Presto Pasta Night: Pan Roasted Salmon With Tomato Jam And Rice Noodles

Yes, it's salmon...again.  I dearly love fish, particularly salmon, which is obvious from the number of times I cook it.  When I tried being a vegetarian, it was the fish that I missed the most.  This is a great recipe, to me at least. If you like Asian flavors of fish sauce, ginger, and lime, this will appeal to you. If you would like to try these flavors for the first time, this might be the dish for you to sample them.  It uses rice pasta, which has a wonderful texture and flavor.  The type of noodle for this recipe is rice vermicelli. Or you could also use rice stick noodles. Many grocery stores now carry these dry noodles in the Asian food section. They are very thin and stiff, with a white, slightly translucent color.  Delicious and fun to cook, you simply drop them into boiling water, set them aside for about 10 minutes, then drain them.  If you can't find them at your grocery store, try using regular wheat vermicelli instead.  By the way, the tomato jam is fabulous. I was tempted to eat it alone with a big spoon. But, I didn't.

Since this recipe features these fabulous noodles, I think it's perfect for Presto Pasta Night, which was started by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.  More and more pasta lovers are joining in the fun by making great pasta dishes, so stop by her site on Friday and see the big Roundup.

Pan Roasted Salmon With Tomato Jam And Rice Noodles

(Food & Wine)

4 ounces rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional, if you can't tolerate them)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges, for serving
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
1 small onion, minced
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, with skin

DIRECTIONs

    1.     Add the vermicelli to a saucepan of boiling water. Let stand off the heat for 10 minutes, until softened.
    2.    Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the jalapeño, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the ginger and cook over moderately low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and remove from the heat. Add the fish sauce and lime juice, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.
    3.    Drain the vermicelli and shake dry. Cut into 4-inch lengths (more or less) and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the curry sauce, red bell pepper and chopped cilantro and toss well.
    4.    In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ginger and the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, sugar and vinegar and cook over moderate heat, mashing and stirring occasionally, until thick and jamlike, about 10 minutes. Season the jam with salt and pepper.
    5.    In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat until the skillet is hot. Season the salmon with salt and pepper; add to the skillet, skin side up. Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn the fish over, skin side down, and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes, checking with the tip of a knife inserted into the fish, to check that it's not overcooked. You should only cook the fish until it's slightly translucent in the center.  Once it is (and the thickness of your fish will determine that), remove it from the heat.   Note:  If you're more comfortable broiling your fish, feel free to do so.
    6.    Spoon the vermicelli onto plates, top with the salmon and tomato jam. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Comments

[Lydia]

I've just recently discovered the combination of salmon (which I adore) and tomato jam. In Providence (RI) there's a restaurant that has a salmon and tomato jam sandwich on the menu every day. It's a magical pairing, and I'm so glad to have your recipe!

[Mae]

I'll never get tired of you posting salmon. It's a feast for the eyes. The recipe looks like a real winner, Sher.

[gattina]

I don't know which make me drool more... your tomato jam, or the fish, or the long and fantastic list of seasoning!
I see more rice pasta (import from Italy) getting available at store, I haven't tried them yet, as I only pay a fraction of their price for Chinese rice noodle... I'm a cheapo :D

[Anh]

This sounds wonderful Sher. I am always looking for good recipes using salmon, and this is one!

[LiberalFoodie]

interesting. I didn't think about trying rice noodles with a dish like this but now that I have the idea......... And the salmon looks very yummy.

[Alisha]

I just love rice pasta and how can you go wrong with salmon? This looks absolutely delicious!

[Freya]

The salmon looks perfectly cooked and I love the tomato jam and noodles with it!

[Sue (coffeepot)]

Watch out Sher you will make me fall off the slim fast wagon.

ouch

[s'kat]

This wonderful... keep on with the salmon dishes, they rock!

[Kat]

That looks fantastic! I've never heard to Tomato Jam - - but it makes perfect sense!

[Kat]

That looks fantastic! I've never heard of Tomato Jam - - but it makes perfect sense!

[janelle]

I love salmon, but am still trying to convince my kiddos that THEY love salmon:).

Uncontested: I love tomatoes!

[Burcu]

I like your salmon posts, Sher. And especially with vermicelli it sounds great.

[Katie]

I love salmon, too. Thankfully mon mari likes it as well - he's a picky fish eater.
We have it often - I love the tomato jam.

