Japanese at Home

After hearing two rave reviews in less than a week, we had originally planned to try out Tokyo Bay Buffet for our Friday night dinner. However, plans changed and we decided against it. We still needed to eat dinner, though, so I figured I'd try some new recipes, keeping the Japanese theme. In addition to some simple sushi - a summer roll - from the local grocery store (which is actually pretty decent), we tried Teriyaki Salmon and Sunomono.

Teriyaki Salmon for Two
For two small salmon filets, make a marinade of 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons sake or sherry, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger. After marinating the fish for just a few minutes, sauté the salmon until done, then remove and bring the remaining marinade to a boil to turn it into a glaze. Pretty simple! (Double the sauce if you want enough to drizzle on some rice.)

Sunomono for Two
Peel, remove the seeds, and thinly slice 1/2 a large cucumber. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then squeeze dry. (I rinsed as well first.) Combine 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon soy sauce. Mix with the cucumbers. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds and serve.

Here's a salad dressing to use if you want to add the above cucumbers to a "regular" salad - Asian Sesame Salad Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Combine in a jar and shake before serving.