Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon

Here's another delicious dish from Simply Recipes, which I prepared for dinner tonight. I should be cooking more fish and vegetable dishes. I didn't have sake so I used rice wine.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free or wheat-free soy sauce for wheat-free version)
1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
A dash of red chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
Olive oil

Method

1 Mix the soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger, garlic, chile flakes, and sugar in a medium bowl. Place the salmon fillets in a sturdy freezer bag. Pour about the marinade into the freezer bag with the fish. Seal the freezer bag and place in a baking dish (so that if the bag leaks it doesn't get all over your fridge). Place in your refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

2a Grilling method
Brush the grill grates with olive oil; pre-heat your grill to medium heat. Remove salmon from bag, reserving the marinade. Place salmon either directly on the grill grate, or on a piece of aluminum foil (brushed with olive oil) over the grill grate, skin side down. Brush frequently with the marinade glaze, cook the salmon 10-20 minutes (depending on thickness of the fillets), until easily flaked with a fork.

2b Pan frying method
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the salmon and reserve the marinade. Fry the salmon 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting frequently with the marinade. Serve once the salmon is cooked through and is easily flaked with a fork.

2c Baking method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Brush the top of the foil with olive oil. Drain the salmon and reserve the marinade. Place salmon on the foil, skin side down. Bake for 10-20 minutes depending on how thick the fillets are, basting frequently with the marinade, until the salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

3 If you have some remaining marinade, you can heat it in a small saucepan until simmering. Remove from heat and pour into a small gravy boat for serving with the salmon. This is optional.

Serves 4.