Gochujang-Glazed Salmon
Salmon under a sweet-spicy Korean glaze of gochujang, honey, soy and ginger. Twenty minutes start to finish, with seven of them in the oven.
20 minEasy
Baby bok choy seared hard cut-side down for real char, then finished with garlic, ginger and soy. One pan, about eight minutes, and it leaves the pan seasoned for whatever cooks next.
Halve each head of bok choy lengthwise. Rinse between the layers, then pat the halves thoroughly dry.
Grit collects down at the base where the stalks meet. Fan the layers open under the tap or it ends up in the dish.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers and is just short of smoking.
Lay the bok choy cut-side down in a single layer and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until deeply browned.
If the halves won't fit in one layer, sear in two batches. Crowded, they steam and you get no char at all.
Drop the heat to medium. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Lower the heat before the garlic goes in. In a pan hot enough to sear, sliced garlic burns in seconds.
Add the soy sauce and water, cover, and steam for 1 to 2 minutes, until the stems are tender and the leaves have wilted.
Off the heat, add the sesame oil and toss. Serve with sesame seeds if you like.
Dry bok choy is the whole trick. Wet leaves steam instead of searing and you never get the browned cut face that makes this worth cooking.
Built as the side for our Gochujang-Glazed Salmon: sear this first, set it aside, then make Garlic Fried Rice in the same pan so the browned bits get picked up, and put the salmon under the broiler last.
Also good next to Ground Beef Bulgogi, or over plain rice as a light lunch.
Use tamari instead of soy sauce to make it gluten free.