Shaking Salmon
A twist on a classic from Andrea Nguyen's new book, Ever-Green Vietnamese
This week I’m sharing a recipe from Andrea Nguyen’s fantastic new cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese. I’ve been a huge fan of Andrea’s work ever since the publication of her first book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, and I own every cookbook she’s written. (I even had the great fortune to help test recipes for a couple of her single-subject books.) Andrea has the kind of inquisitive mind that marks the very best recipe developers. She’s constantly experimenting with new iterations of classic dishes and finding innovative ways to improve the cooking process. She’s also generous with what she learns, lifting the curtain so that her readers can improve their own cooking experiences. Personally, I like to think that the fact that Andrea has lived in California since she was a kid has added to her culinary inventiveness, but I’m biased, of course. Wherever her ideas come from, the results, like this recipe below, are delicious.
Cá Hồi Lúc Lắc
Shaking Salmon
From Andrea: “I’ve shaken cubes of beefsteak and tofu for this iconic Vietnamese main dish salad, so why not fish? Tuna tended to be too lean, and delicate white fish was too flaky, but rich-tasting salmon was just right. I removed the skin so that the salmon cubes would cook up better. I didn’t want to waste the skin—a tasty (and pricey) part of the fish—so I baked it into crisp chips to serve with the dish. (If the skin’s fishiness isn’t for you, discard the skin and skip the prep step.) Coating the salmon cubes in rice flour enables easy searing. Ginger adds a spritely bite to the garlicky, peppery sauce.
In Vietnamese, this warm-cool salad is quirkily named for how the featured protein is cut as large cubes that resemble hột lúc lắc (playing dice). Because lúc lắc means “to shake” and that action is involved in cooking the dish, “shaking” became part of the charming English-language translation. No matter what it’s called, this salad-y main is great on its own or with a side of rice.”
1⅓-lb center-cut salmon fillet, skin removed and reserved (see Note)
Fine sea salt
Recently ground black pepper
2½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, agave syrup, or mild honey, plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion or shallot
1½ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water or neutral oil (such as canola or peanut; choose water for a brighter salad flavor, oil for a richer outcome)
5 to 6 cups lightly packed spring baby lettuce mix or watercress
⅓ cup hand-torn dill, mint, basil, shiso, or a combination
6 to 8 cherry tomatoes or small red radishes, halved
1½ tablespoons white or brown rice flour
1½ tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or peanut)
Cut the salmon and make the chips
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 375°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Cut the salmon flesh into ¾- to 1-inch cubes and set on a plate. Cut the reserved salmon skin into ¾-inch-wide strips about 3 inches long. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper and then coat with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Arrange the skin strips, shinier scale-side up, on the foil.
Bake the salmon skin for 12 to 18 minutes, or until sizzling and crisp (expect oil to pool in the pan). The cooking time depends on the strips’ thickness; monitor and remove them as they’re done to avoid burning. Transfer to a plate, leaving the oil behind, and let cool completely.
Mix the seasoning sauce and ready the salad
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the ginger, garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and remaining 1½ teaspoons sesame oil.
Rinse the onion in a strainer under cold running water for about 10 seconds, then set aside. In a large bowl (suitable for tossing the salad), whisk together the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, vinegar, and water. Add the onion and top with the lettuce, herbs, and tomatoes. Don’t toss yet.
Cook the salmon, toss the salad, and serve
Lightly coat the cubed salmon with the rice flour. Set by the stove with the ginger-garlic seasoning sauce.
Set a 12-inch skillet (I favor carbon steel for its heat conduction) over high heat and add the neutral oil. When the oil ripples, add the salmon and cook, gently turning and tossing it, for about 3 minutes, until the fish is nearly cooked through. To test for doneness, poke the flesh; it should give a bit and the interior should look opaque.
Lower the heat slightly, pour in the seasoning sauce, and cook briefly, tossing and gently stirring, for about 30 seconds to cloak the salmon in the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and let rest and cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the salad, transfer everything (including the dressing lingering at the bottom of the bowl) to a platter or shallow serving bowl, and then top with the cooked salmon and skin chips. Serve immediately, inviting diners to combine the salmon with the salad for a cool-warm finish. Or, ceremoniously combine the ingredients at the table and let diners dive in.
NOTES:
Ingredients If you skip the salmon skin, substitute crumbled sesame sticks for a rich crunch, if desired.
Technique To remove the skin from the salmon fillet, cut the fillet crosswise into approximately 3-inch-wide sections. Set the fillet skin-side down on the cutting board. Run your finger along the fillet’s thicker edge to open a gap between the flesh and skin. Slide a knife (boning, fillet, or chef’s) into the gap. Working with the knife nearly parallel to the cutting board, angle the blade downward to cut the skin away from the flesh. When there’s enough detached skin, hold on to it to keep the fillet in place and provide slight tension to guide the blade as you saw the knife all the way through to the other edge. When you’re done, if you like, flip the skin over and scrape any loose scales off from the shiny side.
TIP: Select a salmon fillet that’s about 1 inch thick in the middle; ask the fishmonger to remove the skin if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Other California Recipes to Cook This Week
Looking for some other fun things to cook this holiday weekend? The LA Times has a recipe for Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes that looks amazing, Edible San Francisco has a recipe for really unique-looking Kvaroy Salmon Dogs with Mozzarella, Kimchi Relish and Gochjang Mayo, and Rancho Gordo’s blog recently posted a recipe for Tuscan bean soup with farro—a fittingly hearty dish for this chilly, June gloom-filled week. Lastly, if you’re looking for some project cooking, check out Mendocino’s Word of Mouth magazine; the spring issue has a recipe for pickled garlic scapes.
Photos: copyright © 2023 by Aubrie Pick
Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea by Andrea Nguyen, copyright © 2023. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.