Weather: 36 degrees, cloudy
What I’m listening to: See You Again, Wiz Khalifa
A couple of weeks ago I got to spend four days up in Anchorage participating in a food styling photo shoot with Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, cooking and styling some of the most incredible seafood and local Alaska Grown produce this fine state has to offer, alongside my talented friends Kim Sunée and Ash Adams Photography. I loved the hustle and bustle of it all – the gathering of ingredients, the rhythm of the prepping, chopping, dicing, shredding, the sizzle and pop of seafood in a hot pan, the music playing in the background, the aroma and intensity of a kitchen filled with beautiful food and a hard-working team, the urgency of timing everything just right to create the perfect plate and the perfect photograph.
I came home inspired to develop a new spring-into-summer recipe highlighting salmon and lots of fresh produce. I seared off the salmon, made a quick spicy-sweet glaze with Sriracha and honey, and wrapped it up in crisp lettuce cups topped with cilantro, green onions, and carrots, finished with a squeeze of lime (and if you’re crazy like me, even more Sriracha). I’m totally in love with these Honey Sriracha Salmon Lettuce Wraps.
Honey Sriracha Salmon Lettuce Wraps
Spicy-sweet salmon wrapped in crisp lettuce cups and topped with carrots, cilantro, and green onion. Finished with a squeeze of lime. Glaze adapted from Creme De La Crumb.
Yields: 2-4 servings
- 2 (4 ounce) wild salmon fillets, pin bones and skin removed
- salt and pepper
- For the Honey Sriracha Sauce:
- oil for the pan
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch stirred into 1 tablespoon cold water
- For the Lettuce Wraps:
- 10 leaves of butter lettuce, separated
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced into 1-inch strips or matchsticks
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- lime wedges
- Sriracha, for serving
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan lightly with neutral oil like avocado or canola. Pat the salmon fillets dry and season them well with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon about 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned on the outside and cooked to medium on the inside.
Meanwhile, to a small saucepan over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and saute the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water, Sriracha, honey, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then gradually whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture, stirring until thickened, forming a glaze. Remove from heat.
Spoon some of the glaze over the salmon fillets, coating them. Reserve any remaining glaze to drizzle over the lettuce wraps. To assemble wraps: flake the salmon in large chunks with a fork. Fill each lettuce cup with salmon. Top with carrots, cilantro, and green onions. Serve with lime wedges, Sriracha, and remaining glaze.