Asian-style Steamed Salmon in Banana Leaf & Coconut Miso Sauce

The juiciest, most exotic yet probably the most simple steamed Salmon recipe you’ll be making!

This Asian-style Steamed Salmon is marinated with a blend of Asian fresh herbs then steamed in coconut milk and banana leaf before being served with coconut miso sauce. It is BOMB, guys!!!

As weather gets colder and America’s kicking off the season’s holiday with Thanksgiving this week, I bet we are all caught by this festive spell one way or the other and can’t help but feeling the uplifting spirit all around us.  Just one shy month away but many parties and feasts in between, the biggest celebrations of the year will be upon us all!  May YOU all cruise to the finish line of 2018 with energy, momentum, milestones & successes, joy and happiness each day.

Though not celebrating Thanksgiving, I would use this occasion to take in the presence and be thankful for what I’m having and those lovelies I’m lucky to have around me. Namaste!

And now, on to the food biz! As you will find countless Thanksgivings food feeds with turkey, roasts, stew, pumpkin, pies,cakes, and many more hearty yumminess, I will instead share with you a very special take on Salmon that is super simple to make yet will surely  be one of the stars on your party table. It would serve as a perfect light & healthy dinner at the end of your festive bonanza.

This has been voted as my best Salmon dish so far, above all other recipes I’ve made such as teriyaki, seared,grilled, or baked in various styles and world flavours.

You will be surprised by how simple it is and how few ingredients it requires!  The Banana leaf is the real magic here. Once steamed or cooked with food, it adds a subtle sweetness and very special fragrance (somewhat rice-y) and brings the dish to another level. So get your hand on some fresh or frozen banana leaf, 1-2 stalk of lemongrass, some fish sauce, and good quality salmon. The rest is history….in the making 🙂

The marinade cannot be simpler: blend shallot, garlic, chili, coriander, lemongrass, soy sauce (OR coconut aminos) and fish sauce. That’s IT!

Drizzle the miso sauce on top and ENJOY!

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Asian-style salmon filet steamed in banana leaves & Coconut Miso sauce

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Resting time

15 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

This Asian-style Steamed Salmon is marinated with a blend of Asian fresh herbs then steamed in coconut milk and banana leaf before being served with coconut miso sauce. This has been voted as my best Salmon dish so far, above all other recipes I’ve made such as teriyaki, seared, grilled, or baked in various styles and world flavours.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, AsianFusion

Keyword: fish, healthy dinner, holiday recipes, salmon, steamed salmon

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 430 kcal

Author: H.P.

Ingredients

For 2-3 servings

• 400 gr salmon filet or wild salmon if you can get your hand and wallet on it *
• 20 gr 1 small shallot
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 thai chili
• 2 tbsp 30ml coconut aminos OR 1 ½ tsp (12ml) low sodium soy sauce
• ½ tbsp ~7-8ml fish sauce, just for a touch of flavour
• 2 large sheets of banana leaf found in Asian stores or for those in Netherlands at Jumbo supermarket
• Coriander + 2-3 mint leaves
• Chives and coriander for garnishing
• Optional 100ml coconut milk (semi or full-fat) for steaming
• 1 large bok choi or gai lain or any green vegs of choice

Miso coconut sauce

• 15 ml miso
• 80 ml light coconut milk lower fat
• Optional 1/2tsp ginger orange marmalade OR honey for a touch of sweetness. The ginger marmalade goes extremely well with the Asian flavours in this recipe!
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• Some chives

Instructions

To make the marinade:

1. Blend all herbs with soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice in a blender or Nutribullet to get a coarse paste
2. Coat 3/4 of the marinade on salmon in a Ziploc bag and sub gently
3. Save the remaining for the vegetables later on
4. Let it rest in the fridge for about 15mins so that our salmon can absorb all of that exotic herby juice
5. In the meantime, wash and pad dry banana leaves with kitchen towel
6. Line 1 sheet at the bottom of your steamer
7. If you want to make it super coconut and , make sure to create a rim above the bottom so that we can pour the coconut milk on it later on
8. Once the salmon has been well bathed in the marinade, put it on the lined steamer
9. (Optional) pour the coconut milk onto the bottom (NOT on top of the fish as we don’t want any herbs to be washed down)
10. Steam for about 15 minutes until the salmon is just cooked and pink in juiciness
11. Half way through, open the steamer and layer your vegetables on top. Rub the remaining marinade on them and close the lid.

To make coconut miso sauce

1. About 5 minutes before the salmon is cooked, mix miso paste in coconut milk in a small saucepan
2. Add garlic powder and jam/honey and bring to a gentle simmer

Serve

1. Once the salmon is ready, serve on coconut quinoa, rice, or soft-baked polenta(**)
2. Drizzle the coconut miso sauce on top
3. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and chives
4. Eat warm!

Recipe Notes

*) In Europe, most salmon sold at fisheries or supermarkets are farm-raised Atlantic salmon and have pink colour vs a deeper red shade in Alaska wild salmon. I rarely see wild salmon on sale and if I do, it’s usually frozen and at twice the price of its pink “cousin”. Compared to a wild filet, farm-raised is almost 50% higher in calories (mostly from fat component), containing slightly more Omega-3s, much more Omega-6 fatty acids (thus somewhat less ideal omega 3:6 ratio). However, it’s still very healthy, good for your heart, your tummy, and thus your mind J if consumed once or twice a week. Just like everything else, goodness comes with moderation!