When you’re juggling kids, work and after-school activities, who has time to cook? Dinner Like a Boss is food writer and stylist Katy Holder’s collection of more than 50 quick, easy and healthy meals for busy families, featuring meat, fish and vegetarian dishes from around the world (and some sweet treats, too). In no time, you’ll be making dinner like a boss! Let’s start with her Teriyaki salmon with udon noodles!
Salmon ingredients:
60ml soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon honey
600–800g skinless salmon fillet
Stir-fried vegetables and noodles:
1 bunch baby bok choy
270g dried udon noodles
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
150 g snow peas, ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthways
small handful of coriander leaves (optional)
Method:
Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Cut the salmon into four portions and remove any bones. Place fish in the cooled marinade and turn to coat. Set aside for 10–15 minutes. Line a baking tray with foil and place a grill shelf about 10 cm away from the heat.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the noodles. Next, trim the ends of the bok choy, then shred the stalks and leaves, keeping the stalks and leaves separate.
Boiling noodles for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Drain well and rinse under hot water to prevent sticking. Return the noodles to the saucepan, add the sesame oil and toss to coat.
While the noodles are cooking, heat the grill to high. Remove the salmon from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and place it on the lined tray. Grill for 3–4 minutes on each side,
or until just cooked through. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish. Pour the reserved marinade back into the small saucepan and warm it through over a very
low heat.
Once you turn the fish, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 secs, or until fragrant. Increase the heat to high, add the bok choy stalks and 1 tablespoon of water and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add snow peas and bok choy leaves and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the stir-fried vegetables and a piece of salmon. Spoon over the hot marinade and scatter over coriander leaves.
Variations:
You can swap around the vegetables to suit your family. Green beans, red capsicum (bell pepper) and mushrooms all work well too. Carrots can be used, but slice them thinly and add 1–2 tablespoons of water to the pan to help them cook – they will take 3–4 minutes.
This is an edited extract from Dinner Like a Boss by Katy Holder published by Hardie Grant Books
RRP $29.99 and is available in stores nationally. Photographer: © Benito Martin