[Callipygia]

MMM jammy jammy goodness. Also madras curry and fish sauce, v intriguing indeed. This looks great, I wish I were your neighbor!

[Katie]

That salmon looks absolutely delicious!

[aria]

i lovesalmon so much and you always post interesting ways to prepare that i love. this tomato jam sounds fantastic! looks beautiful!

[Ruth]

Fabulous looking dish. I also love salmon and never get tired of it. What a great idea to marry so many interesting flavors.

Thanks for playing Presto Pasta Nights - your dishes always steal the show.

[Tanna]

The tomato jam sounds really excellent! I know I would need to cut down on the ginger. Now I'm really hungry for salmon!

[angie]

Sher, your noodle dish looks fabulous! Love the way you combine the different flavours.

[sher]

Lydia,

It is good, isn't it--the tomato jam. I loved this version so much. I'm going to make up a batch to have on hand. My husband loved this recipe (so did I.)

Mae,

Thank you Mae! I could eat salmon almost every day.

Gattina,

Oh--I'm with you. I buy the Chinese Rice Noodles. They are reasonably priced and don't cost much at all. Love them!

Anh,

Thank you! I think this is a very good recipe--so many flavors in there!

LiberalFoodie,

Wheat vermicelli would also taste great with this recipe, if you can't get the rice noodles.

Alisha,

I love rice pasta too. I wish I could get the fresh varieties. It's supposed to be easy to make.

Freya,

Thank you! This recipe was a big hit in our house. I will be making it again.

Sue,

LOL!! Uh-oh. Well, when you're done with the Slim Fast--you can make this. It's pretty low in calories. :):)

s'kat,

Thank you! I can't stay away from salmon.

Kat,

Tomato jam does sound a little funny--but it is I was very happy that is was perfect with the salmon.

Janelle,

I bet your kids start to like salmon someday--then they might try to eat yours too! (That's what always happened in our house.)

Burcu,

Thank you! The pasta was a nice fit with it. Glad Food & Wine thought this up!

Katie,

Salmon is a big favorite in our house too--so it's a reliable choice. Which can be a relief.

Callipygia,

I wish you were my neighbor too!!!!

Katie,

Thank you!

Aria,

Thank you, for some reason, it's easy to find great recipes for salmon.

Ruth,

It's always fun to do a Pasta Presto recipe. You had a great idea starting this!

Tanna,

I was going to say that the ginger isn't taht strong--but then I remembered that I adore ginger. :):) I'm a bad judge.

Angie,

Thank you--- I have to give credit to Food & Wine for thinking it up. The different flavors really are wonderful!

[Deb]

Am I the only one in the world that despises the stuff? Egads. Mom kept trying Janelle, but it never worked in my case.

I must say though, Sher, your picture looks ALMOST good enough to eat. I'll just have the noodles this time. :)

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Wonderful! I love salmon as well...I have found that most yummy recipes for salmon will work well on chicken too. (not visa-versa)

[Ivonne]

Oh my goodness, Sher! The colours are so vivid. And they look like they're sitting on a perfect cloud of noodles. I love it!

[Bad Home Cook]

You know, Sher? I really gotta stop checking your blog out at dinner time....
That salmon and tomatoes over rice noodles looks too delicious....
And me with salmon in the fridge...

[Kristen]

Beautiful salmon. We love fish here too...had salmon twice this weekend already! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Your photos are beautiful!

[Julie]

Hi, I just wanted to let everyone know that I made this dish last night with a minor (or major) change, I omitted the curry powder. My husband is from India and I visit Indian grocery stores, but have not found a curry powder I like. Anyway, all I can say is that this is one of the best dishes I have made in a long time! My husband and I could not believe the combination of flavors, spices, textures... I could go on and on. Everything really works together - which for salmon is sometime hard. So, if you don't like curry, don't worry, it is FANTASTIC without it! I also added more garlic being a big garlic fan. Try this dish!

[peabody]

Wow that is so vibrant and fresh looking!

[Patricia Scarpin]

Sher, bring on the salmon! I love it, too.

Next time I make salmon I'll copy your idea and pour some tomato jam over it. :)

[Piedro Molinero]

I love salmon and your recipes reads so delicious that I am already hungry. I had different salmon two days ago but next time I am going to give your roasted one a try. Thank you for sharing such a nice recipe.