edamame, sprinkle with coarse salt, and toss to combine. Set aside.


Heat olive oil in a medium non-stick saute pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and the edamame (including the sesame oil in the bowl). Stirfry for 1-2 minutes, then add the cooked brown rice. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes more, until rice is showing some golden brown color and everything is toasty. Add salt to taste, then serve underneath steamed salmon.

for the salmon:

2 6-oz. skinless wild salmon fillets
.5 c. soy sauce, divided
1 clove minced garlic
2 Tbsp. minced ginger, divided
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, divided
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Place salmon in a shallow bowl. Combine 2 Tbsp of the soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. ginger, the garlic, and 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar and pour over the fish. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.


Place the remaining vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half and somewhat syrupy. Keep and eye on it, if you let the glaze reduce too much it will burn. Set aside and keep warm.

Fill a large sauce pan with 1 inch of salted water and bring to a boil. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place in a steamer basket that fits snugly in the pan. Pour marinade over the salmon, cover, and steam* for 4 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve salmon over Edamame Rice, and drizzle with the warm glaze.


*You can also bake the salmon, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.