Caramelized Salmon Steak
This is a comforting, pantry staple, freezer friendly dish that you can make on a whim. In Vietnamese, it is called cá kho, and is frequently complemented with steamed rice and a simple plate of steamed vegetable. The caramelized sauce should lean on the saltier side — it makes a great dipping sauce for the vegetable, or drizzle over the rice.
I always go for salmon steaks when I make cá kho — it is 1/ delicious and nutritious, 2/ the best value you can get for salmon, and 3/ very hard to overcook. And if you are like me, you’ll always go for the cut towards the belly. Invest in a meat thermometer, and you will get consistent results every time.
Cook time:
15 minutes if the steak is 1 inch thick, and is thawed to room temperature prior to cooking
20 minutes if cooked straight from freezer
Serve: Family of 2 and a half
No special cooking tool needed — use a nonstick or well seasoned cast iron pan or pot.
Aim for a smaller vessel so it hugs the steak like pictured above.
INGREDIENTS
1 piece of salmon steak (at least 1 inch thick)
Caramel Sauce:
1 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of maple syrup
Aromatics:
2 cloves of garlic. Diced
1 tbsp of ginger. Diced
Garnish:
1 large shallot (about 2 thumb size). Sliced thinly
1tbsp of fish sauce (or more to taste)
Black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all ingredients to make caramel sauce.
On medium heat, active the aromatics with some neutral oil (1-2 minutes).
Pat the salmon steak dry and add to the pot.
Pour the caramelized sauce over the steak and reduce heat to low. Let sit for 1 minute then flip the steak.
Add a splash of water (1/4 cup) to the pot.
With an oven mitt and a long spoon, tilt the pot and generously bathe the steak in the caramelized sauce and its aromatics — every so often, until the water content in the caramel sauce is reduced and the steak temperature reaches 120F.
Arrange slices of shallots all over the steak and close the lid for 30 seconds — enclosing the steam to cook the shallots.
Turn off heat. Drizzle the final tbsp of fish sauce all over the steak (or more to taste). Add freshly cracked pepper to finish. Eat right away with plain rice and a side of steamed vegetable.
NOTE:
When checking the temperature of the steak with a meat thermometer, aim at the part that is closest to the spine.
If the sauce is looking like it is wanting to burn and the meat is not yet ready, continue adding splashes of water to the sauce — 1 tbsp at a time — and bathing the steak until it is done.
Essentially, you are reducing the sauce and letting it absorb into the fish. Don’t walk away as maple syrup can burn very quickly.
