Pan Seared Wild Salmon With Roasted Baby Bok Choy

A nice piece of wild salmon and organic baby bok choy is all you need to make a delicious and super simple meal with a paleo’ish lean.

In our latest video we show you how easy it is to make this as a lunch or dinner option.

This is a super healthy meal with the wild salmon packing a solid punch of nutrition with about a 60 to 40 percent ratio of protein to fat.

We recommend wild over farmed because of the potential for lower concentrations of contaminants. 

Wild Salmon could be considered a super food, but that’s all marketing. All whole foods found in nature are super, in that they help to keep us healthy and filled with vitality.

This fish is great for the whole body. It is beneficial for your brain, heart, neurological system, skin, eyes, bones and joints.

Here are some of the nutritional highlights of this near perfect fish:

    Quality protein

    Omega 3 fatty acids

    Essential amino acids

    B vitamins (especially B-12)

    Vitamin D

    Selenium

Bok Choy, also known as Chinese Cabbage is a relative of the cabbage family. It has been popular in China since a. long. time. ago.

It has a sweet and mild tasting profile and when you roast it, the leaves take on a nice nutty flavor.

In Chinese medicine BC is known as a tonic that energizes the stomach and large intestine. It is can help clear excess water, mucus, and toxins.[1] 

It is low in calories but ranks high in terms of nutrient density, so eat up!

Here are some of the benefits of eating bok choy, as well as some of the nutritional highlights:

    Contains anti-cancer properties

    Good for heart and bone health

    Improves immunity and skin

    Vitamin A

    Vitamin C

    And vitamin K

INGREDIENTS:

8oz wild salmon

Organic baby bok choy

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 T toasted sesame oil

2 tsp tamari 

2 tsp brown rice vinegar

2 tsp raw honey

2 to 3 tsp grated ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat up your oven to 425. Take the baby bok choy and cut it in half. Rinse in cold running water making sure you remove any excess dirt. Gently pat dry with a towel and set aside. Oil your roasting pan and place the bok choy on it cut side down. Drizzle a light coating of olive oil on the surface. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place in the oven on the lowest rack and let cook for 10 minutes. When ready remove from the oven and prepare for plating.

2. Take your fresh salmon and gently pat it dry so you get a nice crisp skin. Turn on the heat on to a medium high and place your pan over it. Add oil and wait until it begins to shimmer. When the pan and oil are nice and hot place your fish on the pan. Give it a nice pat with your fingers to make sure it cooks evenly. Once you see the fish begin to turn opaque about two thirds of the way up, flip it to the other side to finish cooking. About 4 minutes total (depending on the thickness of your fish). Once it’s done let it rest for a few more minutes to let the residual heat cook it through. 

3. To make your sauce take the ingredients above and mix them in a bowl or glass as in the video. Peel and grate the ginger. Take the grated ginger pulp and squeeze it, either with your bare hand or using cheese cloth. Mix well and drizzle over your dish for a nice extra kick.

TIP

To get nice crispy skin you can take a sharp knife and slice the skin of your salmon about a 1/4” apart. Check out this video with Gordon Ramsey to learn how to do that. You don’t need to do this to get crispy skin, but this makes for an interesting finished look for presentation. https://youtu.be/jD9VJ92xyzA 

For all you guys (and gals) out there that want to make this meal a bit more substantial for muscle building or whatever, feel free to add a helping of starch such as rice, quinoa or red potatoes.

This is a dish lends itself to flexibility so try any of those combinations and let us know how they turn out. 

That’s it for this one. As always, enjoy and we hope to hear from you. See you on the next one!

[1] The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, Rebecca Wood, Penguin Books 2010, Pgs. 49-50