Sesame salmon in orange & miso sauce with pineapple pak choi

It's one of those evenings where I end up sitting at the dinner table, barely paying attention to the ongoing conversation, wriggling around in my chair like a child who wants to run off to play - for the mere reason that I am so excited about what I've been eating that I can't wait to share it with you.
It started out as usual: I was in the kitchen, trying out a new dish, after arranging it on plates, I take the usual photographs (not more than 25 per angle, I swear!), husband is getting ever so slightly impatient "ah, ever since you started your foodblog I can't really remember having eaten anything that was actually hot" ... and then we sit down, pour the wine, first bites, silence. Maybe a wow! somewhere, a "not bad, in fact, this works really well together", a joyful second bite and I know I've got a winner. 
This has to be the best fish recipe I've created in a long time - and it was all pure chance. I wanted some salmon, I knew I'd make my favourite Asian side dish which I have been making for ages (pineapple pak choi), I was thinking of a miso sauce whithout actually knowing how to make one. Then my eyes fell on a small bottle with some concentrated orange juice (which I had prepared to drizzle over a carrot & orange crème brulée we never had, because I fell ill) and I decided to pour it in with the miso - never waste a good thing! What can I say - it tasted just wonderful. The perfect bridge between the saltiness of the miso and the fruitiness of the pineapple, such a simple, yet subtle sauce is hard to beat!
A 2004 Villa Maria Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc Reserve was a perfect companion. Fresh and crisp, yet bursting with exotic fruit, nothing could have better complemented this delicious meal.

Sesame salmon in orange & miso sauce with pineapple pak choi
(serves 2)

2 salmon fillets (ca. 200 g each)
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame

For the sauce:
1 tbsp miso paste
200 ml orange juice

For the pak choi:
400 g pak choi (cut in 3 cm slices)
150 g pineapple slices (fresh or canned, cut into rough chunks)
½ red chilli (cut in thin strips)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they start to brown. Reserve in a warm place. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
Pour the orange juice into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half.
Heat a frying pan and a wok with a tbsp of sesame oil each. Throw the salmon fillets, back down first, in the frying pan, cover with a lid and leave to cook until browning underneath. At the same time, add the pak choi and pineapple to the wok and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the teriyaki sauce and the chilli and keep warm.
When the salmon fillets have browned, turn them over carefully and add the miso paste and concentrated orange juice to the pan. Bring to the boil, then sprinkle the fish with the sesame seeds, pour over some sauce and arrange on a plate with the pak choi. Serve basmati or wild rice on the side.

Comments

[Petra]

Hallo Johanna,

das hört sich phantastisch an - wird nachgekocht, sobald ich hier an pak choi komme. Deine Schilderung der Situation "nun muss ich das nur noch kurz fotografieren" einschließlich der Familienkommentare kommt mir übrigens überaus bekannt vor ;-)

[Hande]

Although I like to read your blog a lot:
"I've created" ????
oh come on......:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105656
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106110
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=30600
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=58170

at least admit that you have been inspired...

[johanna]

i can assure you that i have never seen these recipes before, i did not even know the recipezaar until today and i do not count among epicurious's readership (except for the food dictionary).
i say "created" because i did NOT use another recipe as a base and have never eaten this dish before in a restaurant or so, I would if I had, as you can see in other posts, I always do, even if I alter the recipe.

[johanna]

I know there are always ongoing discussions about copyright with recipes and there is no common agreement on when you can call a recipe your own. Of course we are always inspired by other things we see, eat, read about and I am sure that with everything I cook, there must be someone, somewhere who has done the same or something similar before… but if I don’t consciously copy it, if I am not aware of any other recipes like mine out there, I feel I have not committed a crime, or have I?

http://imbb2.lovesicily.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=68&?topic=10.new;boardseen#new

[pinar]

johanna
you do it so well, I love your blog and your little son Max. I think every meal is another creation. The same person may not get the same taste with the same meal. Little additions can make food absolutely taste different. And I'm also sure that you have written the word "created" not considering this kind of toughts.
I hope you create lovely delicious food for us but I dont care about it really because the important thing is the "passion" that people like you and me feel about cooking and of course sharing this with the others.

[Niki]

Bah humbug! And poo to you too! (theirs wasn't the most constructive way to express their view).
PS - Jo, from having met you in person, I know you're not the type of person who finds recipes on internet sites anyway!

[Niki]

There's an interesting discussion about recipe copyright on this posting at Cooking for Engineers. I found it very interesting. (you'll need to scroll down)
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?forward=http://www.cookingforengineers.com/2004/08/recipe-file-lemon-bars.html

[EmilyB]

Pshaw and phooey. The existence of other, similar recipes doesn't mean this one didn't arise spontaneously in Johanna's mind. I think any time you start down the path of "I wonder how this would taste if I added X or Y? Maybe I'll leave out the Q and add some R, S, and extra T" -- to me that counts as creating a recipe.

This reminds me of a story that writer Will Shetterley recently posted on his blog. http://shetterly.blogspot.com/2005/01/people-who-owned-bible-story.html
:-)

And this recipe is definitely getting saved in my "try me!" file.

[johanna]

EmilyB - this story is absolutely brilliant! laughed my head off ... thanks for sharing.
niki - thanks for testifying for me and for the link. again a very interesting discussion thread, especially with the response from the original publisher!
I guess the question of copyright for recipes will always be controversial, but I find the debate interesting. I have had some "offline" correspondence with Hande in the meantime and I know she did not mean to offend. now that she's pointed me to them, i might just try some of the other recipes ;-)

thanks for all your comments - and keep them coming!. Your contributions make thepassionatecook really come to life!

[sue]

The recipe sounds great!

I really don't care where recipes come from
or who/where the original recipe comes from.
As long as I get to find good ones I would like to try is the important thing.

Recipes are for sharing anyway.

If someone used mine I would not care. It's the sharing of them that matters. That what
food/recipe blogs are for.

[johanna]

niki from esurientes has posted another comment here:

"Incidentally, check this out for the actions of an overzealous comment-maker on a blog. I think you'll find it....interesting.

http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2005/01-january/20050103.htm

http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2004/12-december/20041223.htm"

i found it hilarious!

[jackee]

Sesame salmon in orange & miso sauce with pineapple pak choi looking nice in picture i will make it myself if it good to eat with red wines because i always take some red wine with meal

[tony]

Sesame salmon in orange & miso sauce with pineapple pak choi i make this one yestarday it so nice i put whole bottle of red wine in it and the taste is so good

[Piedro Molinero]

This recipe sounds so delicious. Unfortunately I don't know if I can get all the necessary ingredients on our small island, as this is oftentimes a problem. But I will check it on my next shopping. Thank you for sharing such a nice recipe.

[William]

I reall appreciate the things going inside it,personally i think that blogs like this should be well appreciated and valued with some worthy comments.