Teriyaki Salmon and Orange Butter Rice

We like our Donabe Pot. It is a Japanese vessel that is used to cook on top of the stove. It is unique in that it has two lids to keep the heat and steam in. It is made of quite heavy ceramic material. We made a new rice dish for us, that was terrific: Orange Butter Rice. After the Rice is cooked in the Donabe, butter and orange zest are added. It really tastes good! We wonder if you can just make make this dish in our Rice Maker. I see no reason why we can't try it. There is something nice about cooking the rice in the traditional method, so maybe we will continue using the Donabe.

The Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds went perfectly with the Orange Butter Rice. 

Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds

A Change of Appetite

Diana Kennedy

I could live on this. It’s so easy and yet utterly beautiful looking. I always feel better after eating it. The pickled vegetables are a great thing to know about. Make extra and keep them in the refrigerator for eating at lunch. You can make this dish with mackerel and checken breasts, too (Chicken needs to be cooled for 20 minutes).

SERVES 4

For The Salmon

¼      cup soy sauce

1       tablespoon sugar

2       tablespoons mirin

2       tablespoon dry sherry
4       salmon fillets

2       teaspoons black sesame seeds

For The Vegetables

½      cup rice vinegar

1       tablespoon superfine sugar

½      cucumber, halved and seeded

2       small carrots, peeled

4       radishes, trimmed and cut into wafer-thin slices

½      daikon radish, peeled

½      teaspoon salt

1       tablespoon pickled gingerc(p us whatever liquid clings to it)

1/4    cup microgreens

For the salmon, mix the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sherry and stir to dissolve the sugar. Put the fish in the marinade, turn to coat, cover, and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.

To make the vegetables, heat the vinegar and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Set aside to cool. (Or, if you are in a hurry, you can just whisk together the vinegar and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.) Keeping them separate, cut the cucumber, carrots, radishes, and mooli into matchsticks, each about 2 inches long. Sprinkle the salt on the cucumber and put it into a colander for 10 minutes, Rinse and pat dry, then add all the vegetables to the vinegar mixture and toss to combine.

When you’re ready to cook the fish, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the salmon, in its marinade, for 12 minutes; it will remain moist and only just cooked in the middle. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds. Add the pickled ginger and microgreens to the vegetables, toss, and serve with the salmon. Offer rice on the side.

Orange Butter Rice

Donabe Cookbook

1          medium orange (such as navel)

3          rice cups short-grain white rice, rinsed

2-1/4   cups water

3          tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 slices, at room temperature

3          tablespoons usukuchi shoyu
(light-colored soy sauce)

Freshly ground black pepper

It may be hard to imagine how the flavor combination of steamed rice with orange, butter, and soy sauce could work, but it’s delicious to the point of being irresistible. While this dish is good on its own. Smoked duck and orange butter rice brilliant pairing! It’s also great as a side dish for grilled meat or fish.—Naoko

Using a paring knife or a peeler, slice off the zest from the orange in long strips 34-inch wide. Be sure to remove just the top layer of the skin, not the white pith. Cut crosswise into very finely julienned pieces. Set aside. Reserve the peeled orange for another use.

In the donabe, combine the rice with the water. Let the rice soak for 20 minutes. Cover with both lids and cook over medium-high heat for 13 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest undisturbed for 20 minutes.

Uncover and add the butter, usukuchi shoyu, and orange zest. Gently fluff the contents and serve in individual bowls at the table. Grind some black pepper on top and enjoy.