By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, December 8, 1999

Land O' Lakes
Lemon brightens the flavor of Italian Broiled Salmon, which
is served with beans seasoned with more lemon
and enriched with garlic butter.

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Salmon scales new heights

SALMON is a readily available, generally affordable fish with a distinctive flavor that's easy to accentuate with a simple trip to the grill.

Still, there are many ways to dress up a salmon steak or fillet. Daisee Mau believes the best way is the way T.G.I. Friday's does it -- with a glaze made out of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.

Unfortunately, Friday's corporate chef declines to share. The restaurant does give out some recipes, but not this one, spokesman Stewart Slocum said in a telephone call from Friday's office in Dallas.

The Jack Daniel's company, however, offers an all-purpose barbecue glaze on its Web site, www.jackdaniels.com. It's recommended for grilled meats, poultry or fish, and it's as close as we're going to get without help from Friday's. But at least this gives us an opportunity to explore some other ways to serve up salmon, such as a low-fat Italian version served over lemon-flavored beans, and another dish with a pinot noir sauce thickened and sweetened with carmelized sugar.

JACK'S SECRET WEAPON ALL-PURPOSE BBQ GLAZE

1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Makes about 1-1/2 cups. Brush sauce over meat just before pulling off the grill.

Nutritional information unavailable.

ITALIAN BROILED SALMON

Land O' Lakes

3 lemons
1 pound salmon fillet
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic
Two 15-1/2-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

Cut 1 lemon into 6 slices. Place salmon, skin-side up, and lemon slices on broiler pan coated in cooking spray. Broil 5 inches from heat, turning once, until fish flakes with a fork (12 minutes to 13 minutes).

Meanwhile, grate peel on remaining 2 lemons to make about 4 teaspoons of zest. Squeeze the lemons and reserve the juice. Combine lemon peel and parsley in a small bowl.

Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet until sizzling; add garlic. Cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons lemon-peel mixture and beans.

Continue cooking until heated through, 4 minutes to 5 minutes.

To serve, place fish, lemons and bean mixture on serving plate; sprinkle with lemon peel and parsley. Drizzle with reserved lemon juice. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 350 calories, 8 g fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium.*

ROAST SALMON STEAKS WITH PINOT NOIR

New York Times, adapted from Brasa restaurant, Seattle

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pinot noir
1 sprig rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
4 salmon steaks, each about 1/2 pound
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter

Cook sugar over medium heat in heavy-bottomed non-stick saucepan. Do not stir (shake the pan occasionally to redistribute sugar) until sugar liquifies and begins to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and carefully add wine. Turn heat to high and cook, stirring, until caramel dissolves again. Add rosemary sprig and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy and reduced to just over 1/2 cup, 10 to 15 minutes.

As liquid reduces, heat a nonstick skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper, then place in pan and immediately transfer to a 450-degree oven. Cook 3 minutes, then turn salmon and cook another 3 minutes. Remove salmon when medium-rare and keep warm.

When sauce is reduced, stir in balsamic vinegar and butter and turn heat to medium-low. Cook until butter melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove rosemary sprig. Serve over salmon, garnished with chopped rosemary. Serves 4.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.