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DinnerQuickSeafood

My New Favorite Dinner

By February 6, 2012February 19th, 201443 Comments

Do you guys know that story about Robert Rauschenberg? The one where the interviewer asked him “How do you know when you are finished with a painting?”  and he responded “When I sell it.” Meaning, he’s never finished, and as long as the work is in his possession he will keep reworking it forever. This is what came into mind the other night as I stared at the galley of my book, which, in one form or another, has been sitting on my dining room table for the past six months, as I go back and forth from the kitchen tweaking and replacing and reworking and driving my editor and designer crazy. But I had just made this dinner — salmon and brussels sprouts, a combination which I had spied in both Martha Stewart and Real Simple in the same week, then married that with a Momofuku-inspired ginger scallion sauce — and I began to leaf through the pages looking for a place to squeeze it in. It’s so quintessentially DALS — simple, weeknight-friendly, tasty — how could it not be in the book?!! And not that I’m in any way comparing my writing to a Rauschenberg Combine painting, but I do believe it’s just the element that would turn my book from cookbook to masterpiece. It’s so good! It’s so easy! But alas, my deadline was for real this time (I said goodbye to the galley forever — terrifying) so I have no choice but to give you the recipe here and now.

Salmon and Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Note: This recipe has been updated to address some of the issues raised in the comment field. Thank you for your feedback! 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice a 1 1/4 pound salmon fillet into 4-ounce pieces as shown above. Trim and halve 4 cups of brussels sprouts and in a bowl, toss them with 2 tablespoons of oil (olive or vegetable), salt and pepper. (Do your best to keep all the brussels leaves on the sprout, because those individual leaves burn fast when roasted.) Place sprouts on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes, tossing half way through. (And don’t worry, they should look a little charred.) Turn heat to 450°F. Nestle salmon filets among the sprouts and roast another 10 minutes. Serve with ginger-scallion sauce.

Ginger-scallion sauce (adapted from Momofuku cookbook)

Combine the following in a small bowl: 1 large bunch scallions (green and white parts), chopped; 1 tablespoon finely minced peeled fresh ginger; 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; a drop or two of fish sauce (optional) 2 tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar; a little chopped mint, a squeeze of Sriracha, salt and pepper to taste.

43 Comments

  • Avatar Melissa@Julia's Bookbag says:

    We love Brussels sprouts! And salmon! I’ll be trying this out ASAP 🙂

  • Avatar City Share says:

    This looks great! It is classic DALS – simple and delicious. We are needing some new ideas at our house. Thanks for the inspiration.

  • Avatar Kat says:

    the sprouts look so pretty halved! like little green cabbage roses. i bet they hold the sauce so well like that. such a great idea and can’t wait for the book.

  • Avatar Jessica@ Stay at Home-ista says:

    I adore recipes like this, everything in one pan, in the oven.

  • The Very Hungry Bookworm says:

    Wow. I have recently discovered that I actually like salmon and sprouts, two foods that I have spent far too many years of my life avoiding. Now I have the perfect dish to celebrate them!

  • Avatar Kate says:

    This might be a stupid question… but how do you serve the sauce with the veggies and salmon?

  • Anjali says:

    I am also a salmon and brussels sprouts fan and am excited to try them together. In one pan! Extra-exciting from a dishes point of view.

  • Avatar Tonia says:

    Oh – can’t thank you enough for a new way with brussel sprouts! We were definitely reaching the end of tastebud tolerance for them: this may have bought us a couple more weeks.

  • Avatar Erin says:

    I haven’t even made this yet and I think it is my new favorite dinner. Thank you!!

  • Lori@ In My Kitchen, In My Life says:

    When I think Brussels sprouts I think “hearty,” and when I think salmon I think “light,” so it seems like a very February-appropriate thing to eat, with nods to both winter and the lengthening days that make us long for spring.

  • jenny jenny says:

    Kate – Not a stupid question. I would say a light drizzle of the sauce over the plated salmon and brussels is the best way to serve. And to everyone else, I’ve made the dish again since I first posted (that’s how much I liked it) and I tried it with another David Chang dressing — the one at the bottom of this post: https://www.dinneralovestory.com/birthday-dinner/

    It was arguably better, which is saying something.

  • Avatar sarah says:

    Oh goodness. Once I get out of my first trimester funk and am able to consume something that isn’t a baked potato or a crumpet, this is what I am making for dinner.

  • Avatar sonya says:

    love it! made it tonight and it is PERFECT! thank you!

  • Avatar Kate says:

    This recipe looks so easy and delicious!!! I will be making it for sure!
    Kate
    http://www.365til30.com

  • Andrea says:

    We made this last night. So good, and surprisingly easy. (Or, as you said, ” simple, weeknight-friendly, tasty.”) Thank you!

  • Avatar Susan B. says:

    This was fantastic! Maybe my sprouts were tiny but they started to burn before i even put the fish on the tray. I lowered the temperature and it worked out great. So delish! Thank you for the recipe 🙂

  • Avatar Amanda says:

    Wow! This looks like a delicious meal! We think it will become our new favorite meal very soon! Our Food Lovers would love to hear about this mouthwatering recipe on our community page! http://bit.ly/yI0sZU

  • Avatar Bernardeta says:

    Delicious .i just made everybody loved it.

  • Avatar Heidi says:

    Do you know where you heard that Rauschenberg story? Do you have a source for it?

    Thanks!

  • Avatar Carlin says:

    As someone who works in publishing, I am sure you were driving your editor a bit mad, but with such a tasty subject, it would be hard to stop. As they say “A book is either finished or it is published. Never both.” I am sure the DALS cookbook will be wonderful. Can’t wait to see the finished product. Besides, how can you have a second edition, or another book altogether, if everything was included in the first one?

  • Avatar Caro says:

    I found your website through Pinterest and I tried this recipe tonight. Thank you so much – it is wonderful! Can’t wait for your cookbook.

  • Avatar EC says:

    Did you change the recipe for the dressing? I made this last week, and I don’t recall there being mint….

  • Avatar EC says:

    Did you change the recipe? I made this last week, and I don’t remember there being mint or fish sauce in the dressing. Would you please post the original recipe? Thanks!

  • Jenny Jenny says:

    Damn, you are quick EC! I did add fish sauce and mint (both are optional) but didn’t change anything else. So just omit those if you like it the other way. PS: I do this all the time with recipes when I make something over and over and discover new fun ways to make it special. That’s how I know this is a keeper!

  • Avatar Andrea says:

    lol. I did my grocery shopping based on an old print out of the recipe. Then today thought I must be going crazy when I saw the mint and fish sauce!
    About to go in the oven, can’t wait.

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