Marinated salmon with garlicky kale and barley

 

This salmon recipe comes courtesy of my friend Tess (and yes, I have sought approval to use her full name – thank you Tess :)

Tess and I lived together for quite a few years before both moving in with our respective partners, back when we were young and wild (or used to sit in on a Friday night on the couch and drink cups of tea, depending on whose version of events you listen to!)

We often used to have dinner parties, and my favorite dish of Tess’s that she used to make was this salmon. She perfected the recipe over the years of us living together, and this dish is now renown throughout our circle of friends and always attracts plenty of compliments.

The salmon in this dish is marinated in soy, sesame oil, chilli, garlic and ginger, and is incredibly flavourful. I find it best served with something simple – I’ve used stirfried kale and barley here as it was what I had on hand, however you could easily use other grains (brown rice works really well here) or greens (spinach, silverbeet) instead. Tess also often flakes the salmon into a warm soba noodle salad, also a great way to use up any leftovers.

Marinated salmon with garlicky kale and barley

4 150g fillets of salmon, skin on and de-boned

1 C washed pearled barley

1 large bunch kale, washed and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

 

Marinade

1/2 C light soy sauce

2 Tbsp sesame oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1-2 chillis, finely chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

 

Add barley to 3 cups boiling water, and reduce to a fast simmer. Cook for 35 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water to cool.

Whilst the barley is cooking, mix all the marinade ingredients together and use to coat the salmon fillets. Place in the fridge to marinate at least half an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Get a large baking tray and wrap the fillets, skin side down, in large squares or rectangles of aluminium foil. The foil should be loose and allow the salmon space to steam. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add kale. Stir for 3-4 minutes, until beginning to wilt. Add garlic and cook another minute, and then add barley and a good splash or two of soy sauce to taste. Cook for an extra minute.

Serve salmon over garlicky kale and barley mixture.

serves 4