Salmon in Rice Paper Wraps with Coconut Ginger Sauce & Seasoned Grilled Corn

I had Nathan Hyam’s Salmon in Rice Paper Wraps with Coconut Ginger Sauce at K & J’s home a while back and liked them so much that I asked for the recipe. K’s a big fan of salmon, so she had a cookbook of 100 and something salmon dishes. I glanced at the recipe, googled this dish when I came home that night, and have made it a few times since then. The crispness of the fried rice paper goes well with the creamy sauce and fatty fish. It’s a great way to do something different with salmon, so thought I’d share it with you. I guess it can be considered a Thai-inspired dish. I took the liberty of adding garlic to the sauce, garnishing with fried scallions and fresh basil and adjusting the amount of ingredients to my taste.

Salmon in Rice Paper Wraps with Coconut Ginger Sauce
(Yields 4 Light Entrée Portions)

Adapted from New Thai Cuisine
by Nathan Hyam

Wraps

• 1 lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
• Soy sauce
• 4 rice paper wrappers
• 8 basil leaves
• Knob fresh ginger, minced (save some for sauce)
• Olive oil

Coconut Ginger Sauce

• Olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp chopped basil (save a bit for garnish)
• 2 scallions, sliced on bias

Season salmon fillets with soy sauce. Rub one side of the salmon with minced ginger.

Fill a wide shallow pan with warm water and spread a dish towel on a counter. Dip a wrapper in the water for about 10 seconds to soften it, then place on the towel.

Place two basil leaves in the center of the rice paper. Place a piece of salmon on top of the basil with ginger side facing up. Fold the wrap around the salmon to enclose it securely. Place the salmon packages seam-side down on a plate in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate until cooking time; it can be prepared to this point up to four hours ahead.

To make sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the shallot, garlic and ginger and saute until they are soft and translucent. Add the coconut milk. Bring it to nearly a boil and add the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and basil. Take off heat and then reheat later when ready to plate.

At cooking time, heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat and fry the scallion to use as garnish. Fish out the scallion and set aside. In the same skillet, place the salmon packages seam-side down. Cook uncovered for about two minutes on each side or until done.

Place some sauce on plate and place the wraps seam-side down so the basil leaves show through the rice paper. Garnish with fried scallion and fresh chopped basil.

Look at these beautiful yellow corn ears! I love holiday weekends because it seems these are the only times that supermarkets stock tons of fresh corn ears with the husks on. They were 10 for $2, so I couldn't resist! Ever since the Gastronomer tantalized me with her grilled corn from Vietnam, I've been dying to duplicate it. For some reason, it always rains when I plan to grill corn, so I've always had to resort to the oven. Fortunately, though, I've figured out how to "grill" with the oven. :)

All you have to do is put the rack on the highest notch and preheat the broiler on 500F. Yes, that's 500F. :) Sprinkle the ears with salt and smoked paprika and brush with scallion oil. Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes (or until golden brown) and then turn them to cook the other side for another 10 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them again with a bit of scallion oil and top with fried scallions. If you've got a couple wedges of limes sitting around, squeeze a bit of juice on these ears and you'll be in heaven. So yummy!!! :)