Sesame-Crusted Salmon Over Nutty Wild Rice and Seaweed Salad (Patreon)

Sesame-Crusted Salmon Over Nutty Wild Rice and Seaweed Salad

This is the first recipe I’ve reverse engineered from a restaurant. 

In this case, The Cockeyed Gull on Peaks Island WHERE I LIVE BECAUSE I AM A SILLY BISCUIT.

Is it exactly the same? No. Is it close? Oh, VERY.

The Gull’s sesame-crusted salmon has been one of my comfort foods for years now. And it is very unfortunately when a comfort food hits the inflation/pandemic price ski-jump and is now $30 plus tax and tip.

So I worked backwards and I’m pretty dang happy with my results. (Especially since I can’t stop craving fish lately, it’s seriously getting weird. I’d eat it for all meals right now if I could!) It’s simple, but wholesome and spicy and filling—and not too filling for a summer dinner. It hits the right spot, and takes less than half an hour to make from start to finished. I AM FAIRLY CHUFFED, I TELL YOU WHAT.

Now, the photo involved some substitutions come ALL CAPS PHOOD PHOTOGRAPHY night. I would normally use sushi rice for this, but we had none, so I decided to toast some cashews to add into the wild rice, which was A HISTORICALLY GREAT CALL. The OG uses tuxedo sesame seeds, and I’m pretty sure baking rather than frying, but regular and a good old fashioned pan worked just fine. Restaurants will always be just that little bit better, but we perservere.

I hope you enjoy a reasonable facsimile of my favorite dish on the island.

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets, skin removed

At least 1/4-1/2 cup sesame seeds, any color (all black would look spectacular!)

1 container storebought seaweed salad

1 cup wild rice

1/4 cup cashews, broken into small pieces

Bottle of Woeber’s (or other) wasabi cream sauce to dress

Salt and pepper to taste

Let’s Do This Like It’s Wednesday Night and We’re 100% High-Octane Exhausted

Fill a large dinner plate with sesame seeds. (When I didn’t have quite enough, I topped it up with Everything But the Bagel seasoning, which was really great. It doesn’t need the extra spices, but I wouldn’t kick them out of bed). Season fillets with salt and pepper, both sides, then press fillets into the seeds, moving around to coat. Repeat on the other side and then the thinner edges until the fillets are completely coated in a firm layer of seeds. Let rest on plate.

Set rice cooking according to package instructions.

Put the smallest amount of olive oil possible to make things not stick to your pan, in your pan. Salmon is oily itself, so you don’t want too much. Heat on medium until shimmery, then place fillets in the oil. Three minutes on each side for a firm medium center, 2-2:30 for a cooler center. )I have found four minutes gave me a well-done, but too dry and dense for me, fish.)

While fillets cool, get a small, dry skillet and gently toast the cashews over medium heat until they become fragrant.

When rice is finished, add cashews and stir, then serve fillets on a bed of rice, a swirl of wasabi sauce on top, and a side of seaweed salad. And more wasabi sauce on the side because I ALWAYS want more.

Go forth and be comforted!