ArkansasRockers.com

Serves 4

4 4oz. salmon filets

Red Curry Sauce:
2 cans coconut milk
1 TBS red curry paste
1 tsp ginger, minced
6 or 7 basil leaves, sliced

Asian Slaw:
1/2 head cabbage, sliced very thinly
1 red pepper, julienned
1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded, julienned
1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 TBS rice vinegar
dash or two soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds

Jasmine Rice:
1 1/2 c. prepared in 3 c. water

Okay, so first you want to make your slaw which means deseeding and slicing thinly (damn all that julienning) all those veggies, toss them with the oil, soy sauce & vinegar, top w/ a teaspoon or so of freshly toasted sesame seeds. Put it aside and let all the flavors sit.

Now for the sauce: dump the cans of coconut milk in a heavy large-ish pan, add ginger, and whisk in the red curry paste so it’s all mixed in together. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Start the rice while the sauce is simmering.

Now here’s where you can improvise. Sometimes I broil the salmon in the oven encrusted w/ lemongrass and sesame seeds. Lately, though, I’ve been poaching the salmon directly in the sauce, adding the basil in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Here’s where you can’t improvise - the layering. When everything is done you plate the dish as follows: first, a serving spoonful of rice, then a heaping tongful of the slaw, the the salmon and top it all with plenty of the red curry sauce. The flavors should deepen with the aromatic-yet-neutral rice, then the cool, tangy slaw, then the meaty, salty salmon and finally the warm, spicy richness of the sauce all married together in your mouth. You’ll thank me!