This is a French style sauce preparation using Asian elements. Admittedly, it is a bit fragile and has a propensity to break if not emulsified. To stabilize the sauce for home use, cut butter into 16 pieces and dredge in flour before adding to the sauce, or add a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in an equal amount of water to the sauce with the butter.
For The Sauce:
2 Tablespoon shallots, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon garlic, finely minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup mirin
½ cup brown sugar
3 limes (zested and juiced)
1 Tablespoon pickled ginger
½ pound butter
1. Sweat shallots and garlic over low heat in a medium saucepan until shallots are translucent.
2. Mix together soy sauce, Mirin, and brown sugar. Add to saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce mixture by half.
3. Strain mixture. Add liquid back to saucepan and place over low heat. Add lime juice, zest and pickled ginger. Slowly add butter, whisking until sauce is well emulsified. (Makes: 1 cup)
Ingredient Note: Mirin is a Japanese wine that is made from rice, and mainly used for cooking. It has a golden color and adds a sweet taste to many dishes, sauces and glazes.
For The Salmon:
4 5-ounce King Salmon filets, skin removed
Sea salt, to taste
½ cup Black sesame seeds
½ cup White sesame seeds
Oil for cooking
1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Rinse and pat dry salmon; sprinkle with salt.
2. Mix together the sesame seeds. Dredge the salmon filets in the seeds to coat, pressing to make seeds adhere. Set salmon aside.
3. Place a few tablespoons of oil (we use a sauté oil that is a mix of canola and olive oil) in a skillet large enough to hold all four filets. Turn flame to high and heat until oil is very hot and you see lines forming in the oil.
4. Place the salmon in the oil and watch as the color turns from bright orange to light pink. Once 3/8 of an inch of the salmon changes color to light pink, flip each filet over and do the same to the other side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
5. Prepare the rest of your dinner. Just before plating, put the salmon in the oven to finish it off and heat it through – 2-5 minutes or until the filet springs back lightly when depressed.
Recipe Note: Our signature salmon dish at Coho includes a seared black and white sesame-encrusted salmon filet, a grilled rice cake (see our previous blog post – Musubi), seasonal sautéed vegetables, and this wonderful Mirin sauce which marries all the elements.