In this installment of Eat Your Food!
from our writer Nick Evans, he feeds his kids Ginger-Soy Steamed Salmon with Spicy Maple Sauce.
Sometimes the most important element of dinner with kids is to put on a show.
Nick Evans
(Will there be a fire?
Can we call the Fire Department?)
The result is a meal that is surprisingly easy to make.
Nick Evans
Serve the fish and veggies with your favorite steamed rice.
Or eventually reject them randomly outright, as kids are wont to do.
So, salmon is tough.
Nick Evans
(Im very afraid my kids wont eat it.)
Skip ahead to the report card to find out if they ate it on this particular day!
Cooking in a Bamboo Steamer
If you dont have abamboo steamer, you should look into it.
Nick Evans
There are a couple of tricks:confirm you season the food well, for starters.
No Steamer?
If you dont have a steamer, it’s possible for you to absolutely roast this dinner as well.
Nick Evans
The Dad Add: Spicy Maple Sauce!
This is your new favorite sauce.
Its only four ingredients and cooks down in a few minutes.
Nick Evans
I love it on salmon, which can hold up to its big flavors.
It would overpower less meaty fish varieties.
(Spoiler: Scrambled eggs.)
Nick Evans
My son immediately tried the fish!
It turns out she had tried, a few minutes ago, and it was still in her mouth.
She spit it out, which made my son laugh.
Nick Evans
But, theytriedthe fish, theytriedthe bok choy, they ate a metric ton of buttered rice.
Gummy worms were eaten for dessert.
Toss the bok choy and red pepper with a little olive oil and roast for 5 minutes at 400F.
Nick Evans
Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Take some of the larger bok choy leaves and place them on the top tray of the bamboo steamer.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of soy sauce over the veggies.
Stack the steamer baskets on top of each other.
You are ready to steam!
Bring a pot of water to boil and place the steamer tray over the pot.
The steamer should sit on top of the pot and overlap slightly.
It should not fit inside the pot.
Steam the fish and veggies for 16 to 20 minutes.
That should be enough to cook the fish through and tenderize the veggies without making them mushy.
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
Bring to a simmer and turn heat down to low.
Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Watch it closely as it can boil over.
Remove and let cool and it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Remove the steaming tray using oven mitts (it will be very hot).
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Season with extra soy sauce, if desired, and sprinkle with sesame seeds as a garnish.
Spoon Maple Sauce over the top of the fish, optionally.
