Salmon Yakitori

Are you a seafood lover? I know my mom-in law is.. Apart from the ability to eat every part of the fish herself, including the eyes, the cheek, the skin (on certain fish), and well, not the bones, but all around it, she always makes sure that we have plenty of fresh seafood stocked up, and if possible, a portion of fish a day (wonder if it keeps the doctor away too? :D ) will be on the menu.

While she's travelling overseas like this time around, naturally we haven't been eating much fish at all, I admit that I'm not that great at choosing the best & the freshest fish, but I'm learning... Sometimes, I'd put up an occasional fish/ prawn/ scallop on the menu. (Crab is not on the list, because it's too fiddly to eat, ^_~)

Salmon remains one of my favourite because of its versatility; so long as they're not the farmed ones.. they look kinda artificial with their too-bright-orange coloured flesh (apparently dyed). Tuna is also good, but I have to travel further to buy a better quality, so normally I stick with salmon instead. Oh, and spanish mackerel steak is also great, but let's save it for another entry next time!!

Salmon Yakitori - serves 2

2 pieces of (fatty) salmon without skin, washed, pat dry. Cut into 2 cm cubes.

2 stalks spring onion, use the white part, cut into 3 cm length.

1/2 medium green capsicum, chop into similar size to the salmon.

8 bamboo skewers

6 pcs of portobello mushroom (or button mushroom)

oil for greasing the baking tray

 

Marinade & sauce:

1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

1/2 cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp raw sugar

pepper to taste 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190C (I use fan grill mode, but I cover the yakitori as it grills, so they stay plump & moist)
2. Line baking tray with aluminium foil & grease with a little olive oil
3. Prepare the marinade: mix the marinade ingredients, put on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it boils. Reduce the heat to simmer and let it reduce & thicken slightly. Set aside to cool.
4. Slather the marinade onto cut salmon pieces, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
5. Arrange the capsicum, salmon & spring onion pieces on skewers. Cover with another layer of aluminium foil.
6. Grill for about 10-12  minutes, or until cooked to your preference; brushing once more with the extra marinade. 
7. Wash & remove stems from the mushrooms; fold aluminium foil to envelope them in, grill them for 5 minutes alongside the yakitori.
8. Prepare a simple salad of grated carrot & lettuce leaf while the yakitori's in the oven.
9. Arrange the yakitori skewers next to a mound of rice, salad & grilled mushroom; dress the salad with your favourite dressing. If you have extra marinade, it doubles up as the sauce for serving.

milestone - the 5th month

And.. it's a BOY! my husband & I have been mulling over a list of names for our baby, even though we didn't know its gender yet. After a while, looking at baby names made me sick -_-.. We decided that if the baby was a girl, my husband will find a name for her, and vice versa if it were a boy. So now the responsibility falls flat on me....

Recently, (after abandoning the quest for baby names for a few months), I thought of a name 'Rafael', and it has a beautiful meaning : God has healed. I pondered upon that and the more I said the name out loud, the more I liked it.. So unless I find a better alternative, I'm gonna stick by it like a plague